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
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
Manitoba man sentenced to house arrest for keeping fishing tournament funds meant for Children's Hospital Foundation
A Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to keeping the funds raised from an ice-fishing fundraiser for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba has been handed a sentence of 18 months house arrest.