What to know
- Latest test runs show Line 5 is more than 20 minutes slower than its contracted travel time.
- Contractors confirmed the Eglinton Crosstown is not meeting the required end-to-end performance standards.
- Commuters are already voicing frustration online, calling the projected travel times unreasonably slow.
- The TTC is expected to take over the line soon and will determine when the long-delayed LRT can open.
A recent TTC Board meeting revealed that the anticipated Eglinton Crosstown LRT’s run times are more than 20 minutes slower than expected, and commuters are already fed up before the line has even opened.
More than three-and-a-half hours into Wednesday’s public TTC Board meeting, officials dug into the projected travel times for the forthcoming Line 5 Eglinton. The final Revenue Service Demonstration (RSD) tests wrapped earlier this month for the long-delayed line, prompting TTC Chair Jamaal Myers to ask contractors whether the timing still met contractual requirements. Unfortunately for riders, it does not.
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The 19-kilometre route stretches from Mount Dennis Station to Kennedy Station, and Metrolinx’s contract stipulates that the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line should complete a round trip in 98 minutes during rush hours and 90 minutes outside peak times. But contractors reported that their RSD runs have been clocking in at roughly 112 minutes.
Online, commuters are reacting to the figures, some suggesting taking alternative routes would be much faster.
“That is… slower than taking line 2 to Dundas West then taking the UP/GO to Mount Dennis,” one person wrote on Reddit.
“Not shocked,” another added.
“A truly impressive commitment to achieving the worst of all possible worlds,” another Redditor chimed in.
The speed of Toronto’s LRT lines has been a hot topic this week, especially after Line 6 Finch West opened finally to the public on Sunday following six years of construction. Its debut immediately sparked debate among riders and city officials, with many criticizing the line for sluggish travel times and frequent delays — much of it attributed to the lack of transit signal priority.
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Commuters’ outcry has even been heard from Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who admitted on X earlier this week that she’s rode the line twice, and stressed that it “has to move faster.”
Yes, the Finch LRT is too slow. I know, I rode it twice
— Mayor Olivia Chow 🇨🇦 (@MayorOliviaChow) December 9, 2025
It has to move faster. I'll bring a council item to give it signal priority, and see what else we can do.
Construction on the Eglinton LRT began in 2011. While Line 5 still does not have an official opening date, it will soon be fully transferred to the TTC, which will then determine when it can open.
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