Eglinton Crosstown: Surface Section

Tracks at Leslie St. on the intersection

The track installation along Eglinton East is nearing completion at all intersections. The process of adding transit priority signals, signage and the Overhead Catenary System (OCS ) to power the trains is underway. OCS poles, crossovers and the last couple of kilometres of track are being installed. It appears that the only centre track on the surface will be just east of Sloane Station and will feature a small platform, likely for operators' use only.

The Portals

The sections where trains go in and out of tunnels are called portals. The Brentcliffe Portal just west of Leslie St. is progressing well with permanent concrete walls and barriers nearing completion. It appears that dirt has also been laid and should be ready for plants by late spring or the summer of 2021. The next steps for the Brentcliffe Portal are planting flowers and grasses, and adding tracks, signals and overhead wires. Trackwork, wiring and signalling need to be completed at both east and west Don Mills Portals.

The Stops

O'conner Stop looking west

The concrete stop platforms have been paved at almost every station and installation of the modular platform shelters has started. Some the shelters still need glass windows and barriers along the edge. All stops along the surface section have identical shelters except for Sloane as it's the only island platform stop, which will have a slightly modified design.

The design of the stop shelters is a little disappointing because all the underground stations feature massive open-concept glass station boxes while the shelters don't cover the full length of the platform. The design would be better if the shelters were placed side by side for the length of two LRV's. The ramps to the platforms are, as far as I can tell, quite easy to go up if walking is difficult for you or you are in a wheelchair (keep in mind I'm am saying this as someone who can walk with ease and am judging by appearance). All the surface stops will have ramps to the platform with some, if not all, stops having two smaller ramps instead of one long steep ramp.

Surface transit is great! It looks nice on the street and being in a tunnel for half an hour can be quite boring. However, the Crosstown could have done a better job providing protection against rain and snow on the platforms. The priority signalling at intersections could also be improved by letting the red lights turn green as a train approaches. These problems can be changed in the future. Although there are definitely some problems, there are also some good design elements but we won't really know the functionality of these stops until 2022.

What does the future hold for the stop designs?

It would be cool to see changes to the surface stops after the opening of the Crosstown such as lining the full platform with shelters. This would not be to hard as the shelters are modular. Art in the shelters, maybe by local artists, could also be added to make a more pleasing appearance. And the cherry on top for the LRT stops could be a cooling and heating system for those really hot and really cold days!

Let me know if you have different information about the construction of the Crosstown, please share. I'm always open to learning more about transit!