Substantial completion reached for first set of Eglinton Crosstown West Extension tunnels

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx announced substantial completion of the first set of tunnels for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) project on June 30, 2025. The first Advance Tunnel contract includes two 6.3-kilometre tunnels stretching from west of Scarlett Road to Renforth Drive.

The contracting team, West End Connectors, successfully completed the tunnels, cross passages, headwalls for future stations, utilities, and emergency exit buildings among other construction elements. The design-build-finance project was delivered through IO’s Public-Private Partnership (P3) model.

West End Connectors includes a construction team consisting of Aecon Infrastructure Management Inc., Dragados Canada Inc., Ghella Canada Ltd. and design team of TYPSA Inc. and EXP Services Inc.

The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension is No. 17 on ReNew Canada’s 2025 Top100 Projects report.

An elevated guideway and second set of tunnels (the second Advance Tunnel contract) are currently under construction, while the stations, rail and systems contract is in procurement. Once work on all the contracts has been completed, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will bring Line 5 Eglinton another 9.2-kilometres west from Mount Dennis LRT station in Toronto to Renforth Drive in Mississauga.

The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) Advance Tunnel Project is the first phase of work for the 9.2 kilometre extension of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT (future TTC Line 5). The extension will run mostly underground, westward from the future Mount Dennis station to Renforth Drive. The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) Advance Tunnel 2 Project is the second tunnel package, running between Jane Street and the future Mount Dennis Station.

Once complete, the ECWE will connect to different transit services, including the GO Kitchener Line and UP Express train service at Mount Dennis, TTC bus services at transit stops in Toronto, and GO and MiWay bus services via the Mississauga Transitway. Metrolinx is actively collaborating with the GTAA and municipal partners on the proposed alignment from Renforth Drive to the airport, which takes into account the GTAA’s plans for a Regional Transit Centre.

The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension is being delivered in separate procurement contracts:

1. A first advance tunnel between Renforth Drive and Scarlett Road.
2. A second advance tunnel between Jane Street and Mount Dennis Station.
3. Elevated guideway between Scarlett Road and Jane Street.
4. Stations, Rail and Systems.

Featured image: (West End Connectors)