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Eglinton Crosstown’s First Week Brings Faster Trips, With Surface Delays and Accessibility Gaps

Early operations are being tested in a phased rollout ahead of longer hours plus signal‑priority upgrades.

Overview

  • Line 5 opened Feb. 8 and entered weekday service with reduced hours, delivering end‑to‑end trips around 55 minutes that match TTC projections versus bus times that can exceed 100 minutes.
  • CityNews clocked a 55‑minute westbound train from Kennedy to Mount Dennis during the first weekday, while a same‑time car trip took 47 minutes, highlighting remaining optimization needs.
  • Surface segments remain slower because trains lack priority at intersections; council has voted to fast‑track transit signal priority, and tunnel speeds are temporarily capped at 60 km/h before a planned increase to 80 km/h.
  • Riders and advocates flagged accessibility issues including out‑of‑service elevators at Mount Dennis, Avenue and Eglinton, plus a blocked Don Valley station elevator tied to Ontario Line work with no timeline provided for restoration.
  • Bell activated open‑access LTE/5G across nearly all stations and tunnels, offering 5G+ at most locations except Laird, Science Centre and Kennedy.