Toronto is about to miss another public transit deadline

Metrolinx let residents of Toronto down today by failing to provide an opening date for the long-awaited Crosstown Eglinton LRT as promised, but the 12-year-long project is not the only public transit initiative that has pushed on past its original completion deadline.

As we await some new developments on the TTC — from the full rollout of cell service to new lines and extensions — one major improvement to the city's network will not be finished as soon as was initially planned.

The commission had, as part of its multi-year accessibility plan, planned to refurbish all subway stations to meet accessibility needs by January 1, 2025 in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

But, an update to the TTC Board this week states that the work is taking longer than anticipated, and that by the above deadline, 57 of the city's 70 stations will be outfitted with elevators.

Nine more will be retrofitted sometime "within 2025," and three more in 2026. The modernization of the final stop, Old Mill Station, is subject to the expropriation of necessary property.

For each of the stations that are behind schedule, the TTC is developing a contingency service plan to ensure that the system is fully accessible by the 2025 cutoff, which could include shuttling passengers to nearby stations that have elevators. 

The letter to the board cites roadblocks including labour shortages, conflicts with City of Toronto projects, market conditions that impact the cost and availability of materials, and the complexity of the work at certain locations as key causes for the delay of the $1.169 billion program.