Preferred proponent teams selected for two contracts associated with the Ontario Line
Two teams were named as preferred proponents on two contracts associated with the Ontario Line; a 15-station, 15.6-kilometer (9.7-mile) rail line that will stretch across Toronto and will be built using a mix of above ground and below ground rail infrastructure.
The Ontario Line rail project is being delivered through staged procurement packages in coordination with other significant transit projects. Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario have selected preferred proponents for two of these packages: the Ontario Line South Civil, Stations and Tunnel (South) and Ontario Line Rolling Stock, Systems, Operations and Maintenance (RSSOM) contracts.
Ontario Transit Group has been named as the preferred proponent for the Ontario Line South contract. Ferrovial Construction Canada Inc. and VINCI Construction Grands projets will serve as the applicant lead. The design team consists of AECOM Canada Ltd., COWI North America Ltd., GHD Limited and SENER Group. The construction team includes Ferrovial Construction Canada Inc. and Janin Atlas Inc.; and the team’s financial advisor will be Agentis Capital.
The scope of work for the Ontario Line South contract includes 6.7 kilometers (4.2 miles) of rail infrastructure, including six kilometers (3.7 miles) of tunnels and seven stations—six of which will be underground.
“The Ontario Line South Civil contract will be Ferrovial Construction’s largest contract to be executed and delivered worldwide. To have a project of this size and scope as part of our company’s portfolio speaks volumes about the expertise and value we bring to some of the most complex and visible infrastructure projects in the world,” said Ferrovial Construction CEO Ignacio Gastón.
Connect 6ix was selected as the preferred proponent for the Ontario Line RSSOM contract. Plenary Americas, Hitachi Rail, Webuild Group (Salini Impreglio Canada Holding Inc.) and Transdev Canada Inc. will serve as the applicant lead. The design team consists of Hitachi Rail and IBI Group Professional Services (Canada) Inc. The construction team includes Hitachi Rail, Webuild Group (Astaldi Canada Design & Construction Inc. and Salini Impreglio Civil Works Inc.) and NGE Contracting Inc. The operations, maintenance and rehabilitation team includes Hitachi Rail and Transdev Canada Inc.; and the team’s financial advisors will be National Bank Financial Inc. and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
The scope of the design-build-finance-operate-maintain Ontario Line RSSOM contract includes the design, supply, operation and maintenance of the line’s rolling stock, as well as its track, communications and train control systems. The construction, operation and maintenance of a trio of facilities including the operations, maintenance and storage facility, the operations control center and the backup operations control center. The contract also includes the integration of the PRESTO fare system into the new line.
Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario anticipates awarding both contracts later this year. Ferrovial says construction is expected to begin in 2023 and take seven years to complete.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
