While TTC Chair Jamaal Myers previously hinted that June 1 would be the “earliest possible date” for the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, it looks like Torontonians will have to wait a few months longer.

More than a decade after construction began on the beleaguered line, anonymous sources have confirmed with local media that the long-awaited transit project will likely welcome transit riders this September 2025 — barring any further delays.

One source told the Star that they wouldn’t be shocked “if there’s an eleventh-hour problem,” given the recent history on how construction and testing have progressed. The 25-station 19-km transit line was supposed to open in 2020, but technical problems and cost overruns have delayed its opening.

In September, Metrolinx announced that it had been holding detailed Operational Readiness Control Room meetings to ensure the LRT’s proper alignment across all business units and with the TTC. In these meetings, teams collaborated to identify opportunities to condense timescales for the project and address emerging challenges.

They’ve also been hosting readiness testing through “Day-In-The-Life tabletop exercises”, which involves team members simulating a day-in-the-life of operating the LRT. As we previously reported, it appears that the agency wants to iron out all the kinks to avoid a premature opening, perhaps to prevent it from turning into a disaster like the Ottawa LRT system.

Ottawa’s $2.1-billion Confederation Line has been plagued with problems, like premature wear and tear of the LRT’s wheel assemblies, problems running during ice storms, persistent water leaking, delays, etc. At one point, the city ran without LRT service for nearly 2 months in the fall of 2021 — so perhaps the extra caution that Metrolinx is taking has some merit?