Toronto's Finch West LRT makes final steps but still no opening announced

After years of construction, delays, and anticipation, Toronto's Finch West Light Rail Transit (LRT) line (also known as Line 6) is finally entering its home stretch, although one key detail, namely its opening date, remains a mystery. 

The 11-kilometre, 18-stop transit line, which will run on Finch from Keele Street to Highway 27 and Humber College's north campus, has been technically complete since September 2024, however, riders are still anxiously waiting for service to begin nearly a year later.

With construction beginning in 2019, the Finch West LRT managed to avoid the same level of delay that has plagued its notorious sibling, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, which is still not operating nearly 14 years after breaking ground. 

Back in September, the provincial government announced that the Finch West LRT's stops and infrastructure were complete, and that the final touches, including signal activation, pedestrian access, and station finishing, were all progressing steadily. 

In a recent update, Metrolinx revealed that at Finch West Station, the construction wall has been removed, joining the Finch West LRT pedestrian portal to the existing Finch West subway station on the northwestern leg of Line 1. 

Photo: Metrolinx.

Light vehicle testing and commissioning activities are also continuing at the maintenance storage facility (MSF), along the guideway, and at stops and stations. 

Humber College Station officially achieved occupancy in October 2024, and ongoing remediation work continues from Keele Street to Signet Drive. Between Signet Drive and Milvan Drive, the area is in final configuration with sidewalks and bike lanes in place. Permanent traffic and transit signals have also been installed and activated. 

Originally scheduled to open in 2021, the future Line 6 has been delayed several times (remind you of any other transit line?). The line was then expected to open in 2023, and the most recent estimates suggest August 2025 as a potential opening period. 

Once open, the line will operate in its own dedicated, above-ground right-of-way separated from traffic. Trains are expected every five to seven minutes during rush hour and every seven to 10 minutes during off-peak periods. 

Light rail vehicles on the route will carry up to 300 passengers each, travelling at speeds of up to 60 km/h, and a full trip from end to end will take about 34 minutes. 

By 2031, Metrolinx projects that the line will serve 12 to 14.6 million riders annually, or up to 46,000 passengers per weekday. 

Along with the opening date for the Finch West LRT, when the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will be rolled out into service also remains uncertain. According to TTC interim CEO Greg Percy, the September 2025 launch that was initially expected for Line 5 is now looking like a reach. 

"We're still looking at this fall to get something happening," Percy said during a TTC Board meeting on Thursday. "I think September is a reach, but this fall is plausible, and certainly by year-end."

The hope remains for both of the light rail lines to open by the end of the year, but if the recent history with Toronto's transit projects is any indication, we'd better not get our hopes up.