Eglinton Crosstown LRT wraps final testing phase, will soon be handed to TTC

The years-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT has finished one of its final testing phases and is on its way to opening, although the government still hasn’t confirmed an official date.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation said the line had completed its revenue service demonstration testing and would shortly be handed over to Toronto’s transit agency.

“Following the same process used for the Finch West LRT, the project will now move toward substantial completion, at which point it will be fully transferred to the TTC,” the statement said.

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT began its revenue service demonstration back on Oct. 7.

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The testing acts as a dress rehearsal for the transit line, running it as if it were carrying passengers, but behind closed doors. The tests should last 30 days if they go off without a hitch.

In the case of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, however, the final tests on the line took longer.

One delay came after a minor collision between two trains when they were being moved around a yard near Mount Dennis Station, Global News has confirmed. That incident did put a pause on the tests, but didn’t force the province to start again.

Now that those tests have wrapped up, 56 days after they began, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT should have a clear path to finally opening.

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Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said he expected the line to achieve substantial completion within two weeks.

That is one of the final milestones, where the government will accept that the LRT has been built to its standards by contractors.

While the Sarkaria said it was still possible for the line to open this year, the timeline for the impending opening of the Finch West LRT suggests it will be a challenge.

The Finch West, which Metrolinx has repeatedly said is a simpler system, finished its revenue service demonstration on Oct. 23 and is scheduled to open on Dec. 7.

Sarkaria said if the TTC moved faster on Eglinton than Finch, there was still a chance the Crosstown could carry passengers in 2025.