Line 6 Finch West

In September 2015, the Government of Ontario announced that its agency, Infrastructure Ontario, would search for a contractor to design, build, finance and maintain the Finch West LRT. The successful contractor would be chosen by 2017. The Request for Proposal (RFP) was released to select companies in February 2016[18] and closed on December 20, 2017.[19]

In May 2017, Metrolinx confirmed that it had entered into an agreement with Alstom to build 17 (later revised to 18[11]) light rail vehicles for Line 6 Finch West.[18] In September 2017, Metrolinx announced the line would not open until 2022 at the earliest, blaming the delay on uncertainty with the Bombardier vehicle supply.[20]

In April 2018, Mosaic Transit Group, a consortium of ACS Infrastructure Canada Inc., Aecon, and CRH Canada Group Inc., was selected to build the transit line.[21][22] After consultation with Mosaic on a construction schedule, Metrolinx delayed projected completion of the line to 2023, ten years after the originally announced date.[23] That May, Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx announced that Mosaic had signed a contract to design, build, and finance the construction of the line and stations, and to maintain them for 30 years after their initial opening.[24]

Effective June 20, 2021, the TTC renumbered the Bay bus route from 6 to 19 to free up the route number 6 for the Finch West line.[25]

Rail and catenary pole installation at John Garland Boulevard in December 2022

Initial preparatory utility works began in 2016. Enbridge Gas Distribution relocated natural gas pipelines lower within the roadway to allow for an appropriate depth beneath the proposed track-bed.[26] Other utility work followed, with replacement and relocation of watermains, hydro poles and hydro cables.[27] In the second quarter of 2019, substantial construction of the project began with work on the maintenance and storage facility (MSF).[1]

In June 2020, the Highway 400 overpasses over Finch Avenue were removed and replaced over two consecutive weekends, using a "rapid bridge replacement" technique. This involved moving the old overpass aside in one piece and installing a new overpass in its place.[28][29] By late October 2020, the first rails were being installed at the line's new maintenance and storage facility,[30] with the first vehicles scheduled to arrive in mid-2021.[27]

In December 2020, Mosaic Transit Partners awarded Bombardier Transportation a 30-year contract to maintain Line 6's light-rail vehicles as well as wayside systems such as track and overhead catenary. Bombardier was also chosen to maintain the fleet and wayside systems for Line 5 Eglinton in a different contract.[31]

In January 2021, the first of 11 traction power substations that will power the trains was installed. This first substation would power an initial 1,800-metre (5,900 ft) section of track between Norfinch Road / Oakdale Drive and Sentinel Road to allow for train testing.[27]

In late January 2022, the first vehicle test on the Finch West LRT occurred at its maintenance and storage facility. During the test, a vehicle travelled 700 m (2,300 ft) at speeds between 2 km/h (1.2 mph) and 5 km/h (3.1 mph).[32] In February 2022, an LRV made a 700-metre (2,300 ft) trip from the MSF along York Gate Boulevard onto Finch Avenue.[33] Main line testing was expected to take place in late 2022.[32]

By May 2022, Mosaic Transit Group had laid about 35 percent of the 25.6 kilometres (15.9 mi) of total track required to complete the line. Besides the double-track mainline, the total track to be laid included the maintenance and storage facility, crossovers and pocket tracks.[5] Mosaic had already laid 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) of track on the mainline between Pelican Gate (near the MSF) and Sentinel Road, which, starting May 20, was to be used for LRV testing with speeds up to 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph).[34] By September 1, 2022, 47 percent of mainline track had been laid.[35]

By late November 2022, the first eight platform canopies had been installed at the Driftwood stop; 116 canopies were to be installed, including two at Humber College station. Earlier in the fourth quarter, the first two electrical cabinets were installed at the Driftwood stop. 29 cabinets were to be installed along the line to power lights, fare machines and security systems.[36]

By the end of March 2023, 56 of the 116 canopies were installed, 75 percent of the catenary poles were installed and 50 percent of the mainline tracks had been laid (not including the maintenance and storage facility).[37]

By late June 2023, canopies have been fully or partially installed at Sentinel, Tobermory, Driftwood, Jane and Finch, Norfinch/Oakdale, Signet Arrow, Duncanwoods, Rowntree Mills, Stevenson, Albion, Martin Grove and Westmore stops.[38]

By mid-October 2023, 108 of the 116 canopies were installed, with all stops having canopies installed with the exception of Emery (Weston Road).[39]

Installed track slab in the section descending to Humber College station under construction in December 2022

Light rail portal descending into Finch West station under construction in March 2023

