Three different Ontario LRT lines are now in major trouble

With still no opening date after 13 long and messy years of construction, the Crosstown Eglinton LRT may go down in history as Ontario’s most delayed and seemingly cursed transit project. But, two other LRTs from Metrolinx are gunning for the title, both of them facing major new issues as of this month.

The Province just announced the completion of all stations and stops along the 18-stop Finch West LRT in September, saying testing would continue ahead of a still-unconfirmed opening date that the public assumed would be in the very near future.

But, it may still be a while before anyone gets to ride the route, as the construction consortium behind it is now taking the provincial government and the transit agency to court for alleged breach of contract — something Mosaic Transit Partners says has caused “growing dysfunction, expensive delays and ballooning costs.”

As that litigation plays out, it’s been revealed that another big Metrolinx project is likewise facing some debilitating problems that could hamper its debut.

The group of companies building the Hazel McCallion Line (formerly the Hurontario LRT) has recently had its credit rating downgraded as it is placed on CreditWatch Negative.

Financial market analytics firm S&P Global writes that the change was necessary to “reflect increased schedule pressure amid newly reported delays and uncertainties with the timing of pending relief claims” and that “since June 2024, the project has reported an additional three-and-half-month delay.”

This means that there is doubt that the consortium, Mobilinx, will be able to meet creditor deadlines. The report from S&P details “special track procurement and track tolerance issues,” last-minute redesigns and other setbacks, including the discovery of major complications with already-installed segments of the line.

“The CreditWatch placement reflects that we could lower the rating if Mobilinx reports further delays such that we view the senior lenders’ long-stop date is at risk or if it does not receive interim schedule relief and extension to the longstop date in the next few months,” it continues.

These developments don’t even mark the first legal regarding Ontario LRTs, either: the group tasked with creating the Crosstown also sued the provincial government for $134 million in unanticipated costs related to the pandemic, while Metrolinx and the City of Toronto are in conflict over who is responsible for building a future link between the Eglinton East LRT and the Scarborough Subway Extension.