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TORONTO — A major transit project in Toronto has been delayed yet again, though officials are hopeful to get it operational by the end of the year.
There are “performance and reliability” issues with trains on the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit system as they are pushed through their paces, said Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay.
The provincial agency had hoped to begin a 30-day “revenue service demonstration” in September, but it did not meet that target.
“The target that we had for passenger service in September, unfortunately, is not going to be achieved,” Lindsay said at an unrelated transit announcement on Friday.
“But now, our new focus is on making sure that hopefully it’s just a matter of a couple of weeks.”
The project was first awarded in 2015 and was scheduled to open in 2020, but has been plagued by problems.
Lindsay said they will take as long as needed to ensure the safety and reliability of the line after a boondoggle on Ottawa’s light rail project that led to stoppages, delays, broken trains and a public inquiry.
The Ottawa LRT project has been a cautionary tale that Lindsay says they have learned from.
“I would acknowledge that it’s frustrating that that’s revealing issues that we have to solve, but I’m happy that we’re solving those issues now in this trial running period as opposed to when people are trying to ride this line,” he said.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the delays have been “disappointing.”
“We’re right at the finish line on this and, for us, we are not going to release a system that’s not safe and reliable,” Sarkaria said.
The 19-kilometre east-west transit line will feature 25 stations and run both above and below ground.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2025.
Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
