Ontario Line TBM Libby Breaks Through at King West Station

The first tunnel boring machine on the Ontario Line has broken through to the future King West Station at 663 King Street West, at Bathurst. The Metrolinx station will bring subway service to the heart of Toronto's Fashion District.

The TBM, nicknamed Libby, arrived in November 2026 after tunnelling roughly 1.3 km from its launch shaft east of Exhibition Station, installing about 780 lining rings. A second machine, Corkie, is excavating the parallel tunnel and is expected to arrive in December. Station excavation wrapped up in February 2026.

The station will connect to the TTC's 504 King and 511 Bathurst streetcar routes and is projected to serve about 5,100 customers in the busiest hour, including 2,400 transfers. By 2041, it is forecast to put 27,000 people and 24,200 jobs within walking distance of rapid transit.

The 15.6-km Ontario Line is expected to handle nearly 390,000 daily boardings and support 4,700 jobs annually during construction. Ottawa is investing more than $4 billion, its largest single transit investment in Toronto. The Ontario Line South civil, stations and tunnel contract is valued at $6 billion.

A separate Transit-Oriented Community proposal at the site, awarded to Forum Asset Management in April 2026, would add up to 680 purpose-built rental units in two towers of roughly 25 storeys, totalling about 400,000 sq ft. The plan retains heritage facades and includes no vehicle parking.