Eglinton Crosstown LRT train operations have been transferred to TTC, Metrolinx interim CEO says

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is one step closer to opening.
Train operations for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT have been transferred over to the TTC, Metrolinx's interim CEO Michael Lindsay and Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria confirmed Tuesday.
'Major milestones have been met,' Lindsay said at a news conference to announce the groundbreaking of the East Harbour Transit Hub. 'As of today or tomorrow, movement of trains on the line is actually governed by the TTC, as it will be when the line is in revenue service.'
This doesn't mean that the project has officially been handed over, TTC spokesperson Stuart Green explained. In order for that to happen, the project has to reach 'substantial completion,' which requires the approval of an independent certifier, Green added.
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'The good news, though, is that this week, train operations were transferred into our Transit Control Centre from a temporary control centre as testing, training and construction continue,' Green said.
Operator and driver training has been completed, Lindsay confirmed, adding that 'we are relentlessly stress-testing both (the) system and vehicles.'
'We're doing the things for this line that, frankly, were not done for projects like the Ottawa LRT,' he added.
The $2.1-billion Ottawa LRT, much like the Eglinton line, was plagued with delays and flaws. Problems with the project included a massive sinkhole during construction, and after the line opened in 2019, repeated derailments and even service shutdowns caused by freezing rain. ACS Infrastructure Canada and EllisDon were part of both the Ottawa and Eglinton LRT construction consortiums.
With 25 stops stretching from Mount Dennis in the west to Kennedy in the east, the 19-kilometre Eglinton Crosstown LRT was initially meant to be ready by 2020.
A pandemic and several lawsuits, as well as software glitches, have hampered the line's opening, even after the Star received an exclusive tour of the LRT in May 2023. The completion of the LRT had been promised, then pushed back, for three years, until the transit agency declined to give a projected opening in 2023, instead announcing it would give the public three-months' advance notice instead.
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Testing and more testing for the LRT
As of now, the Crosstown is still undergoing tests to check how the trains are performing, and Lindsay added, 'that's going pretty well.'
The purpose of all this rigorous testing, Lindsay said, is to demonstrate 'to ourselves, collectively, that it's going to perform the way that we want it to on the day that it opens.'
Once the Crosstown system 'achieves a certain level of stability,' Lindsay explained, there will be two further steps for testing.
The first will be a 14-day trial run of the line, followed by a 30-day revenue service demonstration, where the system will run 'as it will run when it is open to the public, (but) with no passengers on it.'
After those two trials, following the 'substantial completion' of the project, the LRT will undergo a 'bedding-in period' of more testing — which Lindsay said was implemented as a direct recommendation in the aftermath of the Ottawa LRT's troublesome rollout.
September opening for the Crosstown
Lindsay said 'if everything goes according to plan' with the testing, the LRT is expected to open for a September or fall opening, with the caveat that 'we cannot, cannot open that system if it is not going to perform.'
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The province will be the one to decide an opening date, the TTC's Green added, 'when we are confident the line is ready for safe and reliable operations.'
The Star reported in March that the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is expected to open in September, according to sources close to the project.
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Eglinton Crosstown LRT finally has an opening date, according to sources
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Coun. Josh Matlow, whose ward straddles Eglinton Avenue between Dufferin Street and Mount Pleasant Road, is calling for a public inquiry into the Crosstown's long journey to completion.
'Today they're boasting about something that they shouldn't be boasting about,' Matlow said. 'They should actually be humble about the fact that this has been a mess. It has hurt people, it's hurt businesses and there needs to be accountability for that.'
Matlow questioned whether Metrolinx would learn lessons about the mistakes and delays that hampered the Crosstown.
'There needs to be daylight shone in so that the public can trust that they've learned from these mistakes and that they'll do it better,' he added.
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Premier Doug Ford, asked for his comments on the 14-year-long wait for the Crosstown's opening, praised Lindsay, calling him 'brilliant and a champion.'
'This has been way too long,' said Ford, who has been premier for seven years of the LRT's 14 years of construction. 'It was a mess for years. But we inherited a mess, now it's going to come to fruition.'
'Safety is the No. 1 priority,' said Ford, who added his thanks to the TTC for its partnership. 'It'll be up to them to make it happen. Let's get it done.'
With files from Ben Spurr and Mahdis Habibinia.
Correction – June 17, 2025
This article was updated from a previous version that mistakenly said the Eglinton LRT had officially been handed over to the TTC. In fact, train operations for the transit line have been transferred to the TTC.

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Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding, among others, the exploration plans for the PIL & ATTY Properties. Although Finlay believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. 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