TORONTO celebrated the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown light rail line with a day of free rides on February 8, ahead of the full opening of the 19km line the following day.
The new line, now operated as Line 5, runs east-west along Eglinton Avenue, a major city centre thoroughfare, from Kennedy to Mount Dennis. The line has 25 stations and stops, including interchanges with three metro stations, two GO Transit commuter lines, and 68 bus routes. More than 10km of the line runs underground through the centre of Toronto with the remainder at grade.
Operator Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is initially providing services from 05.30 to 23.00 from Monday to Saturday, and 07.30-23.00 on Sundays. LRVs are operating at 4-minute intervals during the peak and at 6 to 8 minute headways at other times.
TTC is set to increase the frequency of service and extend operating hours to 01.30 on Monday-Saturday in the coming months, and the line is eventually expected to carry up to 123,000 passengers every weekday. The end-to-end journey time is 55 minutes.
Alstom has supplied 76 Flexity LRVs for the new line, with each having capacity for up to 200 passengers. The vehicles were manufactured at Alstom’s Kingston, Ontario, site. The supplier is also responsible for maintaining the fleet and has equipped the line with CBTC.
Complex project
Line 5 is described as one of the most complex transport infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Toronto. The project reached “substantial completion” on December 5 2025, nearly 15 years after construction began and more than 18 years since plans for the line were first unveiled
The project was delivered as a public-private partnership (PPP) by Crosslinx Transit Solutions, a consortium of Aecon, ACS-Dragados, EllisDon and AtkinsRéalis. While completion was initially scheduled for 2020, the project was delayed by legal, construction and testing problems, including an issue with signalling software, as well as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Construction is underway on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, which will extend the line by 9km from Mount Dennis to Renforth Drive. This line is scheduled to open by 2031.
For detailed data on North American transit projects, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
