Ontario breaks ground on first Eglinton Crosstown LRT station
Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
Construction has begun on Keelesdale Station, the first of 25 stations to be built for the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) in Ontario, Canada.
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is the largest public transit project currently under construction in Canada and represents the single biggest expansion of urban rapid transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area in more than half a century. The province has invested $5.3 billion toward the capital costs of the LRT line, which is expected to begin service in 2021.
New, modern light-rail vehicles on tracks separated from regular traffic will offer fast, efficient service and improve travel for people across the region. The Eglinton Crosstown LRT will also help lower greenhouse gas pollution from Ontario’s transportation sector. The new LRT line will have 25 stations and stops along Eglinton Avenue between Weston Road and Kennedy Station and will also link to 54 bus routes, three Toronto Transit Commission interchange subway stations and GO Transit.
By 2031, the new line is expected to carry approximately 5,500 passengers per hour during peak travel times, with daily boardings estimated to be 162,000 and an annual ridership of about 50 million. At the peak of construction, approximately 2,500 workers will work on the project and 90 percent of the labor will come from the Greater Toronto Area.
Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario are working together to deliver the Crosstown LRT, which will remain publicly owned and controlled.
