The TTC's latest operating budget offers a glimmer of hope for those waiting for the Finch LRT to finally open.
The 18-stop, 11-kilometer route, called Line 6, was originally slated to open in 2021, but that was pushed back to 2023. Now, the TTC budget estimates an August 2025 opening date, though a spokeswoman declined to say more.
Metrolinx will not confirm whether that is correct or the new opening date.
According to a statement from the provincial transit agency, while major construction has been completed at all stops and stations on Line 6, more work is ongoing.
“We continue to see progress in testing and commissioning work, a critical step in ensuring the line is safe and reliable for customers that will determine the opening date,” a spokeswoman said in an email.
Jane and Finch Action Against Poverty member Butterfly Gopal says some residents are getting tired.
“It's about a transit system that's slowly evolving to accommodate the growing population that we have, and especially these communities that are black, communities of color,” she told CBC Toronto in an interview.
Living in the middle of a construction zone over the years has been difficult for residents and business owners, Gopal said, comparing the situation to the overdue Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
“It's affecting people's livelihoods, their jobs, their schools — moving into the city, leaving our neighborhoods,” she said.
Despite the delay, some riders say they're excited for the change.
“When it opens it will be a smoother, smoother journey, less time, less hassle,” fourth-year Humber Polytechnic student Sarah Thompson said at the school's bus terminal.
“It will be a good contribution to the future generations of the region,” said Mahfuzul Chaudhary, standing at Finch West Station.
The uncertainty isn't sitting well with commuters, says Shelagh Pidgey-Allen, executive director of TTCRiders.
“People are frustrated with the lack of information and transparency from Metrolinks and indeed the provincial government that directs Metrolinks,” she said.
Completing that last mile of work may take longer than first anticipated. Consortium building Line 6 launched a court battle against Metrolinx last year, claiming the transit agency's contract with the TTC violated their contract.
In the lawsuit, Mosaic Transit Partners says the TTC is requesting too many changes that are contributing to rising project costs and extensive delays.
“It really shows how our model of building transit using public-private partnerships is not working, if there is no transparency for the public,” PJ-Allen said.
Last month, the Ontario government announced the completion of all Finch West LRT stations and stops. But as the CBC's Clara Passieka reports, legal issues in the final stretch of the project could now slow things down.
A Transport Ministry spokeswoman would not say whether Mosaic's legal action threatened to move the project forward.
“We continue to see progress in testing and commissioning work — which is critical to ensuring the line is safe and reliable for customers when it opens,” Dakota Brazier said in an email.
