In late July, Metrolinx reached another milestone for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension with the second tunnel boring machine (known as Rexy) starting the journey from Renforth Drive to Scarlett Road.

Tunneling on the project started this past spring, with Renny, one of the two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) digging the roughly 6-km tunnels, leading the charge. Since April, the 750-tonne TBM has tunneled over 650 m, traveling 10 to 15 metres a day.

These tunnels will form a large part of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, which will expand the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) line another 9.2 km west, to Renforth Drive. Plans are also being explored to extend the line even further to Pearson International Airport.

After the TBMs are pulled out of the ground near Scarlett Road, the route will transition to an elevated section, passing over the Humber River, before heading back underground just east of Jane Street, where the extension will connect to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Mount Dennis Station.

For the latest information on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, visit the project website and follow the project on Twitter @EglintonWestEXT.

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