Long-awaited Eglinton Crosstown LRT finally opens for riders
The new transit line brings much-needed light rail to Toronto after a nearly 15-year-long construction process fraught with delays, lawsuits, and cost overruns.
The first phase of the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT), from Mount Dennis GO Station on Weston Road to Kennedy subway station, opened on February 8.
The Crosstown, also known as Line 5 Eglinton, will have a staggered opening, with current service ranging from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on most days, including holidays, and 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday. The 19-kilometre line is part of a C$70 billion investment by the provincial government to “shorten travel times, reduce gridlock and drive economic growth across the region,” according to Ontario Newsroom.
The line currently operates underground and at street level in a 10-kilometre-long stretch between Mount Dennis and Laird stations, with an additional underground section around Don Valley station in preparation for a connection to the future Ontario Line, while remaining mostly at street level past Laird Drive.
Since construction began in 2011, the Crosstown has faced several delays, including from disputes over the public-private partnership model, construction mistakes, and pandemic-related troubles.
Crosslinx Transit Solutions, the consortium responsible for the construction of Line 5, took legal action against Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario several times between 2018 and 2023 over delays and planning disputes, while Metrolinx and light rail vehicle (LRV) supplier Bombardier fought legal battles against each other in early 2017 over delays. The line finally opened six years overdue and one billion dollars over budget amid calls for a public inquiry that have so far gone unaddressed, according to CBC News.
The line is scheduled every four minutes during peak times, and every six minutes during off-peak times, with an estimated end-to-end travel time of 50 to 55 minutes, Toronto Transit Commission Chair Jamaal Myers explained on X. Myers noted that this effectively halves travel time, which had been at 105 minutes utilizing bus routes. He expects full service to occur in May, with a public celebration for the line’s opening set to occur around that time.
These travel time estimates have been mostly accurate. On a typical weekday afternoon, the end-to-end time was 57 minutes due to delays on the surface section, which were partly because of the lack of transit signal priority in the area.
Myers has stated that full transit signal priority, which would reduce the amount of red lights and left turns that LRVs would be stuck behind, would not be implemented on the Crosstown until its full opening in May. The statement came amid fears of similar struggles to the opening of the neighbouring Finch West LRT in December 2025, whose operations were heavily criticized for the lack of transit signal priority on that line.
Besides this, LRVs ran smoothly even with modest amounts of snow on the surface tracks, and its two-car LRVs have so far met ridership demand. The platforms at stations across the Line are long enough to accommodate three-car LRVs should ridership increase.
Construction of the second phase of the Crosstown LRT, extending the line 9.2 kilometres west from Mount Dennis GO station to connect with the Mississauga Transitway at Renforth Gateway, has been underway since 2021. The extension would be mostly underground, except for an elevated section around Jane and Scarlett stations. Metrolinx says that it is also considering connecting Line 5 to Pearson Airport.
