Toronto’s Spadina subway extension $400M over-budget

Final stretch of long-delayed project continues to weigh on city budgets

Canadianmanufacturing.com
Jan. 18, 2016

The much-delayed Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension is over budget yet again.

With construction of the six-station subway expansion approximately 80 per cent complete, a new Toronto Transit Commission staff report is calling on the City of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York to dole out an additional $400 million to finish the work.

“The additional $400 million of funding equates to $240 million to the City of Toronto and $160 million to The Regional Municipality of York,” the report says.

The 8.6-kilometre stretch of track, which will extend TTC service from Downsview Station to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station in York Region was originally scheduled to open in 2015, but has faced numerous delays and budget revisions. The last reassessment would raise the cost of the project to just under $3.2 billion from the original $2.6 billion, while it is now slated to open in late 2017.

According to the TTC, the funds would go toward known claims settlements, changes in the scope of the project that have not been finalized with contractors, risk mitigation strategies, as well as several over contingencies. The report also said the funds would make up for the “underestimated budget” relative to the project scope.

“The TYSSE saw start-up delays, poor performance by some contractors, and scope and design changes, which were not factored into either the schedule or the project budget at the time,” the staff report says.

Track work on the project has reached 87 per cent complete, while five of the six new stations are more than 80 per cent finished. York University Station, however, which was the last contract awarded in the project, is only 63 per cent complete.

The TTC board is scheduled to meet this Thursday at Toronto City Hall.