February 8 marks a potential milestone for Toronto’s transit system, though the TTC has not confirmed an opening date for the Line 5 Eglinton LRT. Transit specialists and advocates emphasize the need for clear details on operations to ensure a seamless launch, unlike the initial troubles on Line 6 Finch West, which faced slow speeds and mechanical glitches.
TTC Board Chair Hints at Possible Surprises Ahead
The TTC, responsible for running the line, remains silent on initiatives to boost travel efficiency. Metrolinx, overseeing design and construction, reports thorough testing. Experts warn that unresolved challenges from Line 6 could resurface on the 19-kilometer Eglinton route.
Issue 1: Achieving Optimal Speeds
Trains must match car speeds to rival driving and draw passengers. Line 6 falls short, with end-to-end trips on its 10.3-kilometer stretch taking nearly an hour—recently outpaced by a pedestrian by 18 minutes. The line caps at 60 km/h, dropping to 25 km/h near intersections and stops, a limit set by TTC, city, and Metrolinx officials.
TTC spokesperson Stuart Green indicates speed details for Line 5 will emerge post-opening announcement. Transit consultant Reece Martin calls intersection speed curbs on LRTs arbitrary. “What we should expect is that light-rail vehicles can go as fast as cars,” Martin states. “If it’s safe for a car to be flying through an intersection at 50 km/h, it should be safe for a train.”
Beyond limits, other factors influence times, including stops at signals.
Issue 2: Enhancing Signal Priority
On Line 5’s nine-kilometer surface section from east of Laird to Kennedy, frequent red lights could delay commutes. Line 6 experienced this, prompting Metrolinx to urge the city for better signal priority—green lights favoring LRTs over vehicles.
Jonathan English, transit consultant and co-founder of Infrastory Insights, stresses refining this system. “This is a technology that is effectively implemented all over the world. You don’t have to go far. If you go to Waterloo and ride the LRT in Waterloo, it almost never stops at red lights,” English explains.
City council approved aggressive signal priority for Lines 5 and 6 in December. Green confirms ongoing work with city involvement but offers no timeline for implementation or opening-day status. Notably, over half of Line 5 runs underground, avoiding surface signal issues.
Issue 3: Reliable Switch Operations
Metrolinx handles switches, which guide trains between tracks and caused Line 6 delays. Focus falls on heating systems to clear ice and snow. Line 5 employs electric and gas heating, but experts prioritize timely activation.
English underscores preemptive heating without excess. Martin will monitor early operations for switch failures as a warning sign. TTC Riders campaign manager August Puranauth expresses deep worries over repeats, given shared contractors between lines.
Metrolinx’s Lyndsay Miller affirms rigorous testing of switch heaters.
Setting Realistic Expectations
Premier Doug Ford dismissed Line 6 concerns last month, noting initial glitches are common. Yet Martin rejects lowered standards. “This idea that, you know, there’s going to be tons of problems, it’s sort of asking people to lower their expectations. They wouldn’t do that in Seoul or London or Paris. We shouldn’t in Toronto,” he argues. Winter poses no excuse in Canada, he adds.
Line 6 logged 350 delays in December. Advocates hope Line 5 launches without such hurdles, pending an official date.
