What’s ahead for the Metrolinx Yonge North Subway Extension in 2022

An up close look at a tunnel boring machine.

Updated environmental studies and the search for teams to build new subway tunnels are signs that the pace of progress on this new transit project is dialing up another notch in 2022.

Updated environmental studies and the search for teams to build new subway tunnels are signs that the pace of progress on this new transit project is dialing up another notch in 2022.

The path ahead for the Yonge North Subway Extension will be filled with important milestones through the rest of the year that will bring the eight-kilometre, four stop extension of TTC Line 1 closer to joining the region’s growing transit network.

In fact, the project – which will bring subway service north from Finch Station to York Region – has a major development right around the corner. The finishing touches are being put on a draft of updated environmental studies for the extension.

Updated environmental studies

Experts are preparing an addendum to the project’s Environmental Project Report (EPR, for short) that assesses any changes since previous environmental studies were done in 2009 and 2014. The EPR addendum evaluates the latest updates to the Yonge North Subway Extension, including changes to the northern segment of the route, and suggests ways any potential impacts of construction and operation of the extension could be managed.

Metrolinx will share the draft EPR addendum in the weeks to come and reach out to communities along the route for feedback on the report through virtual open houses and a dedicated forum on Metrolinx Engage. That feedback, along with the findings of the environmental studies, will be used to prepare a final report later this year.

Early upgrades at Finch Station

Important progress was made in 2021, like sharing updated plans for the project and confirming Clark Station as the fourth stop on the line. Metrolinx also started the search for teams to work on Finch Station as part of upgrades that will get the station ready to connect Line 1 service to the new subway extension. The successful team will be brought on board later this year, with main construction set to begin on the so-called ‘early works’ in 2023.

Get excited for boring

You might have noticed the splash made recently by the Yonge North Subway Extension’s cousins – the Scarborough Subway Extension and the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension – as their mighty tunnel boring machines completed a fantastic voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from Germany to the shores of Lake Ontario so they could be prepared to dig the tunnels that will expand rapid transit further across the region.

The Yonge North Subway Extension will get closer to welcoming its own tunnel boring machines this year by issuing a ‘Request for Qualifications’ for experts interested in building the tunnels that will extend north from Finch Station to York Region. Construction on this part of the project is currently tracking for 2023.

You can stay up to date on the latest project progress by signing up for the Metrolinx e-newsletter and following the Yonge North Subway Extension on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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