Never mind, the Eglinton Crosstown doesn’t actually have an opening date
We don’t know what to believe anymore
By now we know better than to get excited about Toronto transit–related promises, but the Eglinton Crosstown’s latest twist has us feeling psychological whiplash. After a source close to the 19-kilometre, 25-stop project just told CTV News this week that it would launch on February 8, we are now hearing otherwise.
Related: The Finch West LRT reported a staggering 350 delays in less than a month
According to the CBC, Mandeep Lali, the TTC’s CEO, said the February 8 projection is not actually confirmed. It’s really just a thought—one that had been acknowledged by Premier Doug Ford, Mayor Olivia Chow and Councillor Josh Matlow. The councillor, who serves on the TTC board, posted to social media that he’d “consistently heard” the Eglinton Crosstown would soon carry passengers.
Despite the optimism of these reliable sources, Lali reiterated that “due diligence” must be done to ensure that the line is ready. “We will open, as a phased opening in this instance, when we’re jointly aligned in terms of taking the learnings on from Line 6 forward,” he said.
Eglinton Crosstown construction began 15 years ago. You may recall that Toronto comedian Jacob Balshin threw a quinceañera in its honour. Will it be another 15 years until people get to ride it? Will it open tomorrow? Is the Eglinton Crosstown even real? No one knows. It’s all part of the existential adventure of trying to get around Toronto.
Related: Who broke the TTC? Inside Toronto’s public transit disaster
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
