Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Ontario government says testing of the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) line has been successfully completed, marking a key milestone toward opening the long-delayed project to riders.
The province announced Thursday that the 19-kilometre line reached Substantial Completion on Dec. 5, following independent verification that the system is ready for service. Full operational control is now being transferred to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), which will determine the start date for passenger service early next year with support from Metrolinx.
“We’re excited to announce the completion of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT in partnership with the province,” said Michael Lindsay, president and CEO of Metrolinx. “This transformative new transit line features 25 stations and stops … making travel across the city and region faster and easier than ever before.”
To achieve Substantial Completion, crews conducted extensive testing to confirm the line can operate safely and reliably in real-world conditions. The work included running trains at full capacity during a range of weather events — including 10 centimetres of snowfall — and operating the fleet more than 11,000 kilometres per week to simulate customer service. Testing ran 16 hours per day.
With final preparations underway, the line is expected to open to the public in the coming weeks. The TTC and Metrolinx say service levels will ramp up gradually over the first six months, which they describe as standard for major LRT launches worldwide.
Also known as Line 5 Eglinton, the Crosstown will run between Mount Dennis and Kennedy Station, with more than half its route underground. The line will connect with 54 bus routes, three TTC subway stations and two GO Transit rail lines.
