The Ontario Line Is Rising Over Queen East: What Leslieville Homeowners Should Know

If you've walked along Queen Street East near De Grassi lately, you've seen it: fencing, heavy equipment, and a whole lot of people in orange vests. That's the Ontario Line's Leslieville station starting to come out of the ground. Here's the short version: the next three years in this pocket of the east end are going to be noisy and a little inconvenient, the payoff is a new subway line at your doorstep sometime in the early 2030s, and if you own (or want to own) a home nearby, you should know the timeline before you make your next move.

I've pulled the dates from the City of Toronto and Metrolinx so you don't have to dig through a staff report. You're welcome. ☕

What's actually being built in Leslieville and Riverside

The Ontario Line is a 15.6-km subway line running from Exhibition Place to Don Mills and Eglinton, with 15 stations. Three of them land right in our backyard: East Harbour, Leslieville and Gerrard. Further north, it runs underground up Pape, with a stop at Pape where it meets Line 2 on the Danforth, and another at Cosburn.

In Riverside and Leslieville, the trains run along the existing GO rail corridor, so the stations are elevated, not underground.

• 🚉 Leslieville station sits on the rail corridor where it crosses Queen Street East, just east of De Grassi Street, with entrances on both sides of Queen.
• 🚉 Gerrard station sits above Gerrard and Carlaw, where the rail corridor crosses the intersection on a diagonal.

Metrolinx's design puts a single station building at each stop, with one centre platform serving trains in both directions. Translation: whichever entrance you use, you end up in the same place. Simple.

The construction timeline, in plain English

This is the part most people want, and it's buried in a City of Toronto Transportation Services report from June 2026. Here's what it says.

Leslieville station (Queen, De Grassi and Strange)

• 🏗️ July 2026 to April 2027: piling and pier work. This is the heavy foundation stage happening right now.
• 🏗️ April 2027 to December 2028: superstructure and girder installation.
• 🏗️ August 2028 to August 2029: station construction and façade.

The one to circle on your calendar is summer and fall 2027. The City report says TTC streetcar service on Queen East through the work area is suspended for roughly five months, from about July to November 2027, while the overhead wires come down for the girder work. Replacement buses take over for the 501 Queen and 503 Kingston Road in that stretch.

There's also a westbound curb lane and north sidewalk closure on Queen, from De Grassi to about 45 metres east, running from August 2026 through 2028. Basically, if you walk that block every morning for your coffee, plan on a slightly different route for a while.

Gerrard station (Gerrard and Carlaw)

• 🏗️ August 2026 to May 2027: deep foundations.
• 🏗️ June 2027 to August 2028: girder installation at the station buildings.
• 🏗️ September 2028 to June 2029: girders go across the Gerrard and Carlaw intersection. This stage includes up to four full weekend closures of the intersection (11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday), and the 506 and 306 Carlton streetcars are suspended for about four months.
• 🏗️ February 2029 to September 2031: station construction.

All of these dates come from City and Metrolinx planning documents, and they can shift. I'd treat them as "best current guess," not a promise.

So when does it actually open?

Honest answer: nobody will commit to a date.

The line was first pitched as opening as early as 2027. That moved to 2031. In February 2026, Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay said the agency wouldn't give a target opening date at all, and that the project was on track for the "early 2030s." In August 2026, Metrolinx put the cost at about $34 billion, up from the original 2019 estimate of $10.9 billion, and said the budget is still "under pressure."

So no, it's not happening next year. Or the year after. If anyone tells you otherwise with total confidence, smile and nod. 🤷‍♀️

What this means for east end homeowners

Here's where I put my realtor hat on, and I'll tell you what I really think, even if it's not the shiny version.

If you're selling near a construction zone in the next couple of years, expect buyers to notice it, and to ask about it. Hoarding, lane closures and a streetcar replaced by buses for five months are real things a buyer weighs. That doesn't mean you can't sell. It means preparation and pricing matter even more. Your home needs to show beautifully, and we need to be upfront about the timeline instead of hoping nobody walks to the corner.

If you're buying in Leslieville, Riverside or around Gerrard and Carlaw, you're buying into a neighbourhood that's about to get rapid transit, with a construction phase to live through first. For an upsizer planning to stay put for 10 years or more, that's a very different math problem than for someone who might move again in three. Think about where you'll be in the early 2030s, not just this winter.

If you're staying put, this is mostly a patience exercise. Know your closure dates, give yourself extra time on Queen and Gerrard in 2027 and 2028, and keep in mind that the noise has an end date.

My honest take: transit access is something buyers in this city care about, and a subway stop within walking distance of Queen East and Gerrard is a big change for this part of town. But I'm not going to promise you a number. Every street, every house and every buyer is different, and the market will decide what it's worth when the trains actually show up. What I can tell you is that "close to construction" and "close to a future station" are the same house. How we talk about it, and when we sell it, makes the difference.

The bottom line

• The Ontario Line is under construction right now at Queen and De Grassi, and at Gerrard and Carlaw.
• The biggest disruption on Queen East is expected in July to November 2027, when streetcars are replaced by buses through the work area.
• Gerrard and Carlaw gets its toughest stretch from fall 2028 to mid-2029.
• Opening is officially "early 2030s," with no firm date.
• If you're planning a move in the east end, the timeline should be part of your plan, whether you're buying or selling.

FAQ

Where exactly is the Ontario Line's Leslieville station?

It's on the rail corridor where it crosses Queen Street East, just east of De Grassi Street, with entrances on both the north and south sides of Queen. Construction is focused around Queen, De Grassi and Strange Street.

When will the 501 Queen streetcar be affected?

The City of Toronto's June 2026 report says streetcar service on Queen East through the work area is suspended for about five months, from roughly July to November 2027, with replacement buses for the 501 Queen and 503 Kingston Road. Check TTC service notices closer to the date, since timing can move.

When will the Ontario Line open?

Metrolinx hasn't set a target date. Its CEO has said the project is on track for the "early 2030s." The current cost estimate is about $34 billion.

Should I wait to sell until the construction is done?

It depends on your timeline, your home and what you're moving to. Some people can wait it out; for others, waiting means missing the right next house. This is exactly the kind of decision worth talking through with someone who knows these streets before you pick a date.

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If you live near Queen and De Grassi or Gerrard and Carlaw and you're wondering how this plays into your next chapter, send me a message. I'll give you the honest read on your street and your timing, no pressure. And if you just want to complain about the detour over a coffee, I'm good for that too. 😊

Sources

• City of Toronto, Transportation Services report on Ontario Line construction at Gerrard and Leslieville stations (June 19, 2026): https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2026/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-288482.pdf
• Steve Munro, "Construction Effects at Gerrard and Leslieville Stations" (July 8, 2026): https://stevemunro.ca/2026/07/08/construction-effects-at-gerrard-and-leslieville-stations/
• Metrolinx, Ontario Line: What we're building: https://www.metrolinx.com/en/projects-and-programs/ontario-line/what-were-building
• Metrolinx, "New Ontario Line plans will better serve Riverside & Leslieville": https://metrolinx.com/en/discover/new-ontario-line-plans-will-better-serve-riverside-&-leslieville
• CP24, "The cost of building the Ontario Line has more than tripled" (August 11, 2026): https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2026/08/11/the-cost-of-building-the-ontario-line-has-more-than-tripled-metrolinx-says-the-budget-remains-under-pressure/
• blogTO, Leslieville station column construction: https://www.blogto.com/city/2026/08/leslieville-station-ontario-line/
• Wikipedia, Ontario Line (Pape connection to Line 2): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Line