Long-awaited LRT could be just weeks from opening in Toronto

A long-overdue light rail line is on the cusp of entering service for the TTC, but sorry, Eglinton will have to wait — as it looks like the Finch West LRT has won the race to the finish line.

The future TTC Line 6 Finch West — serving 18 stops across over 10 kilometres of track along Finch Avenue West from Keele Street to Highway 27 — may just be weeks from opening based on the latest news that emerged on Tuesday.

A notice shared by Jamal Richardson, the TTC's Head of Stations, announced that "beginning Saturday, September 20, 2025, we will officially begin the Revenue Service Demonstration for Line 6," calling the news "a major milestone" for the overdue LRT line.

The revenue demonstration phase is expected to last 30 days, and although Metrolinx has not explicitly confirmed this timeline, it could translate to a mid-October opening for the Finch West LRT.

When pressed for details, Metrolinx offered little in the way of confirmation.

A Metrolinx spokesperson tells blogTO that "As our CEO Michael Lindsay has said publicly, our goal is to open our LRT projects as quickly as possible once they are safe and reliable to do so."

"We are currently targeting Revenue Service Demonstration on Finch West in the coming days, which is an important period of testing for the system."

Even the TTC's own notice is worded in such a way that would insulate it from further delays, explaining that "In the event of any delays to the Line 6 opening, affected employees will be notified promptly so they can report to their alternate work assignments."

Richardson calls the imminent start of revenue demonstration "a significant step forward" for the line, and stressed confidence "that together, we'll deliver the exceptional service our customers expect-now on this new line."

The Finch West LRT has suffered numerous challenges along the way to this milestone.

First proposed to start construction in 2015 with a projected 2018 opening. Major construction would not begin until 2019, and after multiple adjustments to the timeline, TTC board chair and City Councillor Jamaal Myers revealed last December that the project would enter service as Line 6 in June 2025 at the earliest.

Should the Finch West LRT actually welcome its first passengers next month, the line would beat Metrolinx's other problem child — the Eglinton Crosstown LRT — to the finish line despite the latter's eight-year head-start.