Toronto Ontario Line

Challenge

In May 2023, Hitachi Rail STS Canada appointed Ricardo to provide Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) services for the build and commissioning of Toronto’s Ontario Line. Hitachi Rail STS Canada is a member of Connect 6ix Group, a consortium delivering the Rolling Stock, Systems, Operations and Maintenance (RSSOM) contract for the route. 

The Ontario Line will be a 15.6-km driverless system extending from Exhibition Place in the west of the city, passing through downtown and up to the northeast districts. More than half of the route will run underground, with the remainder on elevated and at-grade track sections. 

Approach

The scope of our ISA role will extend across all aspects of the project overseen by Connect 6ix. This includes the design, supply and future maintenance of the rolling stock; the integration of technologies such as the signalling, communications, passenger information, traction power and SCADA systems; and the plans and policies for daily operations.

During each stage of the project, detailed reports and audits will be submitted to Metrolinx, the owner and Safety Authority of the new route, highlighting our observations, recommendations and impartial assessments of progress.

We have also been tasked with assessing whether security measures, including cyber-security, are sufficiently robust for the project’s risk profile.

Results

As the ISA, it is our responsibility to ensure all safety requirements for the new railway in relation to the RSSOM contract have been identified and, in the opinion of our experts, have been adequately addressed through to the route’s planned completion in 2031.