Eglinton Crosstown LRT finally opens this weekend and first day will be free

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is set to finally open on Feb. 8 after 15 years of construction, but it wasn't until a Tuesday TTC board meeting that the transit agency's CEO, Mandeep Lali, finally acknowledged the long-rumoured news that the beleaguered transit line would indeed open this coming Sunday.

Unlike the Line 6 Finch, which opened to much fanfare (only to become a laughingstock in the days and weeks that followed), the new Line 5 Eglinton will be a quieter affair, lacking a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the freebies offered to riders who braved the cold to wait in line for the Finch West LRT's opening two months earlier.

However, the TTC confirmed that service will be free to commuters for the first day of operation, which might not quite be enough to turn public opinion in favour of a line that has been an unmitigated disaster of delays and cost overruns.

Having learned from the Line 6 disaster in December, including the impacts of light rail vehicles having to mingle with vehicle traffic at signalized intersections, the TTC is preemptively moving forward to bring transit signal priority to the Eglinton line.

However, this wouldn't be rolled out until at least May, which could mean passengers on the newly minted line could end up moving even slower than the bus service it replaces.

After a decade and a half of waiting, the first Line 5 trains will finally board passengers at 5:40 a.m. on Sunday morning.