Ontario may have to operate Eglinton Crosstown LRT due to Toronto’s finances, documents suggest
CTV
The Doug Ford government is facing the possibility of having to operate two major transit lines in Toronto if no further funding arrangements can be made.
The Doug Ford government is facing the possibility of having to operate two major transit lines in Toronto if no further funding arrangements can be made.
The suggestion was made in briefing notes presented to new Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria in June when he was assigned the cabinet position.
In the documents, obtained by CTV News Toronto in a freedom of information request, officials suggest that Toronto City Council is considering an “indefinite deferral” of the operation of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT (ECLRT) due to the city’s financial challenges.
“If there is not a new intergovernmental funding arrangement for transit, the province might have to consider different delivery options, including assuming operations of the ECLRT,” the documents read.
A similar suggestion was made for the Finch West LRT, with the province acknowledging the city has said it would consider a deferral of operations “pending any new funding arrangement or fiscal framework with the province.”
As part of a 2021 agreement between the city and the province, Toronto is expected to cover operating and maintenance costs for the Eglinton Crosstown and the Finch West LRTs. The province would be responsible for “lifecycle maintenance costs” associated with the project.
Taking on the financial operating costs of these rail lines is a big ask. The TTC budgeted $60 million in operating money for the Eglinton Crosstown this year. With the delay in the line’s opening, the city said in August that it would use the 2023 funding to return TTC bus service to 99 per cent of its pre-pandemic levels.
