Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT will open with reduced operating hours as part of a phased launch when service begins next month, TTC officials said Tuesday.
TTC Chief Strategy and Customer Experience Officer Josh Colle said the long-delayed line will not run full hours at the outset, allowing the agency to test performance and address issues before expanding service
“We are targeting this date in February but it won’t be full hours yet when we open,” Colle said during an unrelated news conference Tuesday. “We want to make sure that we are stress testing it, that our customers are giving us feedback, and that accountability is clear for the maintainer.”
Colle did not say when the line would become fully operational, saying details will be released once performance benchmarks are met.
“When we feel we have demonstrated performance — not just picked a date — that is when the hours begin to extend further,” he said.
TTC CEO Mandeep Lali said at a separate event Tuesday it would be “irresponsible” to confirm an opening date while the agency continues to assess issues that have affected the Finch West LRT since it began operating last month.
Premier Doug Ford said the final decision rests with the TTC.
“We’ve handed all operations on Finch and on Eglinton Crosstown to the TTC,” Ford said. “We’ll hopefully get it open on Feb. 8, but that’s strictly up to the TTC.”
Multiple media reports have suggested the Crosstown will open on Feb. 8, though officials have not formally confirmed the date.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the Crosstown has undergone extensive testing and differs significantly from the Finch West LRT.
“There’s been millions of miles put on it from a testing perspective,” Sarkaria said, noting much of the Crosstown runs underground, while Finch West operates entirely at street level and has faced weather-related disruptions.
Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay said the agency has been working with the TTC, contractors and the city to address operational challenges, including snow removal and drainage on at-grade sections.
He said the line performed well during a mid-December snowstorm but cautioned that early operations typically involve adjustments.
“The early phases of any new transit project need to be a bedding-in process where we get better and better as we go,” Lindsay said.
Construction on the $13-billion Crosstown began in 2007, with major tunnelling and station work ramping up around 2011. The line was originally scheduled to open in 2020 but has faced multiple delays.
