Toronto Transit Commission awards Bloor-Yonge station contract | So Good News

The TORONTO Transit Commission (TTC) has awarded a contract to Aecom to act as owner’s engineer on the Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvements (BYCI) project to improve the busiest interchange station on the Toronto metro.

Aecom will provide consulting services, including lean project delivery and building information modeling (BIM), throughout all phases of the project.

The total cost of the BYCI project, estimated at $US1.5 billion ($1.1 billion), is to be borne equally by the City of Toronto, the Province of Ontario and the Canadian federal government.

Originally built in 1953 and located at the intersection of the two main streets that give it its name, Bloor-Yonge station is expected to see significant growth in ridership due to the growing population of the Toronto area and new transportation infrastructure.

This includes an 8 km, five-station extension of Line 1 to Richmond Hill Centre, the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project, and the planned construction of the 15.6 km long, 15-station underground Ontario Line.

Even without these new developments, the platforms on lines 1 and 2 at Bloor-Yonge are already crowded during the morning and evening rush hours. In 2019, Line 1 had an average weekday ridership of more than 825,000 passengers, making it one of the busiest lines in North America.

The BYCI project includes extending both Line 1 platforms, building a new platform for Line 2, improving accessibility and safety, and improving the station’s track level, entrances and exits.

“The Bloor-Yonge station is a critical interchange – the busiest in Toronto’s subway system and one of the busiest in North America,” says Aecom’s Canada Region CEO Marc Devlin.

“The BYCI project is a monumental next step in improving service levels and addressing ridership growth within and beyond the City of Toronto,” said Sean Chiao, CEO of the global Buildings and Places business at Aecom. “We look forward to serving as the TTC’s right-hand advisor in this role to help them realize this exciting task.”

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