Here’s what the new light-rail transit stations in Mississauga could look like

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Published August 9, 2023 at 10:57 am

Rendering of what the Renforth station could look like as part of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. (Image: Metrolinx)

Residents got an early look last week at what part of a massive new light-rail transit (LRT) route in east Mississauga might look like when it takes its first passengers in another eight years or so.

Project leaders in charge of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) revealed at an Aug. 2 open house early designs of the transit stations along the new line.

The ECWE is a 9.2-kilometre above ground/underground route that will further link east Mississauga with parts of west Toronto when it opens in 2030-31.

It will extend the Eglinton Crosstown LRT from Toronto west to Renforth Dr. in east Mississauga.

A proposal to extend the ECWE an additional 4.7 kilometres from Renforth Dr. to Pearson Airport in Mississauga is also being strongly considered.

Map shows future location of the Renforth Dr. ECWE station in Mississauga. (Image: Metrolinx)

Officials with Metrolinx, the provincial agency in charge of the massive transit project, are now seeking feedback from the public with respect to the early design concepts (see Twitter post below) presented last week.

The route’s westernmost station will be located at Renforth Dr. in Mississauga. Officials say it will serve as a transit hub, connecting to MiWay routes 7, 39, 100, 107 and 109, GO bus routes 19 and 40, and TTC routes 32 and 112.

“Construction began at the future station location in 2021 to build the launch site for the tunnel boring machines. Tunnelling began in April 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2024,” project leaders said in an online update.

The Aug. 2 open house also informed those in attendance about:

  • recent construction milestones
  • progress on tunnelling work
  • next steps for the project

One recent construction milestone can perhaps best be described as “connect the tunnels.”

Project leaders say an important part of the effort recently got underway as work crews are busy building nine “cross passages” that will connect the two huge east-west tunnels that will carry the passenger trains as they travel underground.

“Cross passages are small passageways that connect the eastbound and westbound tunnels. They’re used for maintenance and emergencies,” project leaders said in a recent online update.

Also, the second of the two tunnels being dug out for the ECWE route recently passed the halfway mark to being completed.

Project leaders said that less than 10 months after going into the ground last July to begin its work on the new LRT line, the second of two huge tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) reached the halfway point in its underground journey on April 28.

The first TBM, which began its duty in April 2022, reached its halfway mark of 3.15 kilometres in late February.

The TBMs travel eastward at a rate of 10 to 15 metres per day, officials say, putting completion of both tunnels on target for late this year or early 2024.

The new LRT line is expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by some 39,000 tonnes each year, project leaders say.

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