Metrolinx CEO sheds light on reasons for Eglinton LRT delays

Thestar.ca
April 28, 2023

For the first time in months, the head of the provincial transit agency in charge of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT has provided some details about the setbacks hindering the completion of the much-delayed multibillion-dollar project.

At an announcement Thursday about an unrelated transit project, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster spoke about the magnitude of delays the Eglinton light rail line is facing, now in its 12th year of construction, three years past its due date.

“There are 260 nonconformances -- quality issues -- that must be rectified,” Verster said. “We are using every lever and every remedy … to get our contractor (Crosslinx Transit Solutions) to deliver on time.”

However, he added, it shouldn’t be at the expense of safety and quality.

Eglinton LRT quality issues include track problems
Crosslinx Transit Solutions (CTS) is the consortium of companies that are responsible for the construction of the troubled 19-kilometre light rail line, which has been also been the subject of legal battles between the provincial transit agency and CTS.

Verster said the biggest quality issue lies in the track work, which was initially completed in 2021, but upon inspection, was found to be outside Metrolinx’s specifications. “The degree of accuracy we’re talking about is literally millimetres,” he said, explaining that even a small error could have large implications, like train derailment.

“Despite our urging and our guidance, (this is) only being rectified now. And it’ll have a two-month impact, at least, on the completion date.”

When that day may be is still uncertain according to Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney, who was at the same event on Thursday.

“I would love to be able to provide a date, but that is contingent upon CTS delivering a credible schedule to Metrolinx,” she said. “As of yet, CTS hasn’t been able to do that.”

CTS didn’t respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

Delays in construction mean delays in training TTC staff
Verster emphasized this also has an impact on TTC operators, who can’t begin training until the system is fully ready. As of now, he said only 50 per cent of required testing has been completed.

“As a government and as an agency, we can guide, we can advise, but in the end, the decisions are made by the contractors,” Verster said, adding that the cost of delays and the hundreds of quality control issues are coming at expense of CTS. “We are withholding substantial payments against the completion of the project.”

Doug Ford said he’s frustrated by Eglinton LRT delays
Verster wasn’t the only one expressing exasperation. When pressed on the Crosstown delays in Scarborough on Thursday, Premier Doug Ford said he’s frustrated because the project has “been taking way too long.” Still, he said the LRT won’t open till it’s “100 per cent safe.”

“I'm not going to pull a Mayor (Jim) Watson in Ottawa, pushing it forward, derailing the LRT in Ottawa, making a total mess of it,” Ford said, referring to the troubled transit line in the capital that was subject of a public inquiry.

“Am I on Metrolinx like an 800-pound gorilla? I can assure you I am.”

Ford stressed that the LRT extension in the west is “four weeks ahead of schedule,” and that other transit projects are “moving fast and they’re moving furious.”

Scheduling, Verster said, is something that troubled the Crosstown from the start. “At the launch of a project, the contractor is not pressured on time because completion is years away and time is lost in the design process,” he said. “CTS’s initial designs were between nine and 18 months late in some cases.”

“Losing 18 months at the beginning of a project is never really recovered thereafter,” he said.

Metrolinx to issue contracts differently because of Eglinton LRT
The learning lesson for Metrolinx has been to issue contracts differently. Instead of projects being lumped into one big contract, Verster said Metrolinx will break them down into smaller parts, to reduce the scale of work and achieve a “higher degree of success.”

Still, the government doesn’t have doubts about their preference for the public-private partnership model, according to Mulroney, and these delays haven’t severed future ties with CTS.

“The four companies in CTS are good companies,” Verster said. “This is a contract which had a very negative outcome for us, but they’re performing well in some of our other projects.”

“My biggest concern is that … we get a safe transit system. We’re building infrastructure for the next 100 or 150 years and we’ve got to get it right.”