TBMs complete first stretch of twin tunnels

Officials from the federal government, Toronto, York Region and the TTC officially marked the completion of the first leg of tunnelling on the Spadina Subway Extension on June 11.

An event to mark the completion of 3.2-km of tunnels between future subway stations at Finch Avenue/Keele Street and Sheppard Avenue/Downsview Park took place at the launch site near Downsview Park Merchants Market.

It was attended by The Honourable Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence (now International Co-operation Minister) and Vaughan MP, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, York Region Chairman and CEO Bill Fisch and TTC Chair Karen Stintz.

“By extending the Yonge-University-Spadina Subway to York University and to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, this project will be helping many people get to where they need to be much quicker, and certainly much easier,” Fantino said.

Four tunnel boring machines (TBMs nicknamed Holey and Moley and Yorkie and Torkie) are tunnelling the 8.6-km subway extension. 

The first TBM (Holey) was launched in July 2011 and broke through its extraction shaft near Keele and Finch on May 1.

The second TBM (Moley) was launched in October 2011 and broke through its extraction shaft on June 4. Both TBMs will now get ready for their next leg of twin-tunnelling, which will link Downsview Station on the Yonge-University-Spadina Subway.

The TTC’s two other TBMs (Yorkie and Torkie) are currently tunnelling between the future station at Finch Avenue/Keele Street and the future Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station.

The TTC officially launched the first TBM on June 17, 2011.

The Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension is jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto and The Regional Municipality of York.