What to know

The Eglinton LRT had its soft opening this Sunday, with improvements expected in the coming months.

Overall, it ran more smoothly than the first day the Finch West LRT opened.

Riders are optimistic about the convenience the new Line 5 will bring to their daily commutes.

TTC says it will host an official opening on a later date.

Dozens of transit riders attended the soft opening of the all-new Eglinton LRT today.

The all-new Line 5 comes 15 years after its construction broke ground in 2011. With several delays, the line is officially six years overdue after it was initially scheduled to hit the ground by 2020.

In addition to delays in construction, the project is also $1-billion over budget, having had an initial budget of $13-billion. 

Read More

Today, the new line was soft launched, with improvements expected to follow in the coming months.

Despite the delays, transit riders are excited for the new Line 5

Though it departed on time, the first train westbound from Kennedy Station this morning faced a short delay at O’Connor station with issues with its doors.

At the moment, Kavin, who was four months old when Eglinton LRT construction began, told Now Toronto he’s excited for the new line but not surprised about the hold-up.

“I knew this was coming,” he said. “Something was going to happen … They were $1-billion over budget so I don’t know why there are these delays when they had this much money to spend to make them faster and better,” he said.

“I was going to say this was better [than the Finch West LRT], but that one didn’t break down when I was on it,” Abigail also said of the temporary delay. “It’s a mixed bag, I’ve been enjoying it so far, we’ll see how long it takes them to fix these doors.”

After an approximately 10 minute long delay, the train hit the tracks again.

At Cedar vale station, the Levines made it a family affair this morning, excited to hop on the new Line 5 from the station closest to their home. The mother, Michelle, was pregnant with Samuel when the construction began, 15 years ago.

“It’ll speed up my commute to school everyday,” Samuel told Now Toronto.

He estimates his 30-minute commute to school every morning to be cut down by at least 10 minutes with the new LRT. His sister, Silvia, says the LRT means she won’t have to wait out in the cold for the bus to arrive.

Although they are also drivers, the Levines say they are looking forward to trekking to other neighbourhoods in the city such as Midtown and Little Jamaica.

“Since the construction above ground has reduced in the last six to 12 months, some stores are starting to come back,” Michelle said. “Hopefully it’s easier for the businesses there and better for people to be able to get there.”

“With fewer buses along Eglinton, hopefully it’s easier for people to park on the road and walk around,” Jeff, the father, said.

The Eglinton LRT connects east and west of Eglinton Avenue with 19 kilometres of track and 25 total stops. The west end of the line starts at Mount Dennis Station and operates all the way to Kennedy Station in the east end.

During the phased opening, TTC is welcoming input from transit riders through an online survey.