Toronto residents waiting for the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will have to wait a little longer. Mayor Olivia Chow has confirmed that a significant project update will not be delivered until late January 2025, dashing hopes for a pre-2025 opening.
Mayor Chow Delivers the News
Speaking with reporters at Toronto City Hall on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, Mayor Olivia Chow addressed the ongoing delays plaguing the massive transit project. She explicitly stated that the public and city officials should not expect the line to open before the promised update arrives at the end of next month.
This announcement adds another chapter to the protracted saga of the Crosstown line, which has faced numerous setbacks and missed deadlines during its construction. The 19-kilometre light rail line, running across Eglinton Avenue from Mount Dennis to Kennedy Station, represents one of the largest transit infrastructure projects in Toronto's history.
The Long Wait for Completion
The project, led by provincial agency Metrolinx, has been in the works for over a decade, with initial construction beginning in the summer of 2011. The line was originally slated to open in 2020, but that deadline has been pushed back multiple times due to a variety of construction and technical challenges.
Mayor Chow's latest timeline indicates that no opening is possible before the late-January update, suggesting that further delays are almost a certainty. The city and its transit riders are now left in a holding pattern, awaiting the detailed report expected in approximately six weeks.
Implications for Toronto Commuters
The continued postponement of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT has significant repercussions for daily life in Canada's largest city. The line is designed to provide a rapid east-west transit link, alleviating pressure on the busy Bloor-Danforth subway line and surface routes along Eglinton Avenue.
Businesses along the construction corridor, which have endured years of disruption, are also anxiously awaiting a firm opening date to benefit from increased foot traffic. The mayor's announcement confirms that the wait—and the associated construction impacts—will extend well into the new year.
All eyes will now be on late January 2025 for the promised update from Mayor Chow and Metrolinx, which will hopefully provide a clear and final path to opening the much-anticipated transit line.
