The Ford government has announced plans to trigger a key step in its bid to extend a Toronto subway line into neighbouring Markham and Richmond Hill.
On Thursday, the province said it would begin petitioning companies interested in building the Yonge subway line north from Finch Avenue into York Region.
The announcement was made by Minister of Transport Caroline Mulroney at an event studded with political names, including a federal minister and Toronto’s deputy mayor.
“With the Yonge North Subway Extension, the days of multiple connections to get to Union Station are over,” Mulroney said.
“We are truly building a rapid transit network that delivers both local and regional connections for the people of York Region and beyond.”
The news means the province has moved to issue a request for qualifications for tunnelling, marking the beginning of a search for companies to work on constructing the subway extension.
The extension is set to run for eight kilometres and, Ontario projects, will accommodate 90,000 trips per day.
The government said it would also put 26,000 more people within a 10-minute walk of transit and is expected to reduce daily commuter time by up to 22 minutes.
The Yonge subway extension is one of several high-profile subway projects being pushed by the Ford government, including the Ontario Line and Scarborough subway extension.