Ontario issues RFPs for Toronto subway expansion

On 17 December, the province issued two RFPs for procurement packages to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Ontario Line project. The Preliminary Design Business Case for the line was also released which provides a more detailed understanding of the project's design and benefits for the community. Following the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process that began in June 2020, shortlisted teams are now invited by Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx to bid on two RFP packages:

The first package includes designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining the subway trains, communications, train control and other systems.

The second package includes designing, building and financing the tunnels and transit stations for the southern segment of the line from Exhibition Place to just west of the Don River. It also includes utility and conduit work and building structures to prepare for track installation.

After evaluating the proposals received, IO and Metrolinx expect to award the contracts in 2022. The line is being built under three separate public-private partnership (P3) contracts and a package of early works contracts.

Once completed, the 15.6km line will have 15 stations and extend between Exhibition/Ontario Place to the Ontario Science Centre. As one of the most significant transit projects in the Greater Toronto area, the line is expected to be a highly technologically advanced subway system with a high degree of automation, on a par with subways in Paris, Copenhagen and Barcelona.