‘Just get the damn thing moving’: Ford says he’ll get confirmation of Eglinton Crosstown LRT opening date

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he’ll speak to the head of Metrolinx and get confirmation on when the beleaguered Eglinton Crosstown LRT will finally open after years of delays.

At an unrelated news conference Thursday, Ford was asked if he believes the 19-kilometre east-west track will open before the end of 2025.

Before answering the question, Ford put the blame on the previous provincial Liberal government for the delays. The project started in 2011 and was supposed to open in 2020.

“This thing been a disaster since the Liberals started it. And yeah, I’m pushing. I’m pushing like crazy, but they want to make sure it’s safe,” he said.

The LRT is in its final stages of testing and began running what’s known as a revenue service demonstration in October, which includes 30 days of running the trains at scale without passengers on board.

The testing was temporarily paused later that month after two trains reportedly collided on Oct. 16.

At a news conference in November, Ontario’s transportation minister said testing had resumed since then and Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay said there was “absolutely still a chance” of the line opening before the end of the year.

Lindsay has been emphatic that the line needs to be completely-issue free before it opens to the public, pointing to Ottawa’s LRT system, which has seen its fair share of issues, as a cautionary tale.

Ford said he will ask Lindsay for a confirmation date of when exactly the public can step onto an Eglinton Crosstown LRT and admitted he is just as frustrated as the public with the delays.

“I need a confirmation. I’ve been asking for a confirmation for this thing for two years. It’s driving me crazy, just even more than the public, like, just get the damn thing moving, but make it safe.”

The project is at least $1 billion over budget, and calls for a public inquiry into the delays by city council and the opposition have gone unanswered.

CTV News Toronto has reached out to Metrolinx for comment.