It’s usually hard to find good news about Toronto transit.
But the Feb. 8 opening of the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) was reason to celebrate, even if it took over 15 years of construction, including six years of delays.
The 19-kilometre Line 5 has the capacity to move 123,000 people a week. It can take you from Mount Dennis (near Weston Road) in the west to the Aga Khan Museum (beside the Don Valley Parkway) and on to shopping on Scarborough’s Golden Mile in under an hour.
The opening was much smoother than the Finch West line in December.
The Grind spoke with riders to hear their thoughts on the first months on the Eglinton LRT.
Frequent trains but tough changes to old bus routes
Travelling with her daughter at Keelesdale Station, Kerry says she likes the frequent trains. Trains on Line 5 arrive every 4 minutes during rush hour (6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) and 6 to 10 minutes outside of rush hour.
“I go to Keelesdale [Station], I go to Fairbank, Caledonia, just between that and Mount Dennis,” says Kerry. “I’m a PSW, so it’s easier to get around.”
“It’s good for now.”
However, service changes to old bus routes have made life more difficult, according to Fernando, who was out with his relative Monqa.
At Keelesdale Station, the old 32C bus route that ran along Tretheway Drive up to Pine Street and Lawrence Avenue has been replaced by the new 158 bus, which extends to Knob Hill Drive via Weston Road. The longer route has affected reliability and made service worse for some, Fernando says.
“From all my friends that live on Tretheway, their lives have gotten a bit harder, because the 158 is very slow.”
Peak frequency for the 158 is once every 15 minutes, according to TTC schedules.
Accessibility issues?
Line 5’s underground stations are enormous, with many large, colourless corridors and grey staircases. Some stations have over 150 steps from the platform to street-level, which can be a barrier for those with mobility issues.
“It’ll suck if the elevators stop working, because [Monqa’s] legs are not the best,” Fernando says. “But everything is working fine [so far].”
Transit users will notice that the nice white floor tiles in stations get slippery when wet. The long, slightly inclined tunnel at Mount Dennis station connecting from the bus terminal, for example, gets especially slick on rainy or snowy days.
Train platforms can get colder than most subway stations in Toronto.
However, the train cars are clean — so far — with blue, green and yellow felt seats adding a bit of colour to the black and white exteriors.
A big improvement, but still slow above ground
Transit rider Mohid says that with more frequent and reliable trains, rush-hour crowds have been alleviated — or at the very least, it beats the crowded buses from Kennedy Station.
“Earlier when I was taking the bus, it used to be a 10-15 minute [wait],” Mohid says. “The buses used to be full — I would be standing basically every time. Now, because the frequency is really quick, it is basically empty in the morning.”
The above-ground portions, though, are still quite slow, says Mohid. “Every time, you have to wait for the traffic light. I was hoping that it might reduce my time to Eglinton from [Kennedy] — if I’m going to Walmart or somewhere — but I don’t think that will happen.”
He hopes that the proposed changes to transit signal priority will speed things up. The intersections near Wynford and Sloane stations and the entire Golden Mile stretch are particularly slow from car traffic.
After the troubles with the Finch West LRT line, the City of Toronto approved signal priority for Lines 5 and 6 at intersections. The first phase of the motion rolled out on March 10, meaning the Eglinton Line shouldn’t have to wait for cars to turn left before moving.
In the coming months, the city will also prioritize green lights at intersections, timing them to when trains arrive.
Another rider, Howard, was looking forward to the implementation of the signal priority and also higher speeds for the below-ground portions of the line. He has taken the line almost every day since it opened, going from Birchmount Station to Eglinton Station (at Yonge) and then taking Line 1 to Lawrence station. He says it’s been a smooth ride, already reducing his travel time by about 15 minutes.
“It could be a little bit faster,” Howard jokes. “But honestly, it’s been good. I’m happy with the ride.”
Public inquiry?
Howard also believes that a public inquiry should be “on the table.”
“The numerous delays, being so many years behind schedule, billions of taxpayer dollars over budget. That’s serious, right?” Howard says. “We should get some insight into that, because I don’t think there’s been enough transparency.”
Premier Doug Ford has said that there won’t be an open inquiry, saying it would “waste time.” And considering Metrolinx’s board of directors is appointed by the provincial government, a public inquiry isn’t likely.
“This was supposed to be finished back in 2020. Six years late, billions of dollars over budget — that can’t just be swept under the rug,” Howard says. “We need answers for that.”
This article appeared in the 2026 Apr/May issue.