Eglinton delays plague Crosstown LRT

Metrolinx fixes key issues, but six-storey station excavation remains hurdle

- PATTY WINSA

A completion date for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is still nowhere in sight, but a recent report from Metrolinx sheds light on how work is progressing on the often delayed light rail line.

A recent report from the provincial transit agency in charge of the LRT said construction permits have been closed for all the stations except Eglinton, the largest and most complex on the line.

That means that 14 of the 15 stations on the 19-kilometre line, which has 25 stops in all, have been given occupancy permits after being inspected to ensure they meet Ontario’s building code, a benchmark that ensures the stations are safe to operate in.

“Our focus on Eglinton Cross-town remains relentless,” said Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster at the agency’s latest board meeting at the end of June. “And we continue to make progress.”

Verster wouldn’t say when that progress would lead to an opening date for the troubled LRT, which has been under construction since 2011.

Work on the Eglinton station, at the intersection of Yonge Street, is ongoing “owing to its complexity,” according to Metrolinx.