Infrastructure Ontario, Metrolinx issue RFQ for second Eglinton Crosstown West Extension tunnel contract

Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the second Advance Tunnel Contract package on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. The 9.2-kilometer (5.7-mile) extension will run mostly underground and includes approximately six kilometers (3.7 miles) of tunnels.

Issuing the RFQ is the first step in finding a team that will design, build and finance the tunnels for the extension that will run between Jane Street and the future Mount Dennis Station. The province says the extension will bring better rapid transit to Etobicoke and Mississauga.

The extension is being delivered through four separate contracts. The first tunneling contract, covering the underground work between Renforth Drive and Scarlett Road, was awarded to West End Connectors in May 2021. Work at the launch site began in July 2021 with the project’s tunnel boring machines (TBMs) scheduled to be lowered in spring 2022. The TBMs are currently marking their way to Canada from Germany.

“Since breaking ground on this priority project in July, we’ve made remarkable progress on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension,” said Caroline Mulroney, Ontario Minister of Transportation. “Ontario is more committed than ever to working with our partners to build subways faster. Together, we will make life easier for the people of Etobicoke and Mississauga, support the creation of thousands of jobs, and spur economic growth.”

The Eglinton West Extension is one of four priority transit projects that will improve mobility and transit access in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

"New projects like this are putting the GTA on the map when it comes to transit, and we’re making tremendous progress on moving them forward. Finding a team of skilled industry leaders to complete this major part of the project will help us get the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension completed as quickly as possible for transit riders across the region,” said Metrolinx President and CEO Phil Verster.

The province says it will also release a pre-qualification for the transit project’s elevated section of tracks from Scarlett Road to Jane Street in the coming weeks. Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx will evaluate the submissions and announce a shortlist of qualified proponents for both the second tunneling package and the elevated section contracts in spring of 2022.