Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow 'speechless' over continued Eglinton Crosstown delays

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she's "speechless" about the continued delayed of the Eglinton Crosstown, saying she's no more knowledgeable on the project than residents and business owners who've been waiting years for it to wrap up.

"I don't know what to say anymore, it's leaving me speechless," said Chow. 

She added the delay is particularly frustrating since the city now has the money it needs to operate the Eglinton Crosstown after making a new funding deal with the provincial government this week.

"I was a bit worried that we don't have enough cash to operate the lines. We now have the cash, through the new deal, so let's open it. We're ready," Chow said.

On Thursday, Metrolinx announced it will provide a launch date for the project three months before opening day. Work began on the Crosstown in 2011 and Metrolinx previously announced completion dates of 2020 and 2021.

When completed, the Eglinton Crosstown will be a 25-stop light rail transit line along Eglinton Avenue, running from Mount Dennis in the west to Kennedy in the east. The repeatedly delayed and over-budget project has been stymied amid reports of hundreds of quality control issues.

Phil Verster, president and CEO of the provincial transit agency, said on Friday that Metrolinx would hold a media technical briefing early this month that will outline progress made on the Eglinton Crosstown and provide transparency about problems delaying its opening.

Verster declined to provide details on what exactly is causing the most recent delay, but said the majority of problems are at Yonge-Eglinton station.

"We'll have a walk-through, lots of Q and A, lots of transparency, and we'll give a full progress update of where we are," said Verster.

The technical briefing will be held at Yonge station, the largest and most complex of all stations along the route, he said. No date, however, has been set. 

As for businesses and residents who live along the line and who have had to put up with years of construction, he said: "We have returned a lot, nearly 90 per cent of the roadways along Eglinton, we've returned back for service, and pedestrians and businesses have access to their businesses back as before."