Ontario Line TBM breaks through to future King West Station

The Ontatrio Line marked another milestone in construction, as the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) broke through to the future King West Station in downtown Toronto.

This breakthrough represents the first time a TBM has reached a station on the new subway line. Once complete, the Ontario Line is expected to accommodate nearly 390,000 daily boardings and bring nearly 230,000 more people within walking distance of rapid transit, while supporting 4,700 jobs annually during construction.

“Every kilometre of tunnelling brings us closer to delivering a new subway line that will transform how people travel across Toronto,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation.

The first TBM, nicknamed Libby, began tunnelling in April 2026 and has since travelled approximately 1.3 kilometres from its launch shaft east of Exhibition Station, installing approximately 780 tunnel lining rings along the way. Following its breakthrough to the future King West Station, crews will conduct testing and maintenance on the machine before it continues tunnelling toward the future Chinatown Station. A second TBM, nicknamed Corkie, is excavating a parallel tunnel and will arrive at King West Station in December.

“The Ontario Line will help to transform the GTA, making it faster and easier for residents to reach home, school or work,” said the Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure. The Government of Canada is contributing over $4 billion towards the Ontario Line.

The Ontario Line is No. 7 on ReNew Canada’s 2026 Top100 Projects report.

Located at King Street West and Bathurst Street, the future King West Station will bring subway service to the heart of Toronto’s Fashion District, putting 27,000 people and 24,200 jobs within walking distance of rapid transit. The station is expected to serve approximately 5,100 customers during the busiest travel hour, with 2,400 transfers providing direct connections to other transit services like the TTC’s 504 King and 511 Bathurst streetcars.

“After decades without tunnelling under downtown Toronto, the Ontario Line project continues to hit significant milestones every month. Every completed bridge, every excavated station, and every tunnel breakthrough brings us closer to the realizing of a project that Torontonians need and deserve,” said Michael Lindsay, president and CEO, Metrolinx.

Earlier this year, the province broke ground on an elevated guideway for the Ontario Line and four new stations in Toronto’s east end that will improve access to 14,800 jobs in the area and bring 30,500 people within walking distance of transit.

“Torontonians want transit that’s fast, reliable and close to home and today’s Ontario Line breakthrough brings that a step closer,” said Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto.

Featured image: (Government of Ontario)