TORONTO - Together with Metrolinx, Infrastructure Ontario has released a request for qualifications today to pre-qualify and short-list companies to deliver the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Scarborough LRT lines.

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT will run from the Jane Street/Black Creek area to Kennedy station. The existing Scarborough Rapid Transit system will be converted to a LRT and be extended from McCowan station to Sheppard Avenue. Once complete, the two new light rail transit systems will connect to 54 TTC bus routes along the lines and the Sheppard East LRT.

Other infrastructure and services being procured include:

  • up to 33 stops and stations -- about 25 stops and stations will be on the Crosstown and up to eight (8) stations will be on the Scarborough LRT (either underground, at-grade or elevated)
  • elevated guideways and tunnel sections
  • signals and communications
  • a vehicle maintenance and storage facility
  • integration, testing and commissioning, and maintenance of the LRT system
  • additional infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, utilities, parking, bus terminals, road signing and lighting, traffic management and detours

The two LRT lines will be delivered using an alternative financing and procurement delivery model - a public-private partnership. The model provides the public sector an opportunity to transfer project risks to the private sector, which commits to delivering projects on time and on budget.

The TTC will operate the LRT lines under an operating agreement with Metrolinx.

The request for qualifications is the first step in a competitive tendering process to select a company to design, build, finance and maintain the Eglinton Crosstown LRT and Scarborough LRT lines. A copy of the request for qualifications document is available at www.merx.com.

Submissions will be evaluated to short-list companies with the design, construction and maintenance capability and experience, the qualified personnel and the financial strength to deliver the two new LRT lines. Short-listed teams will be invited to respond to a request for proposals, expected to be released in summer 2013.

Infrastructure Ontario is a crown agency of the Province of Ontario that delivers large, complex infrastructure renewal projects on time and on budget. Over the last six years, the province has applied Infrastructure Ontario's alternative financing and procurement model to 79 major projects valued at approximately $30 billion dollars, saving taxpayers an estimated $3 billion dollars. Infrastructure Ontario also manages one of the largest real estate portfolios in Canada, provides municipalities and eligible public sector clients with financing to renew public infrastructure, and leverages its private-sector expertise to manage major commercial transactions on behalf of the province.

Metrolinx is an agency of the Province of Ontario. The Eglinton Crosstown LRT and Scarborough LRT is an example of The Big Move in action - Metrolinx's bold 25-year plan to implement a common vision for transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). The Big Move is in progress with over $16 billion in projects currently under construction all across the GTHA. The Big Move's 'Next Wave' projects will continue Metrolinx's transformation of the region's transportation system by expanding the regional transit network as well as providing resources for local transit, roads, active transportation and more.

Quotes:

“The new Eglinton Crosstown LRT and Scarborough LRT lines support our commitment to improve public transit service for commuters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. The McGuinty government's unprecedented public transit investments continue to make taking transit a better choice for commuters, reducing congestion on our roads and contributing to a better quality of life for Ontario families.”
Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Infrastructure

“This project is part of the more than $16 billion in major transit investment identified in The Big Move, a bold visionary plan that outlines a common vision for transportation in one of the largest and fastest-growing urban regions in North America. The Crosstown and Scarborough LRT will provide an integral transit service for commuters, while helping to improve the efficiency of public transit in the Toronto area.”
Bruce McCuaig, Metrolinx, President and CEO

Contacts:

Paulette den Elzen
Infrastructure Ontario
416-327-5764

Vanessa Thomas
Media Relations
Metrolinx
416-874-5974

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