What’s that? Eglinton Crosstown progress?
The evasive LRT line could open before 2026
While the opening date of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT remains one of the city’s great mysteries, there seems to be movement this week. Not for the public, but we’ll take what we can get.
Provincial officials told CityNews yesterday that “the last major testing milestone” has begun, with a 30-day revenue service demonstration now underway on the 19-kilometre, 25-station LRT line. The demonstration “is meant to show the system is operating as designed and can welcome passengers.”
Related: Metrolinx and the TTC promise to make commuting less terrible
According to CityNews, the earliest possible opening date would be November (that’s soon!), but much depends on the result of the demonstration.
Back in September (when the target opening date was October, which is, hm, right now), Metrolinx president and CEO Michael Lindsay emphasized the importance of solving issues before finally opening the line, noting that at the time, crews were fixing HVAC and communications system snags.
“I would acknowledge it’s frustrating that that’s revealing issues we have to solve, but I’m happy that we’re solving those issues now in this trial running period as opposed to when people are trying to ride this line,” he said then.
Eglinton Crosstown construction began in 2011, and is about five years behind its original projected opening date.
Related: The Finch LRT just might beat the Eglinton Crosstown to the finish line
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.
