On Tuesday, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster equated constructing the Ontario Line to what would be one of the most amazing achievements in athletic and medical history.
"Building a high volume subway right through the middle of an existing modern city is like doing open heart surgery while you're running a marathon," he said during an announcement with Associate Transport Minister Stan Cho and Barrie-area MPPs.
The Trillium could not find any records of heart surgery being attempted during a race, but there are examples of folks who've had the procedure going on to finish a marathon.
"It's a challenging project, and we've put a lot of effort into the structuring of the project and the planning," Verster added. "The work has started, and the work is going well."
"It's going to be a challenging couple of years, but this is going to be a fantastic outcome. Moving 440,000 people a day throughout the city, this is what transit's all about."
The Ontario Line is a centrepiece of the Progressive Conservative government's transit expansion plan. The nearly-16 kilometre subway will run from the current site of the Science Centre to Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto.
Construction just started on Toronto's Queen Street, meaning the downtown thoroughfare will be closed for at least 4.5 years. The entire subway line is projected to be completed in 2031.
When the Tories first announced the project in 2019, it was projected to cost around $11 billion and be finished by 2027. Costs have gone up and timelines have been pushed back in the time since. In November, the province posted several contracts that showed the subway could cost as much as $19 billion.
Government officials weren't too keen on releasing information about delays and cost increases, according to Global News.
"Considering past and recent media coverage, disclosure of these records may generate further public discussion related to the lack of transparency over the total estimated costs of the Ontario Line project,” said a line in a briefing note the broadcaster obtained through the freedom of information system.
Last month, the government announced the latest round of requests for proposals for two other Ontario Line-related projects. The two projects — for new stations and an elevated guideway — are expected to cost between $1 and $2 billion each, according to Infrastructure Ontario's March market update.
During Tuesday's press conference announcing that commuters can use debit cards on PRESTO devices, Verster also addressed calls for him to resign made by two Toronto mayoral candidates.
Candidates Brad Bradford and Anthony Furey both called for Verster to step down after the province couldn't tell residents last week when the oft-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT will open.
Verster blamed the private consortium building the line.
Although the companies making up the Crosslinx Transit Solutions (CTS) consortium — SNC-Lavalin, EllisDon, AECON, and ACS Infrastructure Canada — are "good players" that are "performing well" on other projects, there's been a "very negative outcome" on the Eglinton Crosstown contract, Verster said.
Transport Minister Caroline Mulroney said the buck stops with her.
Mulroney is "accountable ... (and) responsible for everything that happens within my ministry, including getting this system on the move," she said.
"I would love to be able to provide a (completion) date, but that is contingent upon CTS delivering a credible schedule to Metrolinx, and as of yet, CTS has not been able to do that," she said.
