Get your first look at the new Eglinton Crosstown LRT vehicles in action
Bombardier has a deal with Metrolinx to provide 76 vehicles for the new line
As construction inches closer towards completion, Torontonians can now get a look at the vehicles that will carry them on the Eglinton Crosstown line in action.
Bombardier took one of the light rail vehicles out for a spin with reporters aboard near Kingston, Ont. on Tuesday.
The first LRT for the long-awaited east-west transit line will be delivered in November, with Bombardier set to provide another five by February 2019.
We’re currently riding the first light rail vehicle for the Eglinton Crosstown, which Bombardier will be delivering in November. The company has to provide 6 vehicles in total by February 1. <a href="https://t.co/eMisSfSvC5">pic.twitter.com/eMisSfSvC5</a>
—@LaurenPelleyThe company's current deal with Metrolinx has them providing 76 vehicles in for the Eglinton Crosstown, which is scheduled to be operational in 2021.
When it's completed, the line will have 25 stations running from Mount Dennis to Kennedy. A 10-kilometre portion of the route, from Laird Drive in the east to Keele Street in the west, will be underground.
It's expected to improve travel times along the busy artery, shrinking a journey from Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue to Kennedy Station from 40 minutes by bus to 26 minutes.
Here’s a first look at the (very quiet) vehicle for the Eglinton Crosstown: <a href="https://t.co/00fNX3x51o">pic.twitter.com/00fNX3x51o</a>
—@LaurenPelleyIn the meantime, complaints have piled up from local businesses and the company tasked with building the transit line.
In July, Crosslinx Transit Solutions filed a lawsuit against Metrolinx to compensate it for delays.
Some merchants in the area say intense construction has driven business down by about 50 per cent.
