Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx have awarded the contract to design, build and finance the Ontario Line Southern Civil, Stations and Tunnel (South Civil) package to the Ontario Transit Group consortium.

The group is led by Ferrovial Construction Canada and VINCI Construction Grands Projets, with design support from AECOM Canada, COWI North America, GHD Limited and SENER Group. The construction leads are Ferrovial Construction and Janin Atlas Inc.

The $6-billion fixed price contract calls for construction of a six-kilometre tunnel and associated tunnelling works from Exhibition to Don Yard portal (west of the Don River); groundworks required to build the tunnels and stations; utility and conduit works to prepare for the rolling stock, systems, operations and maintenance mechanical and electrical systems; and guideway structures and facilities to prepare for the track structure.

The contract also calls for work on seven stations. One will be above ground and will be integrated with the existing GO Transit Exhibition Station. Two will be underground, and will be integrated with the existing TTC Osgoode and Queen subway stations, and four will be new builds underground at the future King/Bathurst, Queen/Spadina, Moss Park and Corktown stations.

The team will begin mobilizing its design and construction crews, with major works to commence in early 2023. The South Civil contract is anticipated to be completed in 2030.

The consortium anticipates that its section of work for South Civil will support an estimated 1,500 jobs at the peak of construction.

The broader Ontario Line project is being delivered through various P3, progressive design-build and traditional procurement contracts, which are all being staged accordingly for their successful delivery.

The Ontario Line will be a 15.6-kilometre new rapid transit line running between the Ontario Science Centre and Exhibition/Ontario Place in Toronto, with 15 stations, including six interchange stations. The new line will provide more than 40 connections to other bus, streetcar, light-rail transit and regional rail services.

Once complete, the province estimates that more than 227,500 people will live within a 10-minute walk of an Ontario Line station. The project is also expected to reduce crowding on the existing Line 1 (Yonge-University) subway, and create new economic and community growth along the future transit line.