“Diggy Scardust” has now dug 1.5km of the 7.8km tunnel.
Diggy Scardust is on the move! After a rocky start, the tunnel boring machine with the cute nickname is back in action, digging the tunnel that will eventually house the Scarborough Subway Extension.
The new line, running from Kennedy Station to a new station at McCowan Road and Sheppard Avenue East faced delays and challenges when the tunnel boring machine became stuck due to unexpected soil conditions.
Fortunately, Andrew Hope, Chief Capital Officer for Rapid Transit at Metrolinx, told the Metrolinx Board of Directors on June 26 that after undergoing maintenance and with a new maintenance plan in place, the tunnel boring machine is working again.
Currently it’s averaging a distance of 12m per day and recently reached Scarborough Centre Station. According to Hope, this means the machine should achieve, “predictable, steady progress…over the next couple of years.”
So far, the machine has completed 1.5km of the 7.8km tunnel. While a new timeline for completion of the line was not provided, the soil conditions coupled with the maintenance needs of the tunnelling machine, will likely mean at least a two year delay on the tunnel, which was originally projected to be completed by the end of this year.
As for the other delayed big transit project in Scarborough – the Eglinton Crosstown LRT – there is finally progress to report. On June 7, operational control of the LRT was transferred to the TTC. Drivers have completed their training and the TTC is practicing running up to 28 trains and working toward a schedule of 21 hours per day, 7 days per week, approximating the line’s future schedule.
After this trial period, the final test will be a “revenue service demonstration.” This requires the LRT to run problem-free for at least three weeks. Considering the long list of infrastructure and software deficiencies plaguing the line over the past several years, passing this test may be difficult.
All of this suggests the September opening date floated by Doug Ford back in May is possible, though perhaps overly optimistic.
