Toronto gets first look at what it will be like to ride Eglinton Crosstown LRT
Torontonians are getting their first glimpse of what it will be like to ride on the long-awaited Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
Construction on the 19 kilometre project began a decade ago, in 2011. This month teams are testing trains with the hope the line will be ready for passenger travel in the later part of 2022.
CTV News Toronto took part in a tour Tuesday around the Science Centre Station at Don Mills Road and on a train eastward to Birchmount Station.
“You have a lot of people waving at us, photographs, we even have cars pulling over, waiving, our drivers are told to acknowledge them and sound the horn,” said operations manager Pat Sabino.
The train itself is the newest generation of the same Toronto streetcars used around the city but with upgrades. They include doors on both sides and an integrated communications system with the subway line and GO Transit in event of issues.
The new trains can travel up to 60 kilometres an hour above ground and 80 kilometres an hour underground. Right now teams are testing trains at 15 kilometres an hour.
Metrolinx anticipates transporting 15,000 people east and west across Eglinton Avenue every day.
“The real benefit of the LRT to the new riders will be how quickly they will be able to traverse from one side of Eglinton to the other, so from Don Mills to Yonge it will take you about 10 minutes,” said Metrolinx President and CEO Phil Verster.
The agency says of the 25 stops, 15 are underground, and close to a dozen of those are 90 per cent complete.
The feeling created before boarding, a source of pride for those who made it a reality.
Science Centre Station manager Enzo Ocampo said his favourite part of the station is the platform.
“It looks very nice. When you see the train coming and you see the full surroundings, you say ‘Oh this is wonderful’,” Ocampo said.
When passengers do travel they’ll notice other differences. PRESTO machines will be at stations, not on trains, and they'll see a lot more green on their trip. Sixty per cent of the track bed from Brentcliffe to Kennedy will have grass, not concrete.
Each car is able to transport about 170 people. Two cars are attached to make a train, which means they’ll be able to carry about 340 people at a time.
“They can hold twice as many people. There are two vehicles. It’s a train, so the streetcars on King and Queen and everywhere else they travel as a single car, there will be two for the crosstown,” said Kristin Jenkins with Crosslinx.
Crosslinx said 60 of the 76 cars being built for the line have already been delivered.
Metrolinx said it’s too soon to say if a portion of the line could open ahead of the full line, but spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins told CTV News Toronto that would be unlikely as it must hand over the line to the TTC for operation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.