{"id":6373,"date":"2026-04-08T17:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/?p=6373"},"modified":"2026-04-10T15:22:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T15:22:57","slug":"toronto-completes-one-of-largest-north-american-underground-rail-lines-in-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/08\/toronto-completes-one-of-largest-north-american-underground-rail-lines-in-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto completes one of largest North American underground rail lines in decades"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Metro<\/div>\n

The 19-kilometre metro Line 5 \u2013 Eglinton has opened in Toronto<\/a>, with 15 underground stations<\/a> integrated into the urban landscape of the city’s Midtown section.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though it faced multiple delays and settlements between municipal groups, engineers and designers, the Line 5 LRT system opened in February, with riders entering the 25 total stations.<\/p>\n

It connects multiple train lines and provides cross-town access for the growing population of\u00a0a central midtown artery in Toronto.<\/p>\n

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Toronto’s Line 5 transit line has opened<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The stations, which present the most visible aspect of the new line, feature a design led by design and engineering outfit Arcadis<\/a> and AtkinsR\u00e9alis<\/a>, alongside studios Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker<\/a>, NORR<\/a>, and Dialog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While 10 stations are aboveground, each of the fifteen stations leading into the underground fits into a specific typology: corner, embedded or pavilion.<\/p>\n

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It features 15 underground stations designed by a team led by Arcadis and AtkinsR\u00e9alis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For example, the function of the Embedded Station is to integrate directly into the infrastructure, with slabs strong enough to support building overhead and at other points, modular wall structures to be integrated into adjacent buildings.<\/p>\n

Though their functions differ, Arcadis lead designer Lisa D’Abbondanza said that the stations were meant to have a unified visual identity \u2013 light-filled during the day and glowing beacons at night.<\/p>\n

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Different typologies allowed for different integration into the streetscape<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Every element was designed for intuitive, connected journeys and addressing the needs of the city, the neighbourhood, and the individual,” D’Abbondanza\u00a0told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“These typologies strengthen each neighbourhood, but maintain a unified architectural language throughout.”<\/p>\n

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Most of the station entries are glass pavilions to filter light in. Photo by Arcadis\/AtkinsR\u00e9alis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though the project’s opening was delayed by as much as six years<\/a>, it features one of the longest underground metro lines to be completed in Canada or the United States, not including extensions, in the 21st century. It matches Vancouver’s 2009 Canada Line, though Line 5 has one more kilometre underground.<\/p>\n

In other urban cores such as Chicago, New York and Montreal, the latest efforts to build new subway lines were made in the 1980s, if not earlier.<\/p>\n

“We needed a lot of transit because we hadn’t been building transit in Toronto for a long time,” said D’Abbondanza, who noted the last major push in the city was in the 1950s.<\/p>\n

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The team created wide open spaces with intuitive wayfinding<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Toronto is the fastest-growing city in Canada and the United States,<\/a> and the project was initiated in the 2000s, with construction starting in 2011.<\/p>\n

An initial design programme was put together by Metrolinx with support from Canadian architecture studio Gh3*<\/p>\n

Several engineering innovations were brought to bear on the project, including a sequential excavation method, some top-down construction to maintain traffic flow, and the strategic use of shotcrete, sprayable concrete, to eliminate the need for formwork.<\/p>\n

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At night, the stations were designed to be beacons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At one point in the line, a historic 3,500-tonne structure formerly used as an amenities building by film company Kodak was pushed back from the street to make room for the Mount Dennis Station. It will now become a community centre.<\/p>\n

The use of multiple different typologies allowed for multiple interventions at the community level, according to D’Abbondanza, who said that in some cases, the stations actually added outdoor community space, such as plazas and bike shelters.<\/p>\n