Project leaders overseeing construction of a major light-rail transit line in east Mississauga and Toronto say an “important target” was hit with the recent completion of the first bridge span over the Humber River.

Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency working alongside Infrastructure Ontario to build the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, said Monday in an online update the finished bridge span for the 1.5-kilometre guideway section of the LRT route “is the first of 35 bridge spans that will carry trains over the Humber River, where they will run east of Jane Street along the north side of Eglinton Avenue West before heading underground again and connecting to Mount Dennis Station.”

Tentatively scheduled to accept its first passengers in five or six years, the 9.2-kilometre above ground/underground LRT route will take the Eglinton Crosstown LRT line in Toronto farther west and “bring much-needed rapid transit to Etobicoke and Mississauga,” project officials have said.

When the ECWE is completed around 2031 or so, passengers will be able to ride the train cars from Scarborough in east Toronto to Renforth Drive in Mississauga’s east end. From there, an additional extension north to Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga is planned.

The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension recently reached an important target – completing the first bridge span for the 1.5-km guideway 🎉

This is the first of 35 bridge spans that will carry trains over the Humber River, where they will run east of Jane Street along the north… pic.twitter.com/txumFOlieW

— Metrolinx (@Metrolinx) May 11, 2026

Project leaders announced last August a new partner was brought on board to build the track and seven stations that’ll eventually bring the ECWE transit route to life.

Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx said at the time they’d selected Toronto-based Trillium Rail Partners to design and deliver the stations, rail and systems package for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension line. Trillium Rail Partners was chosen from among three bidders to complete the massive project.

A Development and Master Construction Agreement signed last summer marked the start of the development phase, project leaders noted.

The deal “enables Trillium Rail Partners to begin construction of early works and for them to collaborate with Metrolinx to further develop the design scope, risk allocation and pricing of various elements as part of the development phase,” Infrastructure Ontario said in a news release at the time.

“Together, we’ll finalize the design and begin preparing the station sites for construction,” project leaders added in a post to social media in August 2025.

Rendering of what the Renforth Station in Mississauga could look like when the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension LRT route is completed. (Image: Metrolinx)

The new ECWE transit line will also eventually connect riders to regional transit services including the Union Station to Pearson Airport Express (UP Express), GO Transit, TTC and MiWay, Mississauga’s public transit provider.

“Combined with the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, the extension will cut commute times between popular destinations like Yonge and Eglinton (in Toronto) and Square One (in Mississauga) by up to 24 minutes per trip,” the provincial government said earlier.

In addition to the Renforth Station in east Mississauga, six other stations will be built in Toronto at Martin Grove, Kipling-Eglinton, Islington-Eglinton, Royal York-Eglinton, Scarlett and Jane-Eglinton locations.

The new LRT line is expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by some 39,000 tonnes each year once it comes online, project leaders say.

(Cover photo: Metrolinx)

Rendering of the elevated guideway section of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. (Image: Metrolinx)


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