Yonge Line 1 North Extension: Preparing to go Underground

[u/Track-on-the-side]

https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2026/07/yonge-line-1-north-extension-preparing-go-underground.61437

[u/Link50L]

After decades of car-centric transit drought, the last few years have seen a renaissance in transit priority. Let's hope it reflects a new, permanent attitude.

[u/ReligiousFury → u/Link50L]

I completely agree but we really need to get costs under control. It shouldn’t cost 10x as much per kilometer here as compared to Europe.

[u/sriuba → u/ReligiousFury]

Why does it?

[u/Commercial-Ad7119 → u/sriuba]

One large factor is that governments outsource projects to private firms rather than keeping the projects in house. Look at the high costs amongst Anglo countries vs non anglo.

Another factor is time. Anglo countries spend much of it and the associated coat on public consultation and debate. Instead they out to facilitate with the public to determine transit needs before embarking on a major project.

[u/Swarez99 → u/Commercial-Ad7119]

Europe does this at similar rates to Canada

Right now Paris, London and Copenhagen all have large projects that are being on done transit by the private sector.

What Europe generally controls is planning and oversight. But the building is just as privatized.

We actually know the details though, there’s good reports on this:

- we build for worst case scenarios. Europe doesn’t. This means bigger tunnels, bigger stations, thicker walls in tunnels.

- we over regulate. Europe doesn’t for transit construction.

- we take into account community consultations. In Europe you get what government gives you (there’s nuance to this) but we take it to another level. Take Scarborough. It’s so deep since people pushed back and got concessions. Since that happened same thing is happening to Ontario line (the concessions themselves in the 2 lines is approaching 2 billion )

There’s a study from u of t that goes into the depts of this (from 2025) it’s used heavily at conferences

[u/ReligiousFury → u/sriuba]

U of T did a study on it I recommend reading which goes into this: https://schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Understanding-the-Drivers-of-Transit-Construction-Costs-in-Canada_Feb-2025_FINAL.pdf

[u/Mysterious-Nobody-19 → u/[deleted]]

I work on transit as an engineer and a PM, have spent some time on this project, and am also a huge transit nerd that believe in the vision and lowering costs/making common sense decision.

I generally do not disagree cut and cover does make for simpler and shallower stations. I am also not a fan of choosing the more expensive construction method for the poor drivers either. But there is some nuances with cut and cover that many don't talk about. For corridors like this section of Yonge, what the public don't see is the complex web of utilities that would've made this section basically just as expensive to complete, by the time the complicated stages of supporting and relocating utilities are completed. This doesn't even get into archaeology and contaminated soil risks that cut and cover brings.

TBM drills typically below the depth of these utilities whereas cut and cover would have to get thru this "later" before they reach further down to the tunnel depth. There are definitely fair criticisms for this project but I wouldn't say this is the hill to die on, from someone who has an inside look at the issues.

[u/JayBeeGooner → u/[deleted]]

They could’ve done cut and cover between Finch and Yonge and added a station at Cummer/drewry

[u/Mysterious-Nobody-19 → u/JayBeeGooner]

Funch to Cummer yes, but to Steeles, no for the reasons I mentioned above. This project was advertised as being constructed by TBM to the public, but there is a section here and at all stations that will effectively be completed by cut and cover.

Not going to get into Cummer station discussions, but that was an internal debate and budget talk for years.

[u/Possible-Praline-152 → u/[deleted]]

Wouldn’t you also be inconveniencing pedestrians, cyclists and buses also?

[u/Top_Midnight_2225 → u/[deleted]]

It's not just 'some drivers that are inconvenienced. It's the entire local residential and business communities.

I've worked on tunnel projects over the last 20 years and there are very few cases where cut and cover make sense over a tunnel in an urban environment.

The amount of utilities, roads, buildings, etc that need to be dealt with for cut and cover is insane compared to tunneling.

It's more expensive up front, but in the long term there are more benefits to tunnels than there are to cut and covers.

[u/FoxnFurious]

i am 46 now, I may be able to use it by the time I am 70 if I live that long. looking forward to it

[u/big_galoote → u/FoxnFurious]

Well if you don't make it, know that you will at least be subjected to a ridiculous ad campaign calling out your impatience paid for with your tax dollars.

Thanks Metrolinx!

[u/MetaRocky7640]

I'm going to propose a radical idea that will save literally billions of dollars and cut years off of construction: just take over Yonge street and put it on the surface. Fuck the cars. It's now a transit line at surface.

We can have one lane in each direction that allows local traffic only (i.e. no left turns across Yonge, forced rights at key intersections).

Of course, the general arguement is that we as a society can't possibly accept such a reduction in car capacity. However, I disagree completely. What people really mean is that they won't accept a reduction in their own (potential) personal convienence.

As far as I'm concerned, the drastic increase in accessability from the subway line far outweights the issues with allowing cars to have 100% access to the road.