a PDF version of the newsletter.

York University
Vaughan
Metropolitan
Centre
Highway 407
Downsview
Park
Sheppard West
(currently Downsview)
Finch West
Pioneer Village
December 2013
spadina.ttc.ca
Contractor and TTC staff cheer as TBM “Torkie” completes the final drive.
TYSSE hits a major milestone
Twin tunnelling is complete
T
he photo above says it all! The Toronto-York Spadina
Subway Extension (TYSSE) is celebrating the
achievement of a major milestone as tunnel boring
machine (TBM) “Torkie” has finished the 10th and final
tunnel drive for the project. Twin tunnelling is complete!
On Friday, November 8, 2013, around noon, TBM “Torkie” broke
through the headwall at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station
(VMC) extraction shaft, located on the south side of Highway 7, just
west of Jane Street. This sets the stage for the next phase of work
in the tunnels, including installation of inverts and walkways, track,
traction power, signal and communication systems.
Two pairs of TBMs, each TBM weighing 430,000 kg (equivalent to
280 cars), built the tunnels for the project. “Holey” and “Moley” are
the pair that bored the tunnels south of Finch West Station – the
southern tunnels. “Yorkie” and “Torkie” are the pair that bored the
tunnels north of Finch West Station – the northern tunnels.
(continued on reverse)
TBM “Torkie” arrives at the VMC extraction shaft
alongside TBM “Yorkie’s” completed tunnel.
The TYSSE is an 8.6-kilometre extension of the Toronto Transit
Commission’s (TTC) Yonge-University-Spadina subway line
from its present terminus at Sheppard West Station (currently
called Downsview Station) to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre at
Highway 7 in The Regional Municipality of York. Construction work
is expected to be completed by fall 2016 and has already generated
thousands of jobs. Once the subway extension is finished, it will
have six new subway stations and three new commuter parking lots.
Operators peek through TBM “Torkie’s” cutter-head.
In the summer of 2011, TBM “Holey” began boring from a launch
shaft at the Downsview Park Station site. Now, a little more than two
years later, the TBMs have completed 6.4 kilometres of twin tunnels.
The TBMs built the tunnels using pre-cast reinforced concrete
rings. In total, 8,493 rings (each ring is made up of six segments)
were used to build the tunnels. The remaining 2.2 kilometres of the
new subway line include the stations and other structures where
primarily cut-and-cover construction is being used, in addition to a
special tunnelling method.
Now that the tunnelling is complete, “Holey”, “Moley”, “Yorkie” and
“Torkie” are in storage and the TTC will be looking at selling the
machines for other projects.
Map showing the route taken by the TBMs.
A New Look! This is the first issue of the TYSSE
newsletter in a new format that will be published more
frequently and will feature one story about the TYSSE
project in each issue. Watch for the February 2014 issue
featuring construction progress at Downsview Park Station.
For More Information
Web: spadina.ttc.ca
Call: 1-800-223-6192
Email: tysse@ttc.ca to receive regular construction notices
TBM tunnel rings.
YouTube: Visit the Official TTC YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/officialttcchannel to view three
tunnelling videos; the latest shows construction of the northern
tunnels by TBMs “Yorkie” and “Torkie” in York Region.
The Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension project is jointly funded by the Government of Canada,
the Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto and The Regional Municipality of York.