TTC Line 5 - Eglinton LRT
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After YEARS of construction, delays, false promises and lost hope, Line 5: Eglinton is finally open!
TTC Flexity Freedom LRV leaving Underground PortionTable of Contents
- Line 5 Overview
- 2010s: The Brutal Construction
- 2020s: The Legendary Delays
- 2026: At Last, The Grand Opening
The Eglinton LRT
The Eglinton LRT (Light Rail Transit) is a much-anticipated line that runs across Toronto from Kennedy to Mount Dennis through Midtown. By providing another East / West transit line for Toronto, it provides some much-needed redundancy and relief for the congested Line 2: Bloor-Danforth .
TTC 6264 & 6212 (Flexity Freedom): @ Victoria Park Ave Towards Kennedy StationThe Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) used on Line 5 are identical to the ones used on the GRT ION in Kitchener/Waterloo . The only difference is the GRT ION has operator cabs on both ends allowing them to switch directions, whereas the ones on Eglinton only have one cab thus they chain them opposite to each other.
TTC 6260 & 6262 (Flexity Freedom) Chained Together Outdoors
GRT ION 510B (Flexity Freedom) at Fairway Station in a SnowstormWhen I first started studying at the University of Waterloo in 2023, I called the ION a glorified TTC Streetcar. Now I call the Eglinton LRT a worse version of the ION. So I guess by logical implication, Line 5: Eglinton is equivalent to a streetcar — checks out especially given that this line launched without signal priority.
The Wreckage Era
Construction of the Eglinton LRT dates back to 2011 with tunneling beginning in 2013 . During this time, Mayor Rob Ford infamously pushed for the construction of more subways instead of “glorified” streetcar LRTs, as they occupy valuable road space and are slow. Looking back at it now, Ford might’ve been right.
Construction Near Don Mills RdWith construction underway, this era of wreckage would last for almost an entire decade. Throughout the years, numerous businesses along the Eglinton corridor have closed due to lower foot traffic , and non-stop patch updates to the Kennedy Station bus platforms caused confusion and inconvenience for commuters. Eglinton Ave underwent some major road widening to accommodate the new dedicated right of way for the LRT, and the identity of Eglinton as a whole was never the same.
Construction @ Eglinton Ave / Yonge St in Midtown
Track Construction @ Eglinton Ave E / Hakimi Ave in Scarborough
Aerial View of Kennedy Station Bus Platform Construction
Former Kennedy Station Mural EntranceUpdate 1 of Many: Please Keep Your Transit On
Initially slated to open in 2020 , the Eglinton LRT had to undergo numerous fixes and patch updates (delays). These delays included software bugs to the transit signalling system, incorrect and misaligned tracks, legal disputes, and disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic . It really was a masterclass at how to mess up a transit project.
Cedarvale Station (formerly Eglinton West) Complete but Fenced Off in 2025In 2023, Metrolinx announced that there were several defects with the initial construction of the line, 260 to be exact . This included a segment of misaligned tracks that could cause derailments, which is not only concerning, but baffling that such mistakes were allowed.
Completed but Closed Eglinton LRT @ Eglinton Ave E / Rosemount Dr in ScarboroughI guess Metrolinx really did take a page out of OC Transpo’s book with their Line 1: O-Train LRT experiencing derailments not long after opening .
OC Transpo 1105 (Alstom Citadis Spirit ) Line 1: O-Train Heading to Hurdman Station from Tremblay Station Sure the COVID-19 global pandemic was going to delay the opening of Eglinton and stuff happens. But what really annoyed me was seeing workers, instead of actively working on addressing the issues, planting grass on the tracks during the Summer of 2022. This is peak construction season to get progress done, and instead they’re planting fucking grass.
Grass Being Planted at Golden Mile Welcome to transit projects in North America.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel (finally)
Doubtful of even opening, Line 5: Eglinton finally opened on Sunday, February 8, 2026 .
TTC 6210 & 6224 (Flexity Freedom): @ Victoria Park AveWhat immediately caught my eye was the stark contrast between the old and new portions of Kennedy and Eglinton Stations. It’s like night and day, you wouldn’t believe that they’re part of the same station.
Old vs New Portions of Cedarvale Station (formerly Eglinton West) 
New Line 5 Portion of Kennedy Station
Old Line 2 Portion of Kennedy StationThe artworks are also nice and add some much-needed new visuals to the otherwise old and rotting subway system. The concourses are super open, white, and… just hollow. They definitely share some parallels with the O-Train stations in Ottawa.
New Pedestrian Walkway Corridor at Kennedy Station
Laird Station Platform
Line 5 Concourse at Cedarvale Station
Concourse at OC Transpo Parliament Station 
OC Transpo St-Laurent Station Platform
OC Transpo Tunney’s Pasture StationThe ride itself is pretty smooth and functions well compared to Line 6: Finch West LRT and the O-Train in Ottawa — which really aren’t high standards. The addition of Line 5: Eglinton provides a much-needed reliable alternative to Line 2: Bloor-Danforth, albeit significantly slower, which makes me believe that this should’ve just been a subway to begin with. Maybe Rob Ford was right. The tunnels are there, the stations and platforms are definitely capable of accommodating subways, and it probably would’ve cost the same and taken the same amount of time to build anyway.
Mount Pleasant Station PlatformLine 5: Eglinton is going to be a heavily used transit line with growing ridership. Sooner or later, the Flexity Freedom LRVs and their limited capacity will become a bottleneck.
Closing
And that’s it, thanks for reading! I really had to force myself to get to writing this.
Email: gu.rongbin99@gmail.com
Last modified: 2026/04/10 by Rongbin Gu