Metrolinx reaches another milestone on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension
Written by Kimberly Murphy, Metrolinx
The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension reaches another milestone
Metrolinx
As crews continue to make progress at the launch site for the tunnel boring machines that dig between Renforth Drive and Scarlett Road, Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario are moving forward with plans for a second section of tunnels for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. Read on to get the latest info.
This week, Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario started the search for a team that will design, build, and finance the tunnels that will run between Toronto’s Jane Street and the future Mount Dennis Station on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension.
Once built, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will extend the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) project another nine kilometres further west into Mississauga.
The route will run underground from Renforth Drive to Scarlett Road, where it will then run on elevated tracks to Jane Street before heading underground again to connect with Mount Dennis Station.
Work is already underway to build the tunnels between Renforth Drive and Scarlett Road; the request for qualifications released today is for the tunnelled section at the eastern end of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension.
First steps in the procurement process
A request for qualifications is the first step in the procurement process for a major project like this.
It’s used to identify project teams that have the right experience and abilities to take on the project. Qualified teams are then asked to participate in the next step of the procurement – the request for proposals (RFP) — which Metrolinx expects to release next spring.
“It’s really exciting to see the progress being made on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension,” said Joshua Engel-Yan, Metrolinx program sponsor for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension.
“Every milestone we reach brings us closer to bringing higher-quality rapid transit to transit riders in Mississauga and Etobicoke, and to people across the region.”
There are more of these kinds of milestones on the horizon, with procurement for the elevated section stations, as well as rail and systems contracts still to come.
Want to learn more about the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension? Click here.
Work continues at Renforth tunnel launch site
Since breaking ground in July, the tunnel launch site at Renforth Drive has been a busy place.
Once it’s complete, the launch shaft will be 80 metres long, 20 metres wide and 17 metres deep to accommodate the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that will be lowered into it in spring 2022.
You can track the progress of the TBMs here, as they make their way from Germany to Canadian shores.
For more information about the project, visit the project website or follow on the project on Twitter @EglintonWestEXT
