Ontario Line transit project costs rise to $34 billion

The projected cost of the Ontario Line, a 15.6-kilometre rapid transit project in Toronto, has risen to at least $34 billion. When the project was initially announced by the Ford government in 2019, the estimated cost was $10.9 billion, representing a more than threefold increase in seven years.

Metrolinx, the Crown corporation responsible for the project, and the provincial government have attributed the cost surge to trade uncertainty and supply chain shocks. Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay noted that the economic landscape for major capital project delivery has changed significantly since the project's inception. However, critics suggest the initial costs may have been underestimated to gain public support for the proposal.