Scarborough Subway Extension

Alignment

The extension continues Line 2 Bloor–Danforth 7.8 km northeast from Kennedy station, the current terminus. It runs entirely below ground in a single 10.7 m bored tunnel that carries both tracks. The tunnel boring machine, nicknamed “Diggy Scardust,” is cutting about 6.9 km of it, working south from a launch shaft at Sheppard and McCowan to an extraction shaft at Eglinton Avenue East and Midland Avenue, about 400 m east of Kennedy.

There are three new stations, each with a bus terminal. Lawrence–McCowan is at Lawrence Avenue East and McCowan Road, near Scarborough General Hospital. Scarborough Centre is next to Scarborough Town Centre. Sheppard–McCowan is the new eastern terminus at Sheppard Avenue East and McCowan Road. The work also includes a pocket track east of Kennedy and connections to existing TTC systems. The TTC will run the line as part of Line 2, but the subway will be owned by the Province of Ontario. The extension replaces the closed Line 3 Scarborough RT. A dedicated busway on the former RT corridor is planned as an interim replacement.

The work is split into two contracts: an advance tunnel contract held by Strabag, and a stations, rail and systems contract held by Scarborough Transit Connect (Aecon and FCC, with designer Sener).

Updates

2026-08 — Tunnelling passes 75%

The tunnel was more than three-quarters complete, and piling and excavation had begun at the Lawrence–McCowan station site. Neither Metrolinx nor the province has announced an opening date.

2026-05 — Opening reportedly pushed to 2033

Internal TTC emails obtained by the Toronto Star through a freedom-of-information request showed the expected opening moving from 2030 to 2033. Metrolinx has not confirmed the new date.

2026-03 — Tunnelling reaches the halfway point

By February the boring machine was just north of Lawrence Avenue East and McCowan Road. Since September 2025 it had averaged about 9 m a day, with peaks of up to 20 m. From late 2024 it had been stalled for months near Highway 401, which became public only after an Ontario NDP freedom-of-information request. Excavation of the extraction shaft near Kennedy finished in June 2025.

2025-09 — Major construction starts at Scarborough Centre station

Metrolinx began major construction at the Scarborough Centre station site, next to Scarborough Town Centre.

2025-06 — Cost estimate rises to C$10.2B

A Metrolinx quarterly capital report to its board put the cost at more than C$10.2B, nearly double the C$5.5B 2019 figure. Metrolinx said the earlier number covered only construction. The new one adds property, technical advisors, systems testing and commissioning, and integration with TTC systems. At that point, the target opening was still about 2030.

2025-01 — C$5.7B stations, rail and systems contract signed

Metrolinx signed a C$5.7B target-price agreement with Scarborough Transit Connect for the three stations, bus terminals, track, systems and the Kennedy pocket track. The team had been chosen as development partner in November 2022 under a progressive design-build model. This was the first such transit contract in Ontario to reach a target-price award.

2023-01 — Tunnelling begins

The tunnel boring machine started digging from the Sheppard and McCowan launch site on January 11, 2023. Groundbreaking at the launch shaft site had taken place in June 2021.

2021-05 — Tunnel contract awarded and federal funding committed

Strabag won the advance tunnel contract in May 2021. That same month, Ottawa committed to cover 40% of four GTA subway projects, including the Scarborough extension, then estimated at C$5.5B.