Eglinton Crosstown LRT to Open Sunday with Free Rides
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is scheduled to launch this Sunday, according to transit officials. To mark the opening day of the new light rail line, the TTC will be offering free rides to all commuters. The line is expected to provide a significant new transit option for residents traveling across the city.
- The project's journey to completion has been lengthy, with construction starting in 2011 for a line that was originally supposed to open in 2020. The opening date was repeatedly pushed back, with targets missed in 2021, 2022, and 2023. - The final cost of the LRT is estimated to be around $13 billion, significantly exceeding the contract's original value of $9.1 billion and initial projections. - The 19-kilometre line features 25 stations and stops, running from Mount Dennis to Kennedy Station, with over 10 kilometres of the track located underground. It will connect to 54 bus routes, three subway stations, and GO Transit lines. - The project is owned by the provincial agency Metrolinx and operated by the TTC, but it was built by a private consortium named Crosslinx Transit Solutions. The relationship between Metrolinx and Crosslinx was marked by legal disputes over costs and delays. - Delays were caused by a variety of factors, including over 260 construction deficiencies, the COVID-19 pandemic, and unforeseen issues like defective concrete from 1950s infrastructure at Eglinton Station. - The project was part of the "Transit City" plan proposed by Mayor David Miller in 2007, was briefly cancelled by Mayor Rob Ford in 2010, and then reinstated by Toronto City Council in 2012. - The prolonged construction has had a significant negative impact on businesses along Eglinton Avenue, leading to numerous permanent closures. - A 9.2-kilometre westward extension of the line is already under construction, which will eventually bring the LRT into the neighboring city of Mississauga.
