Infrastructure Ontario, Metrolinx shortlist teams for tunneling work on Scarborough Subway and Eglinton Crosstown West extensions
Six teams have been shortlisted by Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx to perform a combined 13.8 kilometers (8.6 miles) of tunneling work for two of the province’s priority transit projects.
A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued in March for the tunnel work on the Scarborough Subway Extension, which includes 7.8 kilometers (4.84 miles) of tunnels and the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, which includes six kilometers (3.7 miles) of tunnels. Tunnels on both projects will be drilled using tunnel boring machines (TBMs).
The shortlisted teams and their prime team members for the Scarborough Subway Extension Advanced Tunnel Project are:
Acciona
Applicant Lead: Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc.
Design Team: AECOM Canada Ltd., Acciona Ingenieria S.A., CIMA+ Canada Inc., Thurber Engineering Ltd., GALL ZEIDLER Consultants, T2 Utility Engineers Inc., EWE+ General Partnership
Construction Team: Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc.
Financial Advisor: Agentis Capital
East End Connectors
Applicant Leads: Dragados Canada Inc., Aecon Infrastructure Management. Inc., Ghella Canada Ltd.
Design Team: TYPSA Inc., EXP Services Inc., Pedelta Canada Inc.
Construction Team: Dragados Canada Inc., Aecon Infrastructure Management. Inc., Ghella Canada Ltd.
Financial Advisor: ACS Infrastructure Canada, Aecon Concessions, HSBC, Ghella Investments & Partnerships
Strabag Inc.
Applicant Lead: Strabag Inc.
Design Team: Arup Canada Inc.
Construction Team: Strabag Inc.
Financial Advisor: Strabag Inc.
The shortlisted teams and their prime team members for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension Advanced Tunnel Project are:
Fast Eglinton Group
Applicant Leads: FCC Construccion S.A., Astaldi Canada Enterprises Inc., Salini-Impregilo S.p.A.
Design Team: COWI North America, AECOM Canada, Arcadis Canada Inc., Tunnel and Bridge Technologies Inc.
Construction Team: FCC Construccion S.A., Astaldi Canada Design & Construction, Inc., Salini-Impregilo S.p.A.
North American Tunnel Partners
Applicant Leads: EllisDon Capital, Inc., Barnard LP
Design Team: McMillen Jacobs Associates, Aldea Services LLC, Englobe Corp., Lea Consulting, Ltd.
Construction Team: Barnard Constructors of Canada LP, Kenaidan Contracting Ltd.
Financial Advisor: EllisDon Capital Inc.
West End Connectors
Applicant Leads: Dragados Canada Inc., Aecon Infrastructure Management. Inc., Ghella Canada Ltd.
Design Team: TYPSA Inc., EXP Services Inc.
Construction Team: Dragados Canada Inc., Aecon Infrastructure Management. Inc., Ghella Canada Ltd.
Financial Advisor: ACS Infrastructure Canada, Aecon Concessions, Scotiabank Capital, Ghella Investments & Partnerships
"When our government was elected, we immediately reached out to listen to the market to ensure there was capacity and competition to bid on priority projects," said Ontario Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney. "The market has responded in an overwhelmingly positive manner and this shortlist is made up of a strong mix of Canadian and international bidders."
IO and Metrolinx say the teams were shortlisted based on criteria identified in the RFQ process, which included design and construction experience and the financial capacity to deliver a project of this size and complexity. Teams with the top three scores were then shortlisted for each project.
These shortlisted teams will be invited to respond to a Request for Proposals (RFP) to begin preparing their submissions that detail how the projects will be delivered with tunneling contracts expected to be awarded for the projects in mid-2021.
In a recent Metrolinx blog post, which detailed different methods of digging a subway tunnel, Metrolinx explains TBMs are custom built for each job, but the advantage of using TBMs is the speed with which they work once in the ground. TBMs can dig 10-15 meters (10.9-16.4 yards) per day.
“It takes you about a year to get one, but once it’s started and it’s going, it tends to be an efficient and safe method of work,” said Richard Tucker, a project director for the Ontario Line and Scarborough Subway Extension at Metrolinx.
The Scarborough Subway Extension is an 8-km (approximately 5-mile) extension of the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) Bloor-Danforth Line 2. The Eglinton Crosstown West add 9.2 km (5.7 miles) to TTC’s future Line 5 and connect Mount Dennis Station to Renforth Drive.
The projects, along with the Ontario Line and the Yonge North Subway Extension, have been designated by the government of Ontario as priority transit projects and represent the largest transit expansion in the history of the province.
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.
