What to know
- The Eglinton Crosstown LRT (Line 5) will officially open on Feb. 8, with phased service and free rides for passengers initially.
- The 19-kilometre line runs from Kennedy Station (east) to Mount Dennis Station (west) and was originally planned to open in 2020.
- The opening will include Transit Signal Priority (TSP), with a phased rollout across Line 5 and Line 6 by Q2.
- The phased opening approach is similar to what was used for the Finch West LRT.
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT will officially open on Feb. 8 with a phased opening and free rides for passengers, TTC CEO Mandeep Lali says.
Lali announced that the crosstown, known as Line 5, will begin revenue service on Sunday, with a phased opening, similar to what’s being done on the Finch West LRT, at a TTC Board meeting on Tuesday.
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The 19-kilometre line began construction in 2011, and was originally supposed to open in 2020, after several pushed back timelines, service will finally begin with service from Kennedy Station in the east to Mount Dennis Station in the west.
Lali also says Transit Signal Priority (TSP) will be activated for the opening, with a phased rotation being implemented by Q2 across both the crosstown and Line 6.
In addition to the line’s opening, 35 bus routes will experience changes. Sixteen of those routes were already adjusted in the fall to help manage the transition for customers and operators.
Transit Advocates React
Transit advocacy group TTCriders says it welcomes the announcement; however, the group remains firm in its call for a public inquiry into the line, which has been plagued by cost overruns and severe delays.
“This project took far too long, and Torontonians deserve clear answers about why,” Executive Director Andrew Pulsifer said in a statement. “We need a public inquiry into the delays on Line 5 and Line 6. If we don’t learn the lessons of Lines 5 and 6 now, we risk repeating these failures.”
The group also says it hopes the line has a smoother opening than Line 6, which faced public backlash over slow speeds and nearly hour-long trips across the entire 11-kilometre route.
In December, Mayor Olivia Chow and city council approved a motion to speed up the LRT and streetcar network by implementing more aggressive transit signal priority measures along surface routes.
