What to know
- Premier Doug Ford says Feb. 8 is the target opening date for the long-delayed 19-km Eglinton Crosstown LRT, though the TTC and Mayor Olivia Chow have not yet confirmed it.
- Transit riders and advocates welcome the long-awaited opening of Line 5, which was originally set to launch in 2020 and has been under construction for 15 years.
- Advocates warn reliability issues could overshadow the launch, pointing to ongoing problems on the Finch West LRT as a cautionary example.
- Calls for a public inquiry are growing, with TTCriders, the Ontario Liberal Party, and city councillor Josh Matlow demanding answers on delays to prevent future transit projects from facing similar failures.
Transit riders and advocates say they are cautiously welcoming a targeted Feb. 8 opening date for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, as calls for a public inquiry into the line’s years-long delays continue to grow.
On Monday, Premier Doug Ford told reporters outside an unrelated news conference at Queen’s Park that Feb. 8 is the target opening date for the line. Media reports indicate Ford was told by the TTC that this date is the current goal.
The 19-kilometre light rail line, which runs east-west from Kennedy Station to Mount Dennis Station, was originally scheduled to open in 2020. Instead, it has faced years of construction delays and cost overruns. In total, it has been 15 years since construction began.
With the proposed opening now less than two weeks away, transit advocacy group TTCriders says it is relieved the line may finally be opening, but remains concerned about reliability.
“The opening of Line 5 will finally provide long-awaited rapid transit to a community that has waited far too long,” TTCriders Executive Director Andrew Pulsifer said in a statement to Now Toronto.
However, that optimism also comes with fears the Crosstown could experience problems similar to those seen on the recently opened Finch West LRT, which has been plagued by slow speeds, service disruptions, and weather-related shutdowns.
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“We’re glad that it’s finally opening, but sincerely hope it launches without the kinds of reliability problems we saw on Line 6, because riders won’t accept another bungled opening,” Pulsifer said.
TTCriders argues that the extensive delay of the Crosstown, combined with the operational issues facing the Finch West LRT, points to a broader “systemic failure,” and says a public inquiry is needed.
“This project took far too long, and Torontonians deserve clear answers about why,” Pulsifer said. “We need a public inquiry into the delays on Line 5 and Line 6 so that future projects, like the Eglinton East LRT and the Waterfront East LRT, are not saddled with the same mistakes.”
Calls for a public inquiry have also been echoed in recent weeks by the Ontario Liberal Party and Toronto–St. Paul’s Councillor Josh Matlow.
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Neither the TTC nor Mayor Olivia Chow have confirmed an official opening date. Chow has previously said she will provide an update on the Crosstown by the end of the month.
