Ontario Construction News staff writer
The first tunnel boring machine (TBM) on Toronto’s Ontario Line has broken through to the future King West Station, marking the first time a tunnel boring machine has reached a station on the new subway line.
The machine, nicknamed Libby, has travelled about 1.3 kilometres from its launch shaft east of Exhibition Station since tunnelling began in April 2026. It has installed approximately 780 tunnel lining rings along the route.
Following the breakthrough, crews will carry out testing and maintenance on Libby before it resumes tunnelling toward the future Chinatown Station. A second TBM, nicknamed Corkie, is excavating a parallel tunnel and is expected to reach King West Station in December.
“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 Ontario Line will expand access to fast, reliable transit, cut commute times and reduce gridlock by taking thousands of cars off the road every day while creating thousands of good-paying jobs during construction.”
The station is expected to accommodate approximately 5,100 customers during the busiest travel hour, including 2,400 transfers providing connections to other transit services, such as the TTC’s 504 King and 511 Bathurst streetcars.
“The Ontario Line will help to transform the GTA, making it faster and easier for residents to reach home, school or work,” said Gregor Robertson, federal Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada. “By working together, we are building the first new subway line in Toronto in decades, and we are thrilled to see progress continue.”
The line will connect Exhibition Place to Line 5 Eglinton at Don Valley Station. During peak periods, it is expected to reduce crowding by up to 15 per cent on the busiest section of TTC Line 1 between Bloor-Yonge and Wellesley stations and cut travel times across Toronto by as much as 40 minutes.
The province is also planning to build a transit-oriented community at the King West Station through its $236-billion capital plan. The development is expected to deliver nearly 680 new homes.
The federal government is contributing more than $4 billion toward construction of the Ontario Line.
