Eglinton Crosstown plagued by 260 quality control issues, including improperly laid track: Metrolinx CEO

The repeatedly delayed and over-budget Eglinton Crosstown LRT is being held up by some 260 quality control issues and there is still no credible timeline for its completion, the head of Ontario's provincial transit agency said Thursday.

At an unrelated transit announcement in Toronto, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster offered up his most detailed public explanation to date of the myriad problems plaguing the 25-stop, 19-km mega project. The light rail line was slated to finally open last fall after nearly 12 years of construction and multiple earlier delays.

"My biggest concern is that the quality is right and we get a safe transit system. We are building infrastructure here for the next 100, 150 years, and we've got to get it right," Verster said alongside Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney.

The pair laid much of the blame for the delays at the feet of Crosslinx Transit Solutions (CTS), a consortium of four companies contracted by Ontario's previous Liberal government to design and build the Crosstown. 

Perhaps the single-biggest issue among a litany of problems, Verster said, is that track laid in 2021 was built outside of Metrolinx's specifications and the mistake is only now being fixed by CTS. A misstep of just a few millimetres runs the risk of a train climbing onto the tracks and derailing, Verster said. 

"This is not centimetres of error, this is millimetres of error. Anyone who builds track should know that. It is unfortunate this didn't get done right," he told reporters.

"Despite our urging and our guidance, it is only being rectified now and it will have a two month impact, at least, on the completion of the project."

Verster added that CTS's initial designs for the Crosstown — which will likely cost roughly $13 billion before it is finished — were nine months, or in some cases up to 18 months, late. That has translated into major delays in the testing and commissioning phase of the project, which is only about 50 per cent completed at this point, Verster said.

"We have pushed CTS to rethink their schedule and restructure their resources and the work that is being done on testing and commissioning," he added. "We cannot start with the training of the TTC operators until the system is fully completed and ready."

Similarly, CTS's own engineers must certify each part of the work is up to Metrolinx's stated quality standards — a process that is only 20 per cent complete, Verster said.

Verster said that CTS is bearing the costs of the necessary fixes and delays and that Metrolinx is using "every lever and every remedy" available in the contract to push the consortium to finally deliver the Crosstown. That includes withholding "substantial payments against completion of the project," he said. 

Pressed on a potential timeline for its opening, Mulroney said that CTS has failed to offer a "credible" schedule. 

CBC Toronto has reached out to CTS for comment. This story will be updated with CTS's response if one is provided.

Lack of transparency around project, critics say

The Ministry of Transportation and Metrolinx have faced backlash over what critics have called a disturbing lack of transparency around the Crosstown construction process. Several Toronto city councillors who represent wards affected by the work have called for a public inquiry into the delays.

Earlier this month, the Toronto Star reported on internal documents that showed the ministry trying to exert control over the flow of information from Metrolinx to the public. Mulroney declined to directly answer questions about those documents on Thursday, saying only that the safety of the Crosstown line was her top priority.

Mulroney also said that the Crosstown experience has changed how the province approaches contracts for transit mega projects. Contracts for the Ontario Line, for example, are broken into more discrete phases, making it simpler for construction consortiums to deliver on time, she said.

Thursday's announcement was about just such a contract. The province has put out a Request for Qualifications for advanced tunnelling work for the Yonge North Subway Extension.

Asked if the profusion of problems with the Crosstown would preclude CTS from winning further contracts with the province, both Verster and Mulroney said the companies that make up the consortium have done good work on other projects.

"This is a contract with a very negative outcome for us, but they are performing well for us on other projects," said Verster, who added that between 80 to 90 per cent of transit mega projects worldwide experience scheduling or budget issues.