If desires are nourished by delays, then Torontonians will flock to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT when it opens.
Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster can't say when that will happen, however, despite recently promising a "range of dates" for when the transit line would start running.
Verster has a "very good understanding" of when the line will open based on a revised schedule from the Crosslinx Transit Solutions (CTS) construction consortium but "decided against" sharing that information with the public because he doesn't have an ironclad guarantee.
"We are right in the middle of a high-risk testing and commissioning phase," Verster said. "Issues are found and rectified every week and these issues affect the completion date every week."
For example, three weeks ago, CTS told Metrolinx it had to delay operator training because trains weren't available, Verster said.
"We will announce an opening date once the high-risk testing and commissioning work is completed but not before that. Any predictions of an opening date at this stage of the project will just be an estimate," he said.
As testing continues, the provincial transit agency will have a better idea of when the route can open.
Testing — and fixing the issues that arise — lies at the "heart" of the delay, Verster said.
In August, there were 260 "quality issues" in need of fixing including the line's tracking being millimetres off in certain places, risking derailments, Verster said at the time.
That number's down to about 220 but fluctuates as testing happens, according to Phil Taberner, vice president of the Crosstown project at Metrolinx.
But other milestones need crossing before go time.
Construction is about 98 per cent done — with just 400 metres of track left to complete — according to a briefing provided to reporters.
The bulk of the remaining work is at Yonge and Eglinton. CTS still needs to secure some occupancy permits from the City of Toronto, and crews need training.
CTS will provide Metrolinx with an updated work schedule on a monthly basis and Metrolinx will update the public every two months for however long it takes.
Just because Metrolinx is committed to rolling two-month updates doesn't mean the project will take significantly more time, Verster said.
"Every two months is a good cycle within which we can come back to you and tell you what progress has been made on key issues," he said. "I know it's tempting to try and interpret what I think the opening date is. I can just say to you, 'Give us some space.'"
With such an intense focus on the testing phase, Ontarians can expect the actual launch will be flawless and no additional problems will arise causing it to shut down, Verster said.
He even went so far as to stake his reputation on it.
On Wednesday, "we got confirmation that the Ford Conservative government does not know how to build transit," said NDP MPP Bhutila Karpoche, her party's critic for Greater Toronto Area issues.
"The Eglinton Crosstown LRT project is off the rails. This project is a complete disaster."
Liberal MPP Andrea Hazell, her party's transport critic, said she was looking forward to today's announcement and potentially getting an opening date to help relieve gridlock in Scarborough, but was let down.
The $13-billion project broke ground in 2011 and was expected to be in service by 2020 but has been delayed several times thanks to quality issues — plus legal battles between Metrolinx and the Crosslinx (CTS) consortium responsible for construction.
The 25-stop, 19-kilometre transit line will run from Etobicoke's future Mount Dennis station in the west, through midtown Toronto, to Scarborough's Kennedy Station in the east. It'll connect to dozens of existing TTC bus routes, four subway stations, GO routes, and the Union-Pearson Express.
Work has also started on an extension that would see the Eglinton LRT extend nine kilometres west of Mount Dennis into Mississauga.
In April, Verster and former transport minister Caroline Mulroney blamed the consortium — made up of SNC-Lavalin, EllisDon, AECON and Dragados — for the delays.
"I would love to be able to provide a (completion) date, but that is contingent upon CTS delivering a credible schedule to Metrolinx, and as of yet, CTS has not been able to do that," Mulroney said at the time.
There was trouble with the project from the start, Verster added at the same April announcement.
Some of the consortium's original designs were delivered up to 15 months late, which threatened the original 2020 opening date. On Wednesday, Verster said it added about a year to the project timeline.
Losing time "at the beginning of a project is never really recovered thereafter," Verster said.
The pandemic — and its effect on supply chains — didn't help either, Mulroney said. On Wednesday, Verster said it added about seven months to the project.
In August, however, Verster's tone changed and suggested brighter skies may be on the horizon.
"As we get closer to the end of summer, we'll be announcing what we think is the range of dates when we will have in service," Verster said on Aug. 10.
There had been "excellent progress" but noted more testing needed to happen to weed out additional issues.
-With files from Charlie Pinkerton
