Frequently Asked Questions

Increase Your Knowledge About the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension

When will the subway start operation?

Service on the new extension is planned to start in fall 2016. So you can expect to catch a train northbound from the existing Downsview Station all the way to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre at Highway 7 and Jane Street.

Will the new subway trains be on the extension?

The new Toronto Rocket trains will run on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway and have started to replace some of TTC's existing fleet of cars with new modern comfortable trains.

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 1,850 spaces, and Highway 407 station with 563 spaces. Refer to the Spadina Subway Extension map to see the locations of the stations.

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.

How will the subway extension be built?

The two main techniques used to build the subway extension are tunnel boring and “cut and cover” construction. Almost seven kilometres of the extension will be tunnelled through the City of Toronto and the City of Vaughan.

Construction of the subway tunnel has started on the subway route. Four tunnel boring machines, Holey, Moley and Yorkie, Torkie are now tunnelling the almost 7 kilometres of twin tunnels. Construction work on all six new stations is also underway.

How fast are tunnels bored?

Depending on soil conditions, an earth pressure balance tunnel boring machine can progress approximately 15 metres per day.

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 million, 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.

How many jobs will be created through this project?

It is estimated that the construction of the subway extension will generate approximately 20,000 jobs during construction.