The head of Metrolinx says getting the slowly aging Eglinton Crosstown LRT vehicles available and reliable for all-day service is the latest issue facing crews as the work to launch the beleaguered line drags on.
During an announcement on Wednesday about the awarding of a contract to build the tunnels for the Yonge North subway extension, Metrolinx president and CEO Michael Lindsay provided an update on the project when asked by 680 NewsRadio Toronto. He reiterated previous comments, saying “serious trial running” of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT line is still underway.
“What we’re finding out through this deliberate period of stress testing is that one of the issues to address collectively is vehicle availability and reliability,” Lindsay said.
“These vehicles are 10 years old, they’re only just now beginning to run the kilometres intended for revenue service, and as we do that, we find out what their maintenance profile is. We get a better picture of how to keep them in service so that we can build the availability of vehicles to a level that can meet the capacity.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and others previously indicated a September launch of the line was hoped for, but that timeframe is growing increasingly unlikely as the weeks pass. Lindsay didn’t completely run it out, but noted that the timeframe is conditional on addressing lingering issues.
Lindsay said safety and reliability continue to be the major concerns ahead of launching the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. He said he thinks Metrolinx is a “few weeks away” from being able to confirm if the vehicles will be available as needed, so the agency can carry out an extensive 30-day revenue service demonstration, meaning a full demonstration of the line as if it were running with passengers.
“If that works, then we will declare substantial completion of the project towards the end of September, and then we will work with both the Government of Ontario and TTC to think about the progressive ramp-up of service along Eglinton,” Lindsay said.
He went on to say that TTC personnel have recently started testing the line before 6 a.m. by putting vehicles and the operational system, “through the paces” until 2 a.m. Lindsay also said staff have begun thorough testing of “non-rolling stock” such as escalators, elevators and HVAC systems.
“I can promise you the CEOs of both organizations (Metrolinx and TTC) are thinking about the plan for the day, what it’s going to reveal and what it means that we’re going to do tomorrow,” he said.
Lindsay defended the latest focus on the availability of vehicles to run across the 19-kilometre, 25-station Eglinton Crosstown line.
“I am happy that we’re discovering right now the things that have to be fixed before we open this line as opposed to discovering them when the line is open,” he said.
“Every problem that we find today and correct in partnership with the TTC is one that will not present itself when people are riding this.”
The discovery of problems has been a continuing cycle for crews responsible for the line. Construction of the Eglinton Crosstown began in 2011 under the previous Ontario Liberal government and different Metrolinx management. It was supposed to open in 2020, but it has been repeatedly pushed back due to various legal, construction and testing issues, along with COVID-19-related delays.
“Hopefully, we’re going to get some dates, and hopefully we will. It’s not their fault. This has been a nightmare since I got elected, but we’re getting it done and we’re getting it done safely,” Ford said during Wednesday’s announcement.
“We’re going to do it one way: we’re going to do it safely. We’re not going to do it like the City of Ottawa, and the thing’s breaking down every second day.
“When I came to office, the place was a disaster and there were 220 non-conformances (on the Eglinton Crosstown), but the good news is – I always like saying the glass is half full – we’re there, we’re inches away.”
During a July TTC board meeting, former interim TTC CEO Greg Percy called September “a reach.”
“This fall is plausible and certainly by year-end. There’s lots and lots of stuff going on that we need to fix to open safely, and that’s what we’re focusing on,” he said at the time.
Percy said safety and customer experience are key issues, and that the TTC won’t open it until “it is satisfying both.”
In a recent one-on-one interview with CityNews, new TTC CEO Mandeep Lali said the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRTs were among the reasons he applied for the job. He said he felt confident that TTC staff would be ready to operate it as soon as Metrolinx finishes its commissioning work.
