FAQs

1. When will the subway go to York University?

  • Service on the new extension is planned to start in late 2015. So you can expect to catch a train to the York University’s Keele campus at that time.

2. Will the new subway trains be on the extension?

  • New TTC subway trains are coming to the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension. The new Toronto Rocket trains will run on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway and start to replace some of TTC’s existing fleet of cars with new modern comfortable trains.

3. Will all the stations have commuter parking lots?

  • To encourage commuters to use the subway system, 2,900 parking spaces are planned for various stations.  Commuter parking lots are planned at the Finch West station with 400 spaces, Steeles West station with 1,900 spaces, and Highway 407 station with 600 spaces. Refer to the Spadina Subway Extension  route map to see the locations of the stations.

4. How often will trains run on the extension?

  • On opening day, trains will run every four to five minutes. As more people use the subway, trains will be added and become more frequent.

5. How will the subway extension be built?

  • The two main techniques used to build the extension are tunnel boring and “cut and cover” construction. More than six kilometres of the extension will be tunnelled through the City of Toronto and the City of Vaughan. The twin tunnels will be built by tunnelling deep underground with an Earth Pressure Balance tunnel boring machine. A tunnel boring machine (TBM) is a circular cutting machine that drills a tunnel within the soil or ground with minimal disruption to the street or ground above.
  • The TBM will be launched from a deep excavated shaft called a “launch shaft” and bore a tunnel in one direction to a specific designation called an “extraction shaft”. As the TBM advances, pre-cast concrete tunnel segments known as liners are set in place to form the lining of the tunnel. These steel reinforced concrete liner segments will permanently support the tunnel. Once the TBM completes its “tunnel drive”, it is dismantled at an extraction shaft and transported by truck to the next launch shaft  to prepare for its next tunnel drive.
  • Since the stations are more complex than the tunnels, extensive construction will take place to build the platforms, concourses and unique elements of the stations.

6. When will construction start ?

  • Construction of the subway tunnel is expected to start on the subway route in 2010. Four tunnel boring machines will be used to tunnel for almost two years to complete a little over six kilometres of twin tunnels. There will be some early construction work done for utilities and roadwork prior to tunnel construction.

7. How fast are tunnels bored?

  • An earth pressure balance tunnel boring machine can progress approximately 15 metres per day depending on soil conditions.


8. Who is paying for the extension?

  • The Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension project is jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto, and The Regional Municipality of York.
  • The Government of Canada has committed $697 million, of which $75 million has already been provided. The Province of Ontario has provided $870, which has been deposited in the Move Ontario Trust. The City of Toronto and The Regional Municipality of York have committed to fund one-third of the total project cost. Toronto will contribute $526 million and York Region will contribute $352 million.
  • The estimated final project cost is $2.6 billion.

9. How many jobs will be created through this project?

  • It is estimated that the construction of the subway extension will generate approximately 20,000 indirect and direct jobs (in person-years of employment).