From west to east, the 10.3-kilometre (6.4 mi)[5] line will run from Humber College's North Campus at Highway 27 in Etobicoke to Finch West station on Line 1 Yonge–University, at Keele Street in North York. Between the two terminals, there will be 16 on-street stops, all along Finch Avenue,[9] where tracks run in the middle of the street, segregated from traffic. In mid-block, the street will be 36 metres (118 ft) wide, with the LRT right-of-way being about 8 metres (26 ft) wide.[11]

From its western terminal, Humber College station, the line will run north in a trench along the west side of Highway 27 to its intersection with Finch Avenue, where the line will curve east in a short tunnel under the intersection and rise to street level along Finch Avenue.[40]^: 17

On Finch Avenue east of Highway 27, there will be two centre-reserved lanes for the LRT flanked by two traffic lanes in each direction as well as bike lanes.[11] The Westmore stop will be the first stop (from west to east) of 16 along the route.[41]

After passing the Martin Grove stop, the line will circumvent the north edge of the Albion Centre shopping mall[lower-alpha 1] with three stops: Albion, Stevenson and Mount Olive located within a distance of about 800 metres (2,625 ft).[41][43]

At the Rowntree Mills stop, the line will cross the Humber River where Islington Avenue and Finch Avenue intersect on a bridge over the river with far-side stops on opposite sides of the river.[lower-alpha 2][43]

The line passes the Pearldale, Duncanwoods, Milvan Rumike, Emery, and Signet Arrow stops before passing under Highway 400.[43][44] One block east of the Norfinch Oakdale stop, at York Gate Boulevard, there will be a wye junction to the line's maintenance and storage facility.[45] The next stop, Jane and Finch, will be a transfer point to the 35 Jane bus, which was the TTC's fifth busiest bus route in 2018.[lower-alpha 3][46]

After passing the Driftwood and Tobermory stops, Line 6 runs over Black Creek and the Sentinel stop will be the last on-street stop before the line's eastern terminal. About 500 m (1,600 ft) east of the latter stop, opposite Romfield Lane, the line will descend into a tunnel under Keele Street to terminate inside Finch West station.[45]

The line will serve several neighbourhoods along its route. Between Highway 27 and the Humber River, the line will serve the Rexdale neighbourhood of Etobicoke, which includes the Mount Olive–Silverstone–Jamestown neighbourhood (also known as Smithfield). There will be five on-street stops in the neighbourhood excluding the Rowntree Mills stop, which straddles the Etobicoke / North York boundary at the Humber River.[47] Between the Humber River and Highway 400 in North York, the line will serve the Humber Summit neighbourhood on the north side of Finch Avenue[48] and Humbermede on the south side.[49] There are five on-street stops in this area again, excluding Rowntree Mills. Between Highway 400 and Keele Street (Finch West station), the line will serve the Jane and Finch neighbourhood, which includes its namesake stop along with four other on-street stops.[50]

In January 2018, to avoid naming conflicts with existing TTC and GO stations in Toronto, a consultation process was initiated to select unique names for the stops at Jane, Kipling, Islington, and Weston; the initial suggestions were Jane and Finch, Mount Olive, Thistletown, and Emery Village, respectively.[57] Based on public feedback, Rowntree Mills was also considered, and ultimately selected, for the stop at Islington, while Emery was chosen as the name for the stop at Weston.[58]

The line will be built with 18 stops, of which 16 are on-street. Each platform will be 48 metres (157 ft) long, the length of an LRT vehicle. Finch West station will be built as a double-length underground station with a centre platform.[56]

All stops and the two terminal stations will use transparent glass for walls, partitions and skylights. The terminal stops will use transparent glass for elevators and their shafts. This is to conform to crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) standards to create a bright and safe environment for riders. Using glass takes advantage of natural light to provide a more attractive environment for riders.[59]

The on-street stops will have canopies, lights, fare machines, cameras and a PA system. There will be electrical cabinets at each stop to power electrical equipment and to provide backup power in case of an outage.[36]

The line will have six intermediate turnback points in addition to the turnbacks at the two terminal stations. All but one turnback point have a pair of crossovers, one facing-point and the other trailing-point. The crossovers at or near the Westmore and Sentinel stops are just one stop away from the western and eastern terminals respectively. The turnback points from west to east are:

• Roughly halfway between Westmore and Martin Grove stops (pair of crossovers)[41]
• East of Albion stop (trailing-point crossover)[41]
• East of Mount Olive stop (pair of crossovers)[43]
• East of Milvan Rumike stop (pair of crossovers)[44]
• East of Norfinch Oakdale stop (pair of crossovers)[44][45]
• East of Sentinel stop (pair of crossovers)[45]

Finch West LRT Maintenance and Storage Facility
General information
Location	50 York Gate Boulevard Toronto, Ontario[63] Canada
Coordinates	43°45′27″N 79°31′23″W
Owned by	Metrolinx
Operated by	Mosaic Transit Group (under contract to Metrolinx)
Construction
Structure type	Maintenance and storage facility[63]
Other information
Status	Under construction
History
Opened	2021 (facility)[63]

Metrolinx has constructed a maintenance and storage facility (MSF) on a lot on the north side of Finch Avenue West between York Gate Boulevard and Norfinch Drive next to Monsignor Fraser College's Norfinch Campus.[64] The MSF will have facilities to service the Alstom Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles used on the line, as well as the line trackage.

