Cost of Toronto's Ontario Line subway has ballooned to over $1.74 billion per kilometre

Toronto's future Ontario Line subway has been making bold visible progress since construction began, with multiple properties razed in a matter of weeks for new stations.

But, as impressive as the seemingly expedient work is on the surface, costs are adding up just as quickly behind the scenes.

According to a project update from Metrolinx, the pricetag for the 15-stop, 15.6 km-long transit route has gone through the ceiling in recent months, now totalling around $27.2 billion — a whopping 43 per cent more than estimates from just a few years ago.

The Ontario Line, a 15km half underground automated metro in Toronto, is now more expensive to build than the entire 75 km fully underground Grand Paris Express Line 15 monster of a ring line. Both lines even use similar sized trains. https://t.co/r9NinyYxSO pic.twitter.com/bRkqIOV8pU

— JR Urbane Network (@JRUrbaneNetwork) June 21, 2024

The provincial government told Global News, which leaked details of the not-yet-public report on Friday afternoon, that the increase accounts for operations and maintenance expenditures over the next 30 years, along with the expropriation of private properties for the line and other factors, including "post-contract contingencies" and "unexpected lifecycle costs."

I’m sure no one is surprised. I don’t even blame Ford particularly because this is how all politicians approach large cap projects, pitch it at some unrealistic cost and deal with the fallout later. If Metrolinx is managing the project it’s guaranteed to be a cockup.

— pollyv (Free AF🇨🇦) (@pollyvinebag) June 21, 2024

The mostly subterranean line was initially pitched as an $11 billion cost to taxpayers, a number that jumped to between $17 billion and $19 billion in 2022 following the awarding of contracts for various parts of the work.

Now look into the contractors who are ballooning those costs, and cross-reference them with the donor lists of @fordnation and the guests at his daughter's stag & doe and wedding... pic.twitter.com/MzcxKgtKR5

— Dean Plunkett (@DeanPlunkettTHW) June 21, 2024

Of course, no one is happy about Friday's news, with many already coming up with their own theories on how the amount has skyrocketed so quickly (and hating on Premier Doug Ford's leadership in the process).