Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he expects Metrolinx and the consortium building Eglinton Crosstown LRT to hand the years-delayed transit line over to Toronto’s transit agency in a matter of weeks.
Ford made the comments at an unrelated event on Tuesday, where he said the Eglinton LRT was on track to open by September and that final, full-service practice runs would begin in weeks.
“Yes, that’s what I’m hearing. I’m hearing some positive things about the Eglinton track and hopefully we’ll be handing it over in the next couple of weeks to the TTC,” Ford said.
“They’ll be doing their trial runs — and thank God. That’s all I’ve got to say about that project.”
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The premier had been asked by reporters if the route would be open to the public by September.
Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency tasked with overseeing the LRT’s construction, did not respond to questions about the opening date. The TTC also said it did not have “any updated timelines as yet.”
The Eglinton LRT has been plagued by delays and lawsuits in recent years, leading to the eventual removal of any opening date. In 2023, after several delays, Metrolinx said it would not announce an opening date for the project until three months before trains were due to start running.
The construction group building the line has also lodged lawsuits against Metrolinx, claiming various issues and — at one point — saying they had been “hamstrung” in their ability to finish the project by demands from the TTC.
Previous Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster also regularly complained about software issues with the signalling and control systems installed for the trains.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she would wait until the line opened to celebrate the milestone.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” she said. “Maybe (the premier) would like to go for a ride with me.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for that, I think we’ve been waiting, what, 13 years? It’s been a disaster, but I’ll believe it when I see it.”
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