Crosstown will finally open, likely in January

Contents of the article

Will the Eglinton Crosstown LRT system open before the end of the year?

Contents of the article

Possible, but really unlikely.

Contents of the article

Contents of the article

The IRS's 30-day “demo test” ended Monday without any major problems. This is a testing period during which the entire system operates as if it were working, except for the absence of clients.

It's being besieged Crosstown Projectit took two chances to get the testing right. In mid-October, an incident occurred at Mount Dennis station in which two trains reportedly collided; no one was injured, but testing was suspended for several days.

Now that the rail system has finally completed its testing period, it is approaching what's called “substantial completion” before being handed over to the TTC to open.

Questions remain about the opening date

So, will this happen in 2025?

Contents of the article

Contents of the article

“There is an opportunity,” – Minister of Transport Prabmit Sarkaria told reporters at Queen's Park on Tuesday.

A possibility, of course, but extremely unlikely.

Recommended Video

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play video

After the Finch LRT completed its final tests on October 22, the TTC took control of the line on November 3 and is scheduled to open on December 7 or the following Sunday. After this, the system will be gradually built up to full service.

Crosstown is expected to have a similar period of six to seven weeks before opening, meaning the likely opening date would be mid-January.

Crosstown opened long before Finch, but will open later.

It's worth noting that construction of Eglinton Crosstown began in November 2011, while construction of the Finch LRT began in 2019 and completed earlier. Granted, the Finch Line is significantly shorter – 11 kilometers and 18 stops compared to 19 kilometers and 25 stops – but the time spent building Crosstown was depressingly ludicrous.

Contents of the article

Great Britain and France built a tunnel from London to Paris in just five to six years, that's more than 50 kilometers of underwater tunnels.

Metrolinx CEO Feels Your Pain

“I can understand the frustration of absolutely everyone involved with this project,” Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay said Monday.

I'm sure he can. He's partially at work because the last guy, Phil Verster, couldn't complete the job. Verster took over the leadership position at Metrolinx when the Crosstown project was well underway and already causing problems.

He never corrected them and, despite the fact that in the spring of 2023 he wanted to say that the system would soon open, he was forced to admit – because of reports from Toronto Soon – that the paths are laid incorrectly. And here we are now, at the end of 2025, and we see an opening date of 2026.

Contents of the article

Lindsay said the 30-day trial period is a direct result of the public investigation into the crash that led to the opening. Ottawa's LRT system in 2019. In this case, testing was interrupted by then-mayor Jim Watson to try to help local federal Liberal MPs and candidates in the upcoming federal election.

The result was a train system that was not ready and could not operate. Now testing is needed.

“It's a rigorous test for 30 days to make sure the system is safe and reliable before we put passengers on it. And we're now testing the system for those 30 days in all weathers,” Lindsey said.

And this is good, Ottawa’s system could not work in cold or heat, rain or snow.

However, at some point the public deserves an account of how things went so wrong with Crosstown and why it took so long. If that means another public inquiry, then so be it.

The Ford government was no more open than the previous Liberal government, which launched the project and doomed it to failure.

The public deserves answers and a chance to get on the rails sooner rather than later.

Contents of the article