Railways Archives - WJ Canada

LRT Extension Project in Toronto

Dan Carpenter October 27, 2023

WJ keep Toronto Moving

The expansion of the Toronto Light Rail Transit (LRT) network has provided WJ with a steady stream of work since WJ Canada was formed in 2016, work which continues to this day.

Throughout 2022 WJ undertook a variety of pumping tests and other hydrogeological investigations at a number of key sites along the LRT alignment. Alongside these investigatory works, WJ have provided robust dewatering solutions to maximize the drawdown at the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) intervention sites.

TBM Interventions

These interventions are locations along the alignment where maintenance is performed on the cutting face of the TBM, and therefore, for safety reasons, zero hydrostatic pressure is required. This requites an extensive and robust dewatering system – something WJ are experts in providing.

In addition to investigatory and dewatering works, an extensive array of groundwater monitoring wells was installed along the alignment to be used for pre-commissioning testing and system monitoring.

LOCATION: Toronto

Eglinton Station, TTC interchange, Toronto

Dan Carpenter April 25, 2021

Eglinton Crosstown LRT

The Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (ECLRT) project consists of almost 20km of light rail transit running through the heart of Toronto, from Mount Dennis in the West to Kennedy in the East.

The project has been one of the most technically challenging construction projects in Toronto’s recent history, and one of the largest scale dewatering projects WJ have undertaken globally in our 40 year history and one that we are proud to have been part of.

Eglinton Station – A Technical and Logistical Challenge

One of our most recent involvements in the project is on the Eglinton Interchange Station. Eglinton Station is one of the busiest stations on the existing TTC subway, and the new Eglinton Crosstown LRT line will be constructed underneath the existing live subway tunnel. As if this doesn’t already make for an extremely challenging project, the area around Eglinton Station is already heavily developed with numerous tall condo and office towers around one of the most congested intersections in the city.

Fortunately WJ are accustomed to this technically and logistically challenging projects, and installed a number of inclined large diameter deepwells and wellpoints in to the underlying strata to lower the standing groundwater level.

Meeting project constraints

WJ had to work very closely with consultants and engineers from the many stakeholders involved in the project to demonstrate that dewatering underneath this critical piece of Toronto’s infrastructure could reduce the overall risk for the project and allow for time-saving shoring alternatives to be considered for the TTC subway box construction.

Another Successful Project

The WJ Canada team is very proud to be a part of the successful dewatering and excavation beneath the Yonge-Eglinton interchange.

LOCATION: Toronto
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Metrolinx

Finch West LRT Project, Toronto

Dan Carpenter February 8, 2021

The Dewatering Vendor of Choice for Toronto LRT Projects

The success of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT (Light Rail Transit) project (also known as Line 5) in Toronto, where we have provided dewatering services to great effect on 12 of the 14 stations, has led to WJ becoming the dewatering vendor of choice for large LRT projects in the city.

Finch West LRT

Building on the success of this project, WJ have recently begun work on the Finch West LRT project. The Finch West Project (also known as Line 6) continues the expansion of public transit services in Toronto and is expected to carry some 40,000 passengers per day by 2031. Our initial works on the project will cover the two new underground station that are due to be constructed: the new terminus at Humber College and the new interchange terminus at Finch West, where the new line will connect with the Line 2 extension to York University.

Finch West Station

The Finch West Station includes a deep connection to the existing subway station and an underground track crossing – in short a deeply complex project, that will require the installation of deep wells, wellpoints and eductor wells. Fortunately these types of projects are second nature to WJ and perfectly demonstrate our creative and flexible approach to providing successful and efficient dewatering solutions that we have shown on thousands of project in Canada and elsewhere across the globe!

Humber College Station

The Humber College station, located adjacent to Highway 27 will be another opportunity to demonstrate many of the dewatering techniques that were used to great effect on the deep excavations of the Eglinton Crosstown project.

We are proud to be given the opportunity to contribute to this exciting project, and the continued expansion of public transit projects in Toronto, and look forward to its successful completion, and having the opportunity to hop on board!

LOCATION: Toronto
CLIENT: Metrolinx

WJ wellpoint installation at UOIT September 2019

Sump Pit Completion at Caledonia Station

WJ Group Admin July 18, 2019

The Eglinton Crosstown represents the largest transit expansion in Canada. It will completely change how residents and visitors in Toronto get around this great city. 19 kilometres of new light rail – 10km underground – that starts in the west end and travels right through the city to the east end, with 25 new stations and stops linking to 54 bus routes, three subway stations and various GO transit lines. That means shorter commutes, reliable and convenient transit and cleaner air.

But that kind of huge infrastructure project doesn’t come without more than its fair share of challenges! This was exactly the case at the Caledonia Station site. The ground conditions we encountered there were among the most challenging we’ve had to deal with in WJ’s long and successful involvement with the Eglinton project. However, we were confident that given our decades of experience and industry-leading practices, we were up for the challenge!

Eglinton Crosstown Caledonia Station dewatering

Multiple clay layers ran through the site, cutting up the aquifer into many different pieces. Factor in a massive 30m deep excavation, shored by soldier pile and lagging, and we had all the ingredients for a dewatering nightmare.

After coming in to rescue project developers, CTS, from an inferior dewatering system that couldn’t tackle these site conditions, WJ got to work with Crosslinx to uncover these layers. Our expert water management consultants deciphered the geology of ancient glacial lake bottom deposits that lay buried deep underground across Toronto.

However, in the world of dewatering, clay is clay. No matter how thin, a continuous layer can quickly change dewatering requirements.

Our deductions were proved correct when we uncovered a 1-inch thick layer of clay across the entire site. Working tireless to dewater each and every layer, WJ battled the water towards the base of the sump pit. From there. our sump pit dewatering actions provided a site suitable for CTS to complete their excavation and commence construction of the station from the bottom-up.

“WJ helped the Caledonia team through some very challenging conditions at Caledonia. They were committed and worked with us every step of the way. WJ’s can-do attitude was refreshing and much appreciated on this difficult and challenging site.”

– Daniel Sanchez, Project Manager, Caledonia and Keelesdale Stations.