Bad news, commuters: the Eglinton Crosstown LRT may be delayed again

Julia Alevato · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 17, 2025 1:51 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT opening day whitethorn beryllium delayed again.

At Thursday's TTC committee meeting, Coun. Josh Matlow asked outgoing TTC interim CEO Greg Percy if the long-delayed airy obstruction transit enactment would beryllium acceptable to unfastened this September.

"We're looking astatine inactive this autumn to get thing happening," answered Percy. "I deliberation September is simply a reach, but this autumn is plausible and surely by year-end."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said past period that the Eglinton Crosstown airy obstruction transit enactment was connected way to unfastened this September.

The 25-stop enactment was initially acceptable to unfastened successful 2020, but a bid of method problems and associated outgo overruns person plagued the task and repeatedly delayed its completion. Construction connected the enactment began successful 2011.

TTC took power from Metrolinx connected the Eglinton Crosstown past month. Metrolix CEO Michael Lindsay said astatine the clip that the strategy and vehicles were being "relentlessly" accent tested.

WATCH | TTC has taken power of Eglinton Crosstown LRT: 

Former Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster antecedently said the transit bureau would denote an opening day for the crosstown 3 months up of time.

Transit advocates inquire for much transparency connected opening

Andrew Pulsifer, executive manager of the transit advocacy radical TTC Riders, said Metrolinx needs to beryllium "open and transparent" with transit users.

"We'd emotion an reply arsenic to wherefore it's not opening, and erstwhile it's going to open, and however it got this atrocious to statesman with," Pulsifer told reporters connected Thursday. 

"They said they would springiness 3 months announcement erstwhile it was going to open, and we're not there, truthful what are we looking astatine now? October? Are they going to unfastened it successful the mediate of winter, oregon is it gonna hold until adjacent year?"

Coun. Dianne Saxe told reporters connected Thursday that determination person been nary signs from Metrolinx that the crosstown is wrong 90 days of being capable to open.

"We haven't got the announcement they promised," she said. "It's an tremendous agelong to person it unfastened by September."

She besides said that the nationalist is not blaming the state capable for the opening delays. 

WATCH | Ford said past period that Eglinton Crosstown LRT is connected way for September: 

"This is the effect of provincial authorities decisions. If the TTC had been allowed to physique this, it would person been unfastened years ago," said Saxe. 

Metrolinx won't reply what benignant of issues are near to hole successful the project, Saxe said.

Decision for opening day falls with Metrolinx: Percy

Percy said astatine Thursday's committee gathering that the determination connected the opening day inactive falls with Metrolinx. He said information and lawsuit acquisition are cardinal issues, and that the TTC won't unfastened it until "it is satisfying both."

After serving arsenic TTC's interim CEO for astir a year, Percy volition beryllium replaced by the transit agency's caller CEO, Mandeep Lali. 

On Tuesday, Lali told CBC Radio's Metro Morning that his archetypal precedence aft assuming the relation earlier this period is to summation reliability for the transit agency.

He called the presumption a "once successful a beingness accidental successful presumption of what's happening present successful Toronto."

"If you look astatine the 2 marque caller lines coming connected board, wherever successful the satellite are you seeing that benignant of level of operation and development?" helium said, referring to the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRT.