The Eglinton Crosstown LRT will open on Sunday, the TTC’s CEO confirmed in a board meeting Tuesday morning. 

Mandeep Lali said on Tuesday the line will start a phased opening Feb. 8 and boarding will be free for customers on the opening day.

The first train will leave heading westbound from Kennedy Station at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a news release from TTC.

The TTC will gather feedback from riders during the gradual opening before moving to full service, Lali said. The phased approach

“This allows us to monitor performance, fully validate it collectively and allows upgrades we know are coming to be phased in in a controlled manner,” he said.

The Feb. 8 confirmation comes exactly one week after Chow and Ontario Premier Doug Ford floated the opening date, though at the time Lali was noncommittal.

During the first phase of opening, the line will operate with 24 trains and will increase to 28 at a later stage, Lali said. The line will also have reduced hours at night during its initial launch with busses running between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. until Blue Night Network service. Lali said when the line is fully operational the line will run right until night busses start.

The phased opening will also bring adjustments to Transit Signal Priority (TSP) technology that helps reduce travel times. Improvements to Line 5’s speed and software will come in March and May, Lali said.

Construction on the rail line began 15 years ago and was initially set to open in 2020 but has been repeatedly delayed due to technical problems.

As of last fall, the project had wracked up a price tag of over $13 billion, according to a report from Metrolinx, an increase from the $11.78 billion projected in 2018.

WATCH | Toronto Mayor and Ontario Premier say Eglinton LRT could open Feb. 8:

Officials say the Eglinton Crosstown could open Feb. 8. So why does the TTC disagree?

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Coun. Josh Matlow hinted that the Eglinton Crosstown LRT would open Feb. 8 — but according to the TTC’s CEO, that’s not the case. CBC’s Ali Chiasson explains.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she is “glad the line is finally opening,” in a statement to CBC Toronto on Tuesday.

“The TTC has a century-long expertise in operating public transit, and I am confident in their ability to operate the new line provided the line itself is built well and maintained well by Metrolinx and Crosslinx,” Chow said in the statement.

Cutting down travel time for riders

The line will run along Eglinton Avenue, with 25 stops from Mount Dennis Station to Kennedy Station, according to Metrolinx’s website.

During the meeting Tuesday, the TTC’s Josh Colle said the Crosstown will be 17 minutes faster than the bus on the stretch between Kennedy Station and Yonge Street. The line will travel from end to end in just under an hour, Lali said. That’s about 47 per cent faster than the hour-and-45-minute trip by bus.

Metrolinx’s website says the line will make travel times “up to 60 per cent faster” than travelling by bus.

The line’s opening brings with it changes to 35 bus lines, 16 of which are already operating with the updates, Lali said Tuesday. 

The new Eglinton line recently had “some minor emergency brake occurrences” during testing, Metrolinx said late last week, though a spokesperson said the issues would not prevent the line’s opening.

And, Lali said, there are no “unaddressed safety-critical items” on Line 5 heading into its opening.

WATCH | Finch West LRT uses same switches that caused issues for Ottawa’s system:

Finch LRT uses same switches as Ottawa’s plagued transit line

One of the major issues plaguing the Finch West LRT is the technology system used to melt ice and snow along the line. As CBC’s Dale Manucdoc explains, it’s the same system used by Ottawa years ago that proved to be problematic. 

The opening will come nearly two months after the opening of the Finch West LRT, which logged 350 delays in its first month of service. Many of the delays were due to issues with switching technology, particularly in winter weather. Switches are used to move trains onto different tracks.

Lali said the Eglinton line uses different technology to heat the switches than Finch West.

Transit Signal Priority will be phased in, says TTC CEO

The Finch West line has also been criticized for being slow, but city council approved a motion in December that aims to speed up LRT projects by giving them TSP over left-turning cars at intersections.

Transit experts and advocates have warned the Eglinton line could experience similar issues to the Finch West LRT once it’s launched.

Lali told the board TSP will be activated for the new line’s opening but will be implemented on a phased rotation.

“We’ll be leveraging customer feedback, taking lessons from the Line 6, holding the right teams accountable,” he said.

Calls for accountability for delayed opening

Andrew Pulsifer, spokesperson for transit advocacy organization TTCriders, said the new line’s opening is welcome, but more accountability is needed after years of delays.

Pulsifer called the delays a “systemic failure” and called for a public inquiry.

“This project took far too long, and Torontonians deserve clear answers about why,” Pulsifer said in the release.

The group was present at a rally organized by Coun. Josh Matlow in January, to demand answers about the delays.

In January, Ontario’s Liberal Caucus also said a public inquiry into the Eglinton LRT is needed.

At a news conference in January, Liberal MPP Adil Shamji called on the province, TTC and Metrolinx to compensate businesses affected by the delays and guarantee the Ontario Line subway construction won’t face similar issues.