Ontario Line tunnel machine reaches King West, first station breakthrough

The first tunnel boring machine on Toronto’s Ontario Line has broken through at the future King West Station, the first time a machine has reached a station on the new subway, the Ontario government said Friday.

The machine, nicknamed Libby, started tunnelling in April 2026 from a launch shaft east of Exhibition Station. It has travelled about 1.3 kilometres and installed about 780 concrete lining rings, according to the province. Crews will test and maintain it before it continues east toward the future Chinatown Station.

A second machine, nicknamed Corkie, is digging the parallel tunnel and is expected to reach King West Station in December.

The station

King West Station is at King Street West and Bathurst Street, in the Fashion District. The province says it will put 27,000 residents and 24,200 jobs within walking distance of rapid transit and serve about 5,100 riders in the busiest hour, including 2,400 transfers to the 504 King and 511 Bathurst streetcars.

Infrastructure Minister David Piccini said the province is planning a transit-oriented community at the station with nearly 680 new homes.

“Torontonians want transit that’s fast, reliable and close to home and today’s Ontario Line breakthrough brings that a step closer,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said in the release.

The line

The 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line will run from Exhibition Place to Don Valley Station on Line 5 Eglinton. The province expects nearly 390,000 daily boardings and says the line will ease crowding on the busiest part of Line 1, between Bloor-Yonge and Wellesley, by up to 15 per cent at peak times. The federal government is contributing more than $4 billion. The Ministry of Transportation’s Nov. 6 release did not give an opening date.

What it means for you

Most tunnelling happens underground, but expect continued construction around King and Bathurst and the other downtown station sites. Metrolinx posts construction notices and road changes for each station on its Ontario Line pages.