‘We are not there yet’: Metrolinx refuses to give end date for long-overdue Eglinton Crosstown LRT

The long-awaited completion date for the $12.5-billion Eglinton Crosstown LRT just got even longer after Metrolinx officials refused to release a new projected finishing date.

During a progress update on Wednesday at the provincial agency’s headquarters in downtown Toronto over the seemingly never-ending job, Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster refused to provide that information after being asked multiple times by reporters.

“I had every intention to predict an opening date or a series or range of possible opening dates for the Eglinton Crosstown with you today, but I’ve decided against doing so,” he said.

“I know it’s tempting to try and interpret what I think the opening date is. I can just say to you give us some space, let us come back to you and give you that feedback.”

In a follow-up, one-on-one interview, CityNews again tried to ask about the opening date.

“We are seeing too many issues in the testing and commissioning phase,” Verster said partly in response.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic was one of many factors that led to the years-long delays on top of design, legal and technical issues, calling the Eglinton Crosstown “one of the most complex transit projects” in North America.

Verster said during the technical briefing issues are being discovered and rectified every week, making it too hard to pin down a completion date at this point.

“Any prediction of an opening date at this stage of the project will just be an estimate,” he said, adding that he would announce a date only once the high-risk testing phase currently underway is fully completed.

“We are not there yet.”

RELATED:

• Eglinton Crosstown won’t open until 2024, construction group to take legal action: Metrolinx
• Officials say Eglinton Crosstown has 260 deficiencies and still no firm completion timeline
• Never-used Eglinton Crosstown LRT station platform ripped up due to uneven concrete
• Political staff rejected efforts to tell public more about Eglinton Crosstown issues, documents show
• Little Jamaica business owners hope for stronger year amid Eglinton Crosstown delay, COVID
• What lessons of damning Ottawa LRT report can be applied to Eglinton Crosstown LRT?
• Eglinton Crosstown project needs public inquiry amid delays, communication issues: BIA
• Metrolinx confirms delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT won’t be done by end of 2022

Going forward, Verster publicly vowed to provide public updates every two months until the job is finally done.

Despite it all, there were some signs of progress. In a newly released project dashboard showing milestones on testing and commissioning, certification of design, remaining construction and certifying various facilities, it appeared certain occupancy, streetscape restorations and post-installation inspections were fully or nearly done. However, when it came to construction certifications and tests on how systems integrate and work together ranged between zero and six per cent.

News of the indefinite delay didn’t sit well with provincial opposition MPPs.

“The Eglinton Crosstown LRT project is off the rails. This project is a complete disaster and what we learned today again is that there is no credible timeline or a plan to finish this project,” Bhutila Karpoche, the Ontario NDP’s GTA issues critic, told CityNews Wednesday afternoon.

Andrea Hazell, the Ontario Liberal Party’s newly named transit critic, said ongoing delays continue to impact businesses.

“Today was an announcement but there was no announcements at all … and so we’ve let them down and we’re talking about the businesses are the backbone of this economy. We need the conservative government to hold Metrolinx accountable,” she told CityNews.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow shared her frustration on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the update along with a face-palming emoji.

“I’m deeply disappointed Metrolinx can’t provide a timeline for opening the Eglinton LRT. We’ve all endured construction and delays for over a decade. While testing for safety and repairing problems are necessary, we need this done quickly,” she wrote.

Wednesday’s update comes months after Metrolinx officials admitted there were 260 deficiencies that needed to be fixed on the 12-year construction project. As of Wednesday, Verster said that ever-changing number dropped slightly to 225.

Construction on the 19-kilometre, 25-station light rail transit line began under the previous Ontario Liberal government in 2011 and it was supposed to be finished by 2020.

CityNews repeatedly posed questions over several months surrounding the project’s status without definitive information being released. Wednesday’s briefing was the first chance to learn more about the project.

Earlier reporting in 2023 by CityNews showed how political staff rejected efforts by Metrolinx staff to tell the public more about issues plaguing the line.

One of the latest publicly visible hiccups came in April when a CityNews crew visited Sloane station, located between the Don Valley Parkway and Victoria Park Avenue, and saw a jackhammer being used to dig up and repair “an uneven layer of concrete” on the platform – work that took several weeks to complete. It turned out that it was just one of those approximately 260 deficiencies.

The biggest deficiency reportedly involved sections of track, which was finished in 2021. Verster said in late April certain parts of the Eglinton Crosstown line were built “literally millimetres out of specification” and risked derailment.

However, light rail vehicles have been spotted on parts of the corridor in recent weeks after what appeared to be a lull in testing.

During an unrelated news conference in mid-September, CityNews asked for an update on the LRT line.

“[Crosslinx Transit Solutions] made a lot of progress, significant progress to rectify and improve the schedule. I’ve been pleased with it. The schedule is in a better condition. However, there’s still a lot of challenges,” Verster said at the time.

A long-awaited update was held at @Metrolinx's HQ today on the Eglinton Crosstown. Despite repeated questions from reporters, officials refused to release a new projected opening timeframe.

Sharing key slides from the briefing.

Our updated story here: https://t.co/ruExsd4U3Y pic.twitter.com/YKiSmlDWeA

— Nick Westoll (@NWestoll) September 28, 2023

Verster and officials said for months they had trouble obtaining a “credible schedule” from Crosslinx (the consortium building the line). The schedule was supposed to lay out dates for correcting deficiencies, training of crews, showing who is responsible for what and outlining the required resources.

Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, who replaced Caroline Mulroney during a cabinet shuffle on Sept. 4, said at the time he was still in the process of getting briefed on the issues surrounding the Eglinton Crosstown but “appreciate(s) that there’s a frustration” surrounding the project.

“I’ve asked Phil to provide updates on the Eglinton Crosstown to the public with respect to many of the questions and to ensure that we continue building that safe and reliable project,” he said when asked about the project.

Sarkaria wasn’t present at Wednesday’s briefing by Metrolinx.

In May, Verster said the project wouldn’t open until sometime in 2024. Crosslinx filed a notice of application with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice over a lack of an operating agreement between Metrolinx and the TTC.

CityNews contacted Crosslinx multiple times to ask for an update on the legal action, but a response has yet to be received. However, Verster said on Wednesday the application was dismissed and the matter was sent to arbitration.

Crosslinx previously took legal action against Metrolinx and the province in 2020, over alleged delays and cost overruns related to COVID-19. The judge sided with the construction companies and the two sides negotiated a new agreement.