Crews responsible for commissioning the yet-to-be-opened Eglinton Crosstown LRT have paused an extensive revenue service demonstration (RSD) after a recent “incident.”
“We continue to make progress on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, with revenue service demonstration underway. Following an incident late last week, RSD has been paused and will resume shortly to (continue) testing along the line,” a statement sent to 680 NewsRadio Toronto from Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria’s office on Tuesday.
“Safety is at the forefront of everything we do and we continue to work with our partners at the TTC as progress on this critical project progresses.”
According to a report published by The Toronto Star on Tuesday citing an unnamed source, two trains crashed at the Mount Dennis maintenance and storage facility on Thursday. The newspaper reported the collision led to the temporary stop of testing. CityNews hasn’t been able to independently confirm the Star’s reporting.
There were no immediate reports of physical injuries to Eglinton Crosstown personnel.
A RSD is meant to show the system is operating as designed and can welcome passengers, and it occurs over 30 days. It’s not fully clear if the incident will require a full restart of the 30-day RSD period or if it can continue on its current course.
Despite beginning the 30-day test on Oct. 7 and ongoing commissioning work, provincial officials haven’t given a rough timeframe of when they’re aiming to have the line open to passengers. The earliest opening date at this point would be in November. The potential timeframes have continually shifted in recent years.
The TTC has begun the process of realigning several routes in anticipation of the Eglinton Crosstown opening.
Representatives with the transit advocacy group TTCriders issued a statement Tuesday afternoon “expressing outrage” over another delay facing the 14-year project.
“The group is calling on the provincial government to launch a full public inquiry into the Eglinton Crosstown project to uncover the causes of the delays and cost overruns to ensure this never happens again,” the statement said in part.
“TTCriders is demanding a clear timeline for completion, full disclosure of all outstanding issues causing delays, and a commitment to transit projects built by the public, for the public.”
The Ford government has resisted previous calls for a public inquiry.
During an unrelated announcement in September, Metrolinx president and CEO Michael Lindsay said issues were being discovered during the commissioning. Regardless of when the line is declared ready to open, he said it would be a gradual ramp-up of service versus launching at maximum capability.
“We are doing the things right now in connection with the system that you do immediately before they come online,” Lindsay told reporters at the time.
Operational oversight capability of the Eglinton Crosstown was shifted to the TTC transit control centre in June.
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.
With files from Richard Southern