5 finalists chosen and here is why
TORONTO, July 16, 2025 — The Ontario Line tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are getting ready to dig the southern subway tunnels and now it’s time to name these mighty machines!
Last month, the community was invited to submit potential names for the twin TBMs. After receiving an influx of creative submissions, the following names have been shortlisted for their high scores across four different categories – tunnelling/topic relevance, historical and/or geographic relevance, creativity, and ease of reference:
1. Titan and Terra: The word ‘Titan’ represents strength and power, while ‘Terra’ means earth in Latin.
2. Queenie and Corky: “Corky” – a play-on words for Corktown Station, located in the Corktown neighborhood for which the TBM will travel through. “Queenie” – a play-on words of Queen Street, for which the TBM will primarily tunnel under. Also, a throwback to renowned Canadian author Alice Munro’s short story “Queenie” on a story about spending a summer in Toronto.
3. Libby and Corkie: “Libby” for Liberty Village where the downtown tunneled portion of the line will start and “Corkie” for Corktown where the downtown tunneled portion will end.
4. Lucie and Thornton: Lucie and Thornton Blackburn escaped to Canada through the Underground Railroad in 1833 to settle in the Corktown neighbourhood, where they would later emerge as prominent figures in the history of Toronto. In addition to contributing significantly to Toronto’s role in the Underground Railroad, the Blackburns established the city’s first taxi cab service, painted in iconic red and yellow colours later adopted by the TTC.
5. Chipper and Chewie: One happily chips away at the bedrock and the other chews through the earth.
Cast your vote
t’s time to cast your vote and select your favourite pair of names for the TBMs HERE. Polls are open now until Monday, July 28, 2025, and the pair of names with the highest number of votes wins! The author of the chosen name will also be credited and have the chance be part of a photo-op with these mammoth machines at the tunnel launch shaft.
Brand new subway
The Ontario Line is a brand-new subway Metrolinx is delivering as part of the province’s transit expansion plan. The line will bring 15 new stations to the city, with a trip from one end to the other taking less than 30 minutes compared to the 70 minutes it takes on transit today.
Two six-kilometre tunnels being dug
In preparation for the arrival of these mighty machines, Metrolinx broke ground last November on the 16-metre-deep shaft that will become the entry point for the TBMs. These two massive machines will dig a roughly six-kilometre pair of tunnels underground starting just east of Exhibition Station to just west of the Don River, bringing faster and more reliable transit through the core of downtown Toronto.
Other articles from totimes.ca – otttimes.ca – mtltimes.ca