Good morning. Fourteen years and $13-billion later, Toronto’s infamous Eglinton Crosstown line still hasn’t opened yet – more on that below, along with the Bank of Canada’s rate cut and Mark Carney’s dinner with Donald Trump. But first:
Today’s headlines
- The Blue Jays are one win away from World Series victory after beating the Dodgers 6-1 in Game 5
- The Finance Minister hints job cuts are to come in the federal budget, alarming union leaders
- Trump and Xi agree to pause their trade war
- Trump orders the Pentagon to resume testing nuclear weapons
Torontonians wait for a bus on Eglinton while a Crosstown test vehicle goes past.GABRIEL HUTCHINSON/The Globe and Mail
Transit
The Crosstown’s troubled timeline
The original plans for rapid transit across midtown Toronto are older than any current player on the Blue Jays team. (Well, okay: They’re about as old as Max Scherzer.) Back in the mid-80s, the city proposed a dedicated bus lane along Eglinton Avenue West, then transformed the project into a subway line, which broke ground in August of 1994. The next summer, however, Mike Harris took over as Ontario premier and abruptly cancelled the work – even though excavation had already started, with more than $80-million spent.
That’s been the pattern for the $13-billion Eglinton Crosstown, an almost comically over-budget light-rail line that has taken 14 years to construct and is not actually open yet. In his comprehensive new report on the transit boondoggle, The Globe’s Jeff Gray finds a variety of culprits, including (but very much not limited to) poorly laid plans, changing political leaders, a global pandemic and a public-private partnership (or P3) model that’s largely fallen from favour. In order to turn the Crosstown into a P3, Ontario stripped control from the Toronto Transit Commission and handed it to Metrolinx, a provincial agency with little track record of building anything.
Metrolinx now says it’s possible Crosstown vehicles will start running next month – but not everywhere, and not all at once, and I promise you no one in Toronto is holding their breath. Here’s why we’ve learned better.
2007: A new (old) plan for midtown
Mayor David Miller and the TTC unveil their much-hyped, light-rail Transit City project, which includes an Eglinton Crosstown line all the way from Kennedy Road in the east to Pearson airport in the west. The work has an initial cost estimate of $2.2-billion.
2008: Toronto loses control
Metrolinx assumes more power over the project and begins pushing for changes, including putting the whole line underground or running it on stilts instead.
2009: Ontario ponies up
Premier Dalton McGuinty, who had agreed to cover two-thirds of the Crosstown’s costs, realizes Ottawa won’t be kicking in the rest. He pledges to foot the entire bill, which has swelled to $4.6-billion for a 31-kilometre, partially tunnelled line expected to be completed in 2016.
March, 2010: Ontario reneges
Citing the fallout of the Great Recession, McGuinty chops his promised billions in half. The TTC and Metrolinx shorten the Crosstown’s ambitions (to 19 kilometres) and lengthen its timeline (to 2020).
Dalton McGuinty in 2007, before he slashed provincial funding for the Crosstown.AARON HARRIS/The Canadian Press
December, 2010: Enter Rob Ford
Having run for mayor on a “Subways! Subways! Subways!” platform, Ford scraps Transit City on his first day in office. He vows to bury the entire Eglinton line, adding billions to the price tag.
2011: Construction starts
Work gets underway near Black Creek Drive at the line’s western end.
2012: A change of plans
Toronto City Council overrules Ford to revive the Crosstown and two other cancelled light-rail lines. Metrolinx sidelines the TTC and takes over completely, handing the whole project to the private sector. Tens of millions of dollars in design and engineering work are summarily tossed out, jeopardizing the promised 2020 completion date.
2013: Tunnelling begins
A boring machine lowered by Black Creek Drive starts digging east.
2015: We have a deal
Metrolinx inks a $9.1-billion contract with the private consortium Crosslinx to design, construct and maintain the line and its 25 stations. The Crosstown’s opening date is pushed to 2021.
2016: We have a delay
Bombardier, which had been awarded $770-million to build light-rail vehicles for Toronto, fails to deliver the first of them on time. Metrolinx files a formal notice of intent to cancel the contract.
2017: We have an injunction
An Ontario judge blocks Metrolinx’s ability to nix its contract with Bombardier, though the agency signs a $528-million deal with a rival manufacturer for dozens of vehicles, just in case.
Work on the Mount Dennis station in Toronto's west end in 2018.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
2018: We have a lawsuit
Crosslink sues Metrolinx over project delays, blaming the sluggish pace of government approvals and utility work. The agency forks over $237-million to settle the fight.
2020: We have another lawsuit
This time, Crosslinx accuses Metrolinx of breaching their contract by refusing to recognize the pandemic as an emergency, and this time, the agency shells out $325-million. The Crosstown’s opening date is pushed to 2023.
2023: Ha!
Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney says there is “no credible schedule” to complete the Eglinton line. Also, it will now cost $13-billion.
June, 2025: A new date is set
Metrolinx announces test runs are ready to begin on the Crosstown. Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggests the line could open in September.
September: Ha!
Metrolinx confirms the test runs revealed problems with the vehicles’ reliability, which is never great to hear, but especially not five years after a project is meant to be complete. No official opening date has yet been given. At least we have the Jays.
The Shot
‘I had very good conversation with all the presidents.’
What a warm toast between Trump and Carney.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney found himself across the dinner table from Donald Trump at a South Korean summit yesterday – a bit of an awkward spot, given the U.S. President’s continued fury over Ontario’s Reagan-quoting, anti-tariff ad. Read more about the encounter here.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: The Bank of Canada trimmed its benchmark interest rate to 2.25 per cent – but signalled the cuts may be over for the foreseeable future.
Abroad: Human-rights advocates are urging Canada to take stronger action on Sudan as the fighting continues and civilian massacres in Darfur escalate.
At school: Roughly 50,000 teachers and 750,000 students headed back to their classrooms yesterday after Alberta ordered an end to the three-week strike.
At work: It’s getting chilly out there, so The Globe rounded up two dozen stylish pieces to wear to the office this fall.
At fault: A Paris prosecutor says two suspects in the Louvre heist have admitted their involvement, but police are no closer to recovering the jewels.
At last: Baseball is having its first truly international World Series, Cathal Kelly writes.