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<\/p>\nIt might be a chilly day, but the cold air didn’t stop excited Torontonians from piling onto the newly launched trains along Line 5 Sunday. <\/p>\n
The controversial Eglinton Crosstown LRT has launched 15 years after construction first started. While the TTC said it wouldn’t have the same fanfare \u2014 or merchandise \u2014 seen at last year’s Finch West LRT opening, crowds of people bundled in parkas and toques packed platforms at Kennedy and Mount Dennis stations.<\/p>\n
“Line 5, Line 5, Line 5,” chants erupted as the first Crosstown riders waited to get onboard.<\/p>\n
“It symbolizes the end of the suffering that every single person in this city has gone through,” said Toronto resident Rockwell Cui. “And finally for us to have more lines than just four.”<\/p>\n
He said he camped outside Mount Dennis since 9 p.m. Saturday to celebrate the city’s “big milestone” that will last for generations to come.<\/p>\n
WATCH | Torontonians get in on the excitement with launch of Line 5:<\/p>\n
‘A historic moment’: Toronto reacts to Eglinton LRT opening<\/p>\n
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT officially opened Sunday. Torontonians braved the frigid weather and early morning hours to take the first train, and so did CBC\u2019s Lorenda Reddekopp and Hadyn Watters. Check out some of the highlights from Line 5’s opening.<\/p>\n
It’s a big moment for TTC employees, too. As a group of workers saw the excited crowd, one employee joked to CBC News that they’re ready to head into battle on the first day of war. <\/p>\n
Despite the delays and frustration around Line 5, the first trains set off to the sounds of cheers \u2014 with the westbound train even heading out a minute early. <\/p>\n
Gavin Elliott, the operator of the first train out of Kennedy, said he transferred over to end his career on the new line. <\/p>\n
“Been an honour to be the first operator, the first guy, to christen the line with passengers,” he said, adding he’s worked 27 years with the TTC as a streetcar and Line 1 operator. <\/p>\n
At each stop, passengers waved across screen doors and applauded the train’s progress. The inaugural journey was a squishy one too, as people squeezed in for the historic finish.<\/p>\n
WATCH | The history behind the Eglinton LRT \u2014 and all its delays:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770583149_975_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The Eglinton LRT took even longer to build than you think<\/p>\n
It may have been in construction\u00a0for 15 years, but the history behind the Eglinton\u00a0Crosstown LRT actually dates back decades before that. CBC’s Haydn Watters breaks down the timeline.<\/p>\n
But it wasn’t all fun and games during the trip. Riders kept watch on how fast trains were going and how many red lights stopped the surface portion of the ride. <\/p>\n
Some of the most-attentive critics of the day were riders far younger than the new LRT.<\/p>\n
Isaac Mandelzys, 11, said he could think of no other way to celebrate his birthday than to ride the new trains. He said he’s watched the stations get constructed his “whole life.” <\/p>\n
His first impression was that the trains were a lot faster than expected, especially compared to Line 6.<\/p>\n
“Even without transit priority, it’s very fast, and I think the Bombardier Flexity Outlooks are very fast,” he said. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile his friend, 12-year-old Luis Mario Carrington, said he was “bamboozled” that the new line was finally here. <\/p>\n
“I think it’s much, much faster. On Finch I remember it was like 30 km\/hr, this seems like it’s going up to 70,” he said. “I think it’s going to be quick reliable, fast. It’s going to get people where they want to go.”<\/p>\n
It took the inaugural train 55 minutes to travel from Kennedy to Mount Dennis \u2014 19 kilometres across the city. That’s about the same time it took to get across Line 6, roughly 10 kilometres, when it was first launched.<\/p>\n
![\"Crowded](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770583150_641_default.jpg\")
Crowds of people squished on to the inaugural train heading from Kennedy Station to Mount Dennis Station on Sunday morning. (Haydn Watters\/CBC)<\/p>\n
As Elliott stepped off the first train, he said the ride was “very comfortable” and looked ahead to future improvements. <\/p>\n
“No problems, no pickups and we made it in time today,” he said.<\/p>\n
But the first day has already had a few bumps, as a mechanical issue struck just 30 minutes into the launch.<\/p>\n
The TTC said on social media that there were westbound delays at O’Connor Station due to a mechanical problem. Thankfully, service resumed just minutes later. <\/p>\n
Among the flock of puffer jackets was transit lover Marcelo De Oliveira Medina, who said the new line will cut his weekly commute to his dad’s house from an hour-and-a-half to just 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
“It’s incredible … Line 5, I’ve been waiting my whole life for it,” he said, adding he was just 2-years-old when the project launched. <\/p>\n
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770583150_328_default.jpg\")
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is opening on a phased rollout, meaning it will run on limited hours for an undisclosed amount of time. (Metrolinx)<\/p>\n
The TTC confirmed a phased start to service on Line 5 earlier this week \u2014 and that it would be free of charge on its first official day.<\/p>\n
The phased rollout means service will be on a limited schedule for an undisclosed amount of time, running from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sundays.\u00a0Trains will eventually go until 1:30 a.m. when the line runs at full service.<\/p>\n
Some fun was also brewing along the line as the first trains headed back in the opposite direction. <\/p>\n
The Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad was onboard \u2014 the misspelling is intentional \u2014 entertaining riders with an assortment of music, featuring a kazoo.<\/p>\n
![\"Half](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770583151_246_default.jpg\")
The Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad played on board the inaugural Eglinton Crosstown train from Kennedy to Mount Dennis\u2014 complete with kazoo, flute and drum. (Paul Smith\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Flautist Keting Trinh said the ride was smoother than she\u2019d expected, but that she was still weary due to the problems on Line 6.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLike, you know, it\u2019s TTC, can\u2019t expect much,\u201d she said, adding she\u2019s worried it\u2019ll be faster to take a car or bus, instead of the over-ground portions of the train.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always the what if, like what could go wrong. But I have high hopes for this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The soft launch means the TTC didn’t have free merchandise for first day riders. So Chris Drew took matters into his own hands and made buttons to give out to commuters on the inaugural Kennedy train. <\/p>\n
One button even had a throwback reference to the short-lived Transit City plan. <\/p>\n
A look back at the project\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2007, then-Toronto mayor David Miller introduced the infamous Transit City plan, an ambitious idea to create a network of seven LRT lines in the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Light-rail](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770583151_152_default.jpg\")
The first day has already had a few bumps, as a mechanical issue at O’Connor Station struck just 30 minutes into the launch. Thankfully, service resumed just minutes later. (Laura Proctor\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n