Toronto has some of the worst traffic congestion in North America. In 2006, the Toronto Board of Trade estimated that $6 billion in economic activity is lost annually because of gridlock in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Now, after decades of neglect, rapid transit is finally coming to midtown Toronto.
The Ontario government has committed $8.4 billion to support rapid transit throughout Toronto. The centrepiece of the new Toronto rapid transit strategy will be the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) line. The LRT will run 19 kilometres along Eglinton Avenue, with 11 kilometres underground.
On June 5, the first tunnel-boring machine was launched — and it was given the name Dennis, after the Mount Dennis neighbourhood at the western end of the LRT. Dennis is currently tunnelling to Eglinton West station at a rate of 10 to 15 metres per day. Once the machine gets to Eglinton West station, it will be extracted at the west end of Allen Road and then reinserted on the east side of the Allen so that subway service will not be disrupted.
The LRT will transform rapid transit in Toronto. It will intersect with the Yonge-University-Spadina subway system at both Eglinton and Eglinton West stations and at Kennedy station so that transit users will have a seamless transfer to the current subway system.
There are still lots of opportunities for residents of midtown to be part of the discussion regarding the LRT. Visit www.thecrosstown.ca and click on “get involved.”
There’s still a lot of work to do, but I’m proud to say that rapid transit is finally coming to Eglinton!