Transit nerds gear up for 2am tunnel boring party

Transit nerds are stoked about a milestone event for the Eglinton Crosstown. Early in the morning this Saturday and Sunday (between 2am and 5am), Metrolinx staff will extract the massive tunnel boring machines from the west side of Allen Rd. before reinstalling them just east of the expressway.

Eglinton Avenue will be closed to traffic for the move, but accessible by foot for those curious about the operation. Metrolinx staff will also be on hand throughout the day on Saturday (10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm) to field questions about what's going on and the Crosstown LRT in general. They'll be giving out hot chocolate to foster a celebratory atmosphere.

Yes, that's how desperate we are for new transit infrastructure in Toronto. The arrival of tunnel boring machines at waypoint during construction is worth getting jubilant about. To be less cynical for a moment, the machines promise to look pretty cool if you're into that sort of thing.

Roughly 10 metres long and weighing over 400 tonnes, this truly is heavy machinery. If that doesn't pique your interest, not to worry: we'll have photos of the whole affair for you to peruse from your couch/desk on Monday morning.

Photo via Metrolinx