The 100,000-square-metre (1,100,000 sq ft) site will include a maintenance building with an area of 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft),[11] open-air storage for up to 26 LRVs, a car wash facility, materials storage, an administration building and a traction power substation.[63][65] The facility will have 4.4 kilometres (2.7 mi) of track, including both exterior storage and interior tracks. There is also 600 metres (2,000 ft) of track to connect the MSF to Finch Avenue via York Gate Boulevard.[5] Once the line is completed, LRVs leaving the facility will be able to enter service either in an eastbound or westbound direction.[63]

Construction of the facility started in 2019, and the MSF was ready to receive its first LRV by the end of July 2021. With completion of the MSF, Mosaic Transit Group will start to test LRVs and the communication system. In late 2021, a section of the line from the MSF to Sentinel Road will be energized for up to 18 months of testing.[66][63]

In 2020, Metrolinx was criticized for proposing to sell off land in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood located in front of the MSF, contrary to initial promises to local community groups.[67] A 32-metre-wide (105 ft) strip of land along Finch Avenue is currently being used as a construction staging area by Mosaic Transit Group. In March 2021, Metrolinx cancelled their proposal and agreed to provide the land at zero cost to allow for the construction of a community hub by the City of Toronto and the local community, following completion of the line.[68]

Finch Central LRT
To Humber College Finch West Alexdon Barrie line Chesswood Alness/Champagne Dufferin West Don River Wilmington Torresdale/Goldfinch Bathurst Finchhurst Senlac Talbot Finch

The line was originally planned to extend from Finch West station to Finch station on the Yonge leg of Line 1 as part of the original Transit City proposal as well as The Big Move.[12][74] This segment was included in the 2010 environmental assessment of the line.[11] In March 2010, the Ontario government eliminated the proposed section of the line between Finch West and Finch because of budget constraints. In 2013, this plan was revived as an "unfunded future rapid transit project" in the City of Toronto's "Feeling Congested?" report, indicating that this extension may be constructed sometime in the future.[75] The extension was later shown in the TTC's 2018 Corporate Plan with no timeline for completion.[76] At its February 20, 2020, meeting, the Metrolinx board of directors endorsed a prioritization framework for a proposed frequent rapid transit network that included a proposed LRT extension from Finch West station to Finch station; with a forecast ridership of 6,600 in 2031 and a proposed line length of 6.3 kilometres (3.9 mi) along Finch Avenue West, the project scored "high" with a preliminary benefit–cost ratio of 0.36 to 0.65.[77]

In 2009, the TTC was studying the feasibility of potential routings for a future westward extension of the Etobicoke–Finch West LRT to the vicinity of Woodbine Live development, Woodbine Centre, and Pearson International Airport. The airport is primarily in Mississauga but within the Toronto fare zone.[13][78] This extension was later reclassified as a future transit project as described in the 2013 "Feeling Congested?" report by the City of Toronto.[75] Metrolinx has also noted the potential of an extension to the airport, albeit noting that this is an unfunded proposal.[11] In May 2021, Toronto City Council discussed a potential 2.5-kilometre (1.6 mi) extension south from Humber College to a new GO Transit station on the Kitchener line.[79] At its February 20, 2020, meeting, the Metrolinx board of directors endorsed a prioritization framework for a proposed frequent rapid transit network that included a proposed LRT extension from Humber College to Pearson International Airport; with a forecast ridership of 2,500 in 2031 and a proposed line length of 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) along Highway 27, Disco Road, Carlingview Drive, Dixon Road, Airport Road, Bresler Drive, Campus Road and Viscount Road, the project scored "medium" with a preliminary benefit–cost ratio of less than 0.26.[77]

In May 2009, Metrolinx proposed that the line be extended from Finch station along Finch Avenue East and Don Mills Road into Don Mills station to connect with the Sheppard East LRT and Line 4 Sheppard and create a seamless crosstown LRT line in northern Toronto to parallel the Eglinton Crosstown LRT (later renamed Line 5 Eglinton) in central Toronto. The TTC said that a planning study would have commenced in 2010.[13][80][81]