Major new public transit line in Toronto is now one step closer to reality
One of the handful of new transit projects currently on the go in Toronto has reached a new milestone this week, with a company now officially selected and awarded the contract to build the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension.
The Province shared on Friday that it has chosen Aecon Infrastructure Management Inc. to design and complete the elevated portion of the route, which will run along Eglinton Avenue West from near Scarlett Road to Jane Street, over the Humber River.
Tunnelling work by specialized boring machines — named Renny and Rexy — is already well underway for the underground sections.
The 9.2 km-long extension in full will connect both over and underground from the Eglinton Crosstown LRT's westernmost terminus at Mount Dennis Station to Renforth Drive in Mississauga, with seven confirmed stops and potentially more if plans to eventually link the network to Pearson Airport come to fruition.
That link would add another three stops and 4.7 km of track, providing residents with another way to get to Pearson on public transportation.
The Ontario government is making progress to deliver the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension!
— Ontario Ministry of Transportation (@ONtransport) December 15, 2023
Aecon Infrastructure Management Inc. has been awarded the contract to design and build the 1.5 km elevated guideway of the all-new rapid transit line
Learn more https://t.co/c3PCclgTdh pic.twitter.com/LzW3yQFFXr
Leaders note that the extension is just one part of "the largest expansion of public transit in Canadian history" that is underway in the GTA right now.
"The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will bring more people in Toronto and Mississauga closer to rapid transit," Ontario's minister of transportation said in a release on the subject today.
"This is another step forward in our government's plan to build critical transportation infrastructure that makes life easier and more affordable for people, while spurring economic growth for decades to come."
The Toronto Maple Leafs will win a Stanley Cup or two before this project is complete!
— Stephen Lean (@TOStevefor3) April 11, 2022
The news comes as the public continues to wait (quite impatiently at this point) for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT that was originally due to make its debut more than three years ago after work started way back in 2011.
Recent updates from Metrolinx have shown completed stations and functioning trains, but have yielded little information about when riders can expect to actually be able to board the 25-stop, 19 km-long line.
At the latest press briefing last week, the regional transit authority reiterated its previous statement that an opening date would only be announced three months before it is confirmed, refusing to provide any idea of when that might be.
But, workers revealed some of the testing that still needs to be completed before the launch will need to be done after springtime in warm, dry conditions, and will take two to three months to complete — meaning we're looking at summer 2024 at best, depending on if there are any further delays.
Metrolinx skirts questions about Eglinton LRT opening but hints it could be after spring👀 https://t.co/k99mph5iV0 #EglintonLRT #Metrolinx #TTC #EglintonCrosstown #Toronto
— blogTO (@blogTO) December 8, 2023
In other new Toronto transit line news, the Province also just issued a Request For Proposals for the Yonge North Subway Extension earlier this month.
Crews are also making progress on the Finch West LRT, with dedicated platforms at Finch West Station looking nearly complete as of this week.
