‘It’s pretty disappointing’: Frustration grows after another Eglinton Crosstown setback

The frustration is palpable in communities along the Eglinton Crosstown LRT after what appears to be another setback with Metrolinx failing to announce an opening date for the $12.5-billion transit line.

“Too many disappointments, you eventually just get numb to it,” said one area resident.

“It’s pretty disappointing, it’s been going on so long I’m getting used to the fact that it’s always gonna have construction here,” said another frustrated resident.

During a progress update on Wednesday, Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster refused to provide an opening date or even range of possible opening dates for the Eglinton Crosstown, citing numerous issues in the testing and commissioning phase.

“We are building a transit project for the next 150, 200 years. I’m not rushing through this phase,” he told reporters. “I’m making sure we get it right, and declaring a date when the time is right to declare a date. The time is not right now.”

The news did not come as a surprise to many area residents and local businesses who were all unified in their disappointment.

“It’s disappointing for the community, we’ve been waiting a very long time to have this transit in place,” said Maureen Sirois, the volunteer chair of the Eglinton Way BIA. “We keep asking when is this going to open and they don’t have a date.”

The effects of more than a decade of construction are still visible on Eglinton and despite the road now being open to traffic, customers haven’t returned to area businesses.

“Some of them they say ‘oh I’m not coming to Eglinton because of the construction and there’s no spot to park the car’,” Hassan Aghili, owner of Vivace Boutique tells CityNews. “It’s frustrating.”

Sirois adds accessing the community by transit could make a world of difference.

“All these businesses are here, they’re ready to serve their customers,” she says.

Businesses in the area that have been impacted by construction haven’t received any direct compensation from Metrolinx or the province and as a result, hundreds have shut down.