As Toronto awaits news on an opening date of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, construction crews are tearing up a new station platform. Nick Westoll has more on why Metrolinx staff say it's being done and the calls for accountability.
Here are the biggest differences between the Eglinton project and Finch West: the consortium building Finch West does not include SNC-Lavalin, and the vehicles came from Alstom, not Bombardier. Digging up the platform is not surprising: issues of potential derailments elsewhere on the line were highlighted by a former senior executive from the TTC who works on the Eglinton project (his quote was: "I wouldn't ride that thing, it'll derail in it's first year") and engineers raised concerns about potential flooding/snow accumulation on the "green" at-grade section, because there's no proper drainage. This was a big issue between Victoria Park and Leslie, where the line takes several dips. The "good news" is that taxpayers aren't immediately on the hook: it costs Crosslinx a monthly penalty in the millions to not have the line completed in time, and to fix its construction problems. The bad news is, SNC-Lavalin will again seek, and get, federal government support. The political groups that make up the organization that Crosslinx reports to (which include Metrolinx) are not doing enough to get the project completed faster, but it's also not entirely their fault. Crosslinx merely sees them as a bank account, for which they're rapidly losing interest on their future savings. So yeah: Finch West will open sooner, likely be safer, and without much future taxpayer liability.
Honestly there's got be some major corruption in the fiasco or Canada has some of the worst construction workers globally. How come other countries can build a functional subway in a tenth of the time.
@@GH-mb4kd doesn't surprise me, my parents bought a condo, 3 years of delays and they finally got their condo and it's a joke, alert falling apart, no sound protection, hear every step. I couldn't believe it, I felt so bad for them. Is there a reason it's happening? Lack of Canadians in the industry or just cheaper ?
@@GH-mb4kd the crosstown is literally built by the main Canadian engineering giants. Those engineering firms thought the Crosstown was such a mess that they didn’t want to be involved in future projects, so the conservatives have outsourced future construction projects to various foreign firms and Iraq war contractors and assorted profiteers. But the Crosstown is a Canadian project. You’re just making up stuff if you suggest otherwise.
All these delays yet those in charge have been giving themselves big bonuses and pay raises ever since the pandemic began. I thought bonuses were supposed to be rewards for productivity and efficiency, not a lack of it. Corruption is afoot it seems.
Here in Montreal it take 7 years and $500 millions to do similar project....was done last years ...surprise they have to close again for another 5 years for the metro line
The NDP rep throws blame at "private contractors", but government employees didn't prevent the mistake being made in the construction. Also, it is on government to write contracts specifying quality standards and penalties to sub-contractors who don't meet these standards. Why didn't they do that?
The general idea is that the last few governments have worshipped private industry, thinking that every problem was best solved by just getting private industry to do it. People are now beginning to realize that if you outsource everything, then government no longer has the expertise to manage these projects any more, and the private industry consultants will rip you off big time to do the management for you. Even private industry is unhappy with this whole project too due to the poor profit margins. Unfortunately, the current government is doubling down on this approach of outsourcing construction with complicated contracts and complicated oversight, even though the emerging consensus is that the government should just build these sorts of things themselves instead of thinking that there’s some magical outsourcing solution.
City Transportation is not directing the Crosstown project and has no influence over its progress. You didn't mention the provincial Conservative government which has instructed Metrolinx not to publicly issue project status reports.
The head of Metrolinx is a Conservative toady who gives Doug Ford political cover whenever something bad happens with transit, so the Conservatives like keeping him around.
OR--- rather than "cheaping-out" which they always do in Toronto.....the entire line should have been UNDERGROUND!!! These fools have NEVER learned over decades!! Yes---more $$$ up-front----but it WILL pay for itself in the long run. Case in point...ripping-up the stop at Sloane Ave. today!! WOW....just WOW!!!
OMG, it is still not open. I worked for crosslinx transit solutions in the IT area in 2021. basically, I did nothing valuable and learned nothing worthwhile in the 6 month period.
