Eglinton Crosstown LRT project reaches substantial completion

The Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) project reached substantial completion on Dec. 5. Once complete, the project will reduce end-to-end travel time from Kennedy Station to Mount Dennis Station in Ontario by nearly an hour.  

Full operational control of the line is now being transferred to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), which will determine the start date of passenger service early next year with the support of Metrolinx. The government of Ontario notes service levels will continue to ramp up over the coming months, reflecting the standard approach for bringing major LRT projects into service worldwide. 

“Under the leadership of Premier [Doug] Ford, our government is delivering the largest transit expansion in Canadian history,” said Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria. “Our C$70 billion (US$50.6 billion) plan to build and upgrade transit is connecting millions of transit users across Ontario, helping fight gridlock so people can get around more conveniently and keeping tens of thousands of workers on the job in the face of tariffs and economic uncertainty.” 

Also known as Line 5 Eglinton, the LRT is a 19-kilometer (11.8-mile) light-rail line with 25 stations and stops along Eglinton Avenue. The LRT will link to 54 bus routes, three TTC subway stations and two GO lines. 

"We’re excited to announce the completion of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT in partnership with the province,” said Metrolinx President and CEO Michael Lindsay. “This transformative new 19-kilometer transit line features 25 stations and stops, connecting Mount Dennis Station in the west and Kennedy Station in the east—making travel across the city and region faster and easier than ever before. The line will provide more seamless connections to three TTC subway lines, two GO Transit lines and 54 bus routes." 

To achieve substantial completion, the government of Ontario notes extensive testing was conducted to ensure the line is prepared for safe and reliable service. This testing included: 

• Running the line at full capacity in a variety of weather conditions, including 10 centimeters (0.33 feet) of snowfall. 
• Operating the fleet more than 11,000 kilometers (6,835.1 miles) per week to replicate customer service. 
• Maintaining service for 16 hours per day. 
• Ensuring a full complement of staff to proactively manage and mitigate any problems that arise during testing. 

The service is expected to open to the public in the coming weeks. The government of Ontario notes that to ensure a smooth launch, service levels on the line will gradually increase over the first six months. When the service opens, its hours of operations will be from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with peak frequency occurring every 4 minutes and 45 seconds for the first six months. After that, hours will change to 5:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., with peak frequency occurring every three and a half minutes.