Eglinton Crosstown LRT to Open Sunday
Toronto's long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT is scheduled to open on Sunday, providing a new east-west transit option for the city. The launch of the new line, which runs across Eglinton Avenue, will be celebrated with free rides for the public. The project's opening marks a significant milestone for Toronto's transit network after years of delays and cost overruns.
- The 19-kilometre line, officially called Line 5 Eglinton, features 25 stations and runs between Mount Dennis in the west and Kennedy Station in the east. A significant 10-kilometre portion of the line runs underground. - Initially scheduled for completion in 2020, the project opened roughly six years behind schedule. Construction first began in 2011. - The project's final cost exceeded $13 billion. The contract was originally awarded to a consortium named Crosslinx Transit Solutions for $9.1 billion in 2015. - Delays were attributed to a variety of factors, including hundreds of quality control issues, design problems, and lengthy legal disputes between the provincial transit agency Metrolinx and the construction consortium. - The line is owned by the provincial agency Metrolinx and will be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). - Projections estimate the LRT will move over 123,000 riders on an average weekday, cutting travel time across Eglinton Avenue by as much as 60%. - A westward extension is already under construction, which will add another 9.2 kilometres of track from Mount Dennis to Renforth Drive.
