Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT has a new official completion date of Fall 2022, but service on the line will be several months later – likely in 2023.
In a statement issued Dec. 22, Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario said they had reached a settlement with the company building the massive transit project that will see construction on the $5.5-billion line substantially finished by September 2022.
The $325 million deal settles outstanding claims, including delays caused by COVID-19. As a result, the province will pay Crosslinx Transit Solutions (CTS), the consortium building the LRT, an additional $325 million.
However, “Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario continue to strongly disagree with any finding of claim entitlement for COVID-19 causes under the CTS Project Agreement and are appealing the court’s decision,”
Metrolinx will now work with the Toronto Transit Commission to track CTS’s performance and determine when the LRT will open.
CTS is building the LRT under a public-private partnership agreement. As part of this settlement, CTS is prevented from making future claims on a variety of issues that are now considered fully settled.
“The Eglinton Crosstown Line is progressing well and is nearing completion,” Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster and Infrastructure Ontario CEO Michael Lindsay said in the joint statement.
“The rail vehicles have been delivered and are being tested on the line,” Metrolinx confirmed in the statement. “The last parts of the track were installed this November and the stations work is proceeding to completion. The testing of the rail vehicles will continue into next year, along with the installation of the train signals and communications systems that enable safe train movements.”
Under the settlement agreement, CTS has committed to substantially complete the project’s construction and systems scope by the end of September 2022.
The in-service date for passenger revenue services may be several months later and Metrolinx and TTC will continue to track CTS’s performance during 2022 to determine when the Eglinton Crosstown Line will open for passengers.
“These large transit projects are very complex with significant delivery and schedule risks that we continue to actively manage together with CTS. While challenging, the Eglinton Crosstown Line is both a hugely exciting and a very significant transit addition in the city,” the statement reads.
The Eglinton Crosstown Line spans 19-kilometres with 25 stations, providing direct connections to TTC subway Line 1, 2 and 3, three GO lines and the UP Express.