From broken promises to opening day: After nearly 15 years, Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown is finally opening

For the last two and a half years, I've commuted from out of town to the corner of Yonge and Eglinton and have watched as the construction fences slowly but surely disappeared, the giant holes in the road covered over and the corner become free of all signs of construction. It's felt like 'any day' for over a year. And now, with provincial leaders and transit officials indicating a February 8, 2026 launch is likely (although the TTC has not officially confirmed the date), Torontonians are finally seeing the finish line they’ve been waiting for.

A long road to opening

The Crosstown’s roots go back almost two decades before its expected opening. It was first unveiled on March 16, 2007 as part of former mayor David Miller’s Transit City plan, a vision for seven light‑rail lines across Toronto that included what would become the Eglinton Crosstown. The idea was to reshape transit in midtown Toronto by linking the west and east ends of the city with a rapid rail line replacing sluggish buses.

After years of planning, funding negotiations and revised designs, preliminary construction work began in 2011 under the provincial Liberal government, following a May 2010 notice to proceed that set the wheels in motion. Planners envisioned the 19‑kilometre, 25‑station line entering service in 2020, but that date slipped repeatedly as legal issues, technical setbacks and the COVID‑19 pandemic added years to a project that has become one of Toronto’s most talked-about infrastructure efforts.

The province recently declared “substantial completion” after independent engineers verified the line was built as designed. That cleared the way for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to take full operational control and finish testing and training before riders step on board.

Premier Doug Ford, reflecting on the project, summed it up plainly while acknowledging the delays: “Thank God it’s opening ... it’s been a nightmare for all of us I’m first to admit, but it’s going to be incredible,” he said at a press conference.

Years of delays, rising costs and community strain

I moved just as ground was breaking, far away from the Eglinton corridor. But for almost 15 years, people still living and working along Eglinton have had to deal with noise, fences blocking sidewalks, rerouted streets and the kind of daily friction that wears you down. That kind of disruption tests your patience and changes how people live and spend their money.

For many in the area, buying a home near the planned line was an investment bet on better transit and, ultimately, stronger property values. Research looking at average single-family home prices along the Crosstown route found that during construction, the average price was about 34% higher than at the project’s announcement phase, climbing roughly from $805,000 to $1.08 million (2). The broader Toronto market also saw growth, but homes closer to the transit corridor tended to be pricier than the city average.

Other studies of the GTA market show a clear pattern: Properties within walking distance of rapid transit often command a premium compared with similar homes farther away, with increases ranging from 3% up to 40% within about a kilometre of stations (3). People may have bought or stayed in the area holding out for those gains, banking on the promise that better transit would mean a better return on their biggest financial asset.