What to know
- Toronto comedian Jacob Balshin went viral after throwing the Eglinton LRT a quinceañera to mark 15 years of construction.
- He spent $600 on a mariachi band and cake for the celebration outside Eglinton West Station.
- Balshin says the party was a light-hearted joke but also highlights frustration over ongoing delays.
- Metrolinx says the LRT remains in testing, with no opening date confirmed.
A Toronto resident is going viral after throwing the Eglinton-Crosstown LRT a quinceañera, as the line nears 15 years of construction with still no opening date ahead, according to Metrolinx.
On Wednesday, Toronto-based comedian Jacob Balshin decided to spend $600 to hire a traditional mariachi band, purchase a cake and head to Eglinton West Station (which will be renamed Cedarvale after the LRT’s opening date), to commemorate the new line’s 15th birthday.
After posting his plans for the party online, Balshin was also joined by a few of his fans who also wanted to send their happy wishes to the line.
“Thank you Eglinton LRT for 15 amazing years!” one video participant said.
“When the LRT started getting built, I was 13,” the other fan added.
The video quickly went viral gaining more than 170,000 views as of publication.
Balshin tells Now Toronto that he is an avid transit user himself, and will take the LRT “if it opens,” although he believes that won’t happen anytime soon.
“I think one day it will open, but I think it’s far. I just don’t think in the near future,” he said.
The comedian says that he decided to throw the quinceañera as a light-hearted joke, and did not mean for it to spark a response from Metrolinx or any substantial changes. However, he feels that the delayed transit project has negatively impacted Torontonians, including himself.
“I do a lot of videos around small businesses, and I think I get very protective, and it makes me sad how many have closed as a result of construction, due to a project that still has not opened. And then, I also take transit…so, I do rely on transit, and I’m very inconvenienced by it not existing,” he added.
In response to Balshin’s video, many Torontonians are also expressing frustration over the line’s long construction time, and sharing humorous comments about it.
“This is sooo funny. When they started construction, I had just moved to Toronto. Since then, I’ve bought two houses, got married, [and] had two kids. My oldest is almost 10 [years old],” one TikToker said.
“So, [the line] is gonna start driving at 16 like the rest of us,” another user said.
“Happy birthday, LRT! I wonder if you’ll open when you turn into a full adult at 18,” a different person said.
STILL NO OPENING DATE IN SIGHT
Construction for the Eglinton-Crosstown LRT officially kicked off on Nov. 9, 2011, after it was approved by the TTC Board and Council in 2009, with a budget of $8.2 billion and an initial completion date set for 2020.
Since then, the project has been delayed several times, with an adjusted price of $12.8 billion, according to media reports.
Last month, Metrolinx confirmed that the line has officially entered its Revenue Service Demonstration phase, which CEO Michael Lindsay said would last 30 days, with a possibility of having the line running by November.
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Now, Metrolinx tells Now Toronto that there are two parts to this current testing phase, including an unscored and a scored phase. The LRT is currently in its scored testing phase, with an opening date pending on results from testing.
“We are currently in the scored testing phase, and should an issue occur, we would restart the specific week of scored testing but would not need to re-do the unscored portion,” a Metrolinx spokesperson said on Thursday.
There is still no set date for the LRT’s opening.
