VIDEO: LRT trains will run above busy highway near Square One in Mississauga

The $4.6-billion Hazel McCallion Line might not welcome its first passengers for another year or longer, but project leaders say