Eglinton Crosstown expected to open ‘in the coming weeks,’ province says

The provincial government says the Eglinton Crosstown has reached “substantial completion,” a critical step in the timeline of the project that verifies the line is now ready for service.

The exact date for when the line will open has not been released, but in a news release issued Friday, the Ford government said the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) will determine when passenger service can begin “early next year.”

Metrolinx will now hand the TTC full operational control of the line, a 19-kilometre LRT line with 25 stations and stops along Eglinton Avenue.

The project, which was initially scheduled to wrap up in 2020, has faced repeated delays and is at least $1 billion over budget.

The province said “extensive testing” was conducted to make sure the line, known as Line 5, is ready for safe and reliable service. The involved running the line at full capacity in a variety of weather conditions, including 10 centimetres of snowfall, the provincial government said.

“With this rigorous testing complete and final preparatory works underway, it is expected the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will open to the public in the coming weeks,” the news release continued.

“To ensure a smooth launch, service levels on the line will gradually increase over the first six months, a standard approach for major LRT projects worldwide.”