Decades in the making, years delayed, the idea of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT actually opening next summer is very realistic even if it seems too hard to believe at this point. When it does, life along the route will change, and quickly. 

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT’s journey began in 1985, when plans for a busway along Eglinton Avenue West were first proposed. Over the years, the project evolved from a simple busway to an ambitious subway proposal in 1986, then to a light rail project in 2007 under Mayor David Miller’s “Transit City” plan. The project gained momentum when Premier Dalton McGuinty agreed to fund it in 2009, but Mayor Rob Ford cancelled the project in 2010, proposing a subway instead.

In 2011, work restarted on a revised version of the LRT, and in 2012, Toronto City Council reinstated the original LRT plan, with construction officially managed by Infrastructure Ontario. As tunnel boring machines began digging through 2013 and 2014, Eglinton Avenue was transformed into a construction zone, with road closures, detours and disruptions affecting residents and businesses.

A decade later, the pain is real, the anxiety is palpable, and even though the tracks and stations have long been completed, still there is nothing. Businesses have suffered, residents have suffered, but what’s coming could be both a blessing and a curse.

According to city councillor Josh Matlow,  a healthy dose of caution is warranted.

“There’s never any reason to believe any promises that Metrolinx or the provincial government make about the opening date of the LRT,” he said. “The TTC certainly is preparing for the possibility of it being ready to roll next June. And once it’s all operational, it will have a huge impact on our lives.”

The Crosstown LRT promises to ease congestion and improve transit, but for many, the long wait for its completion has been a challenging ordeal.

Stretching 19 kilometres from Mount Dennis in the west to Kennedy station in the east, the $12.8 billion light rail line has been billed as a transformative addition to the city’s transit network, promising reduced travel times and improved connections for tens of thousands of commuters.

However, the completion comes at a steep cost for businesses and residents who have endured more than a decade of construction chaos. Since work began in 2011, the corridor has been marked by street closures, traffic diversions and blocked storefronts, with the effects rippling through communities and businesses. For local businesses, the toll has been severe. Hundreds of businesses along Eglinton Avenue have closed due to construction. 

Although the completion of the LRT could bring renewed opportunities and increased traffic for businesses along the corridor, some worry the damage has been done. For those that survived, the question remains whether the influx of commuters will translate into economic recovery.

“The businesses that have been impacted will never get that back again. They’ve lost all those years,” said Maureen Sirois, of the Eglinton Way BIA, for a prior article.

The impacts of the Crosstown extend beyond businesses. Eglinton Avenue has long been one of Toronto’s busiest thoroughfares, and the construction disrupted traffic patterns. Residents commuting downtown or out of the city faced frequent lane reductions, detours and congestion, and pedestrians often struggled to navigate partially closed sidewalks.

Those in the Yonge and Eglinton area have been hit harder than others. And it might just keep going. Plans for a massive redevelopment at the Canada Square site at Yonge and Eglinton are set to bring another wave of construction to one of Toronto’s busiest intersections. The project, which includes office towers, commercial space and public amenities, is expected to reshape the area yet again. The addition of thousands of Crosstown riders transferring to Line 1 could exacerbate these issues, particularly during peak hours.

“Some people are concerned that it will bring more traffic onto the Yonge line from across Eglinton. But there could be another possibility where people just have more options to take different routes to get to work, to get to school and back home,” Matlow said. “But the more expansion we see to the rapid transit system, the better it will be for all of us.

Transit advocate Steve Munro warns of another problem. 

“I think that, if anything, the opening of the Crosstown will reduce traffic at Yonge-Eg because there will only be a handful of buses left compared to current operations,” Munro said. “Most routes now operating to Eglinton station won’t be there, and what remains will be less frequent.”

In addition to less frequent neighbourhood service, Munro says that local transit users will also have a much further hike to access the Crosstown. 

“For residents living between stops … the distance to a station will be longer than to existing bus stops, and service on the remaining surface bus will be much less frequent,” he added.

The Crosstown’s impending completion has also reignited debates about cycling infrastructure along Eglinton Avenue. Although some sections of the corridor already feature bike lanes around the Crosstown LRT stations, some argue that Eglinton is just too busy in some areas, especially near the Allen Expressway. 

As the Crosstown prepares to open its doors, communities along the route are hopeful for the benefits it promises while bracing for the long-lasting impacts of the changes it has already brought.