‘Thank God, that is all I can say:’ Doug Ford suggests Eglinton LRT could open in September

After running roughly $1B over budget and being plagued by delays, Ont. Premier says the Eglinton LRT could be complete in the coming weeks.

Premier Doug Ford says that he expects that the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT could be open as soon as September, with plans to hand the line over to the TTC for final testing “in the next couple of weeks.”

Ford made the comment to reporters at Queen’s Park on Tuesday after he was asked about the rumored September timeline.

City Coun. Josh Matlow told CP24 back in April that he believed the LRT would open by September, though Metrolinx has never confirmed the timeline.

“Yes, that is what I am hearing,” Ford said of the September target date on Tuesday. “I am hearing some positive things about Eglinton track and hopefully we will be handing it over in the next couple weeks to the TTC and they will be doing their trial runs. Thank God, that is all I can say about that and that project.”

Construction on the Eglinton Crosstown began in 2011 and was initially slated to be completed in 2020 but it has been plagued by numerous delays and is now at least $1 billion overbudget.

Metrolinx has previously said that the public would be given a three-month notice before the line opens and that the company was pushing towards a 2025 opening date.

The LRT spans a 19-kilometre route from Mount Dennis in the west to Kennedy Road in the east.

Driver training has been ongoing on the route since last September.

“I will have to get back to you on the exact date but I understand it will be handed over to the TTC in the next couple weeks,” Ford said Tuesday.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is crossing her fingers after the premier’s remarks. In a statement, the mayor said the TTC is ready to assume operations when the project is finished.

“We hope it will open as soon as possible,” Chow said.