Learning from Eglinton: How Ford government is managing transit expansion expectations
Global News
As the Ford government continues to struggle with public backlash from the Eglinton LRT, renewed efforts are going into keeping timelines for other projects vague and realistic.
As the Ford government continues to struggle with years-long delays to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, provincial staff are working to apply the brutal lessons of the project as quickly as possible to the suite of other new transit projects under construction across Toronto.
The Eglinton LRT has suffered a series of crippling delays as design issues, COVID-19, and several spats between the province and the consortium building the line have slowed it down.
The project was supposed to open in 2020 but has faced repeated delays and now does not even have an official opening date at all.
As it suffers through the public backlash of delays, speaking notes prepared for the minister specifically outline the difference between a project being built and being open for the public to use.
The completion date for projects is usually a year ahead of its in-service date, one source with knowledge explained to Global News.
Two different dates — completion and in-service — are referenced in Ministry of Transportation speaking notes about the Ontario Line obtained by Global News through freedom of information laws.
“The project is expected to be complete by 2031, though the final in-service schedule date will be determined once the winning bids on all major works packages are awarded,” one line in the documents advises the Minister of Transportation to say if asked about whether the Ontario Line will meet its 2029/30 completion date.
A spokesperson for the province said the two terms are not new.
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