Major Eglinton Crosstown construction, driver training done as TTC begins integration: Metrolinx

Ontario government officials say the Eglinton Crosstown LRT has recently marked several milestones, including the completion of driver training, that will get the project closer to a tentative September opening date.

During a news conference on Tuesday to formally kick off construction of the future East Harbour Transit Hub, 680 NewsRadio Toronto asked officials for an update on the opening of the 19-kilometre, 25-station Eglinton Crosstown line as the project is in its 14th year.

“Yes, major, major milestones have been met in respect of the progress on Eglinton Crosstown,” Michael Lindsay, who has been the acting president and CEO of Metrolinx since the end of 2024, told reporters.

He said all civil infrastructure has been finished and the nearly 100 drivers responsible for operating the trains received their training. Lindsay also said the TTC’s main transit control centre is now overseeing the movement of trains across the line.

“It’s going to be up to them (the TTC) to make it happen. Let’s get it done. This has been way too long. It’s been a mess for years, but we inherited a mess and it’s going to come to fruition,” Premier Doug Ford later added.

Lindsay said up to 28 trains (the full complement of trains set to operate at any given time) are out across the line while crews figure out “the maintenance profile” and further potential upgrades.

“We are relentlessly stress-testing both [the] system and vehicles,” he said.

“We’re doing the things for this line that frankly were not done for projects like the Ottawa LRT; demonstrating to ourselves collectively that it’s going to perform the way that we want it to on the day that it opens.”

When “stability” is reached, Lindsay said a formal 14-day trial running period will happen and it will be followed by a 30-day revenue service demonstration and a so-called “bedding-in” period.

“We will literally run the system as it will run when it is open to the public with no passengers on it just to satisfy ourselves that it performs the way that it needs to,” he said.

Earlier in June, Ford confirmed the latest opening goal for the Eglinton Crosstown was sometime in September. Lindsay confirmed that is still the case, but as has been the case many times before he emphasized the date is conditional.

“I want to stress we cannot, cannot open that system if it is not going to perform because hundreds of thousands of people will rely upon it. The trend line is good, but it is always subject to revision depending on what we find through systems testing,” Lindsay said.

#BREAKING – Metrolinx has handed over control of the long delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT to the TTC. Premeir Ford, Transportation Minister @PrabSarkaria and the Metrolinx CEO tells me it is on track to finally open in September. pic.twitter.com/HcurYlBVri

— Richard Southern (@RichardCityNews) June 17, 2025