Scarborough extension cost now $10.2 billion, nearly double 2019 estimate

Ontario Premier Doug Ford carries coffee for workers as visits the starting site of the Metrolinx subway extension project in Scarborough, Ontario on Friday, April 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Scarborough’s subway extension will cost more than $10.2 billion, nearly double the initial estimate announced by the province six years ago, according to updated figures from Metrolinx.

The new price tag was included in a quarterly report about the project that’s set to go before the Crown corporation’s board on Thursday.

The three-stop extension will bring subway service 7.8 kilometres further into the Toronto borough and replace the Scarborough RT, which was decommissioned ahead of schedule after it derailed in 2023 and was replaced by buses.

The track is one part of a suite of transit projects announced by Premier Doug Ford in 2019, which also includes the Ontario Line, the Yonge North Subway Extension, and Eglinton Crosstown West Extension.

The city had previously advanced plans for a one-stop subway extension to Scarborough Town Centre amid rising costs.

The initial estimate for building the three-station project when it was first proposed back in 2013 was $3.56 billion.

In a statement to CTV News Toronto, a Metrolinx spokesperson said the $5.5-billion estimate made in 2019 only included the construction costs.

“The $10.2B value includes construction costs along with additional project costs, like property acquisition, technical engineering advisors, installation, testing and commissioning of all systems equipment, and interconnection with existing TTC systems,” they said.

The transit line isn’t expected to be up and running until 2030, but a progress report on the project says the tunnel’s boring machine, dubbed “Diggy Scardust,” is progressing well and averaging 12 metres per day.

When it’s finished, the project will extend Line 2 from Kennedy Station to Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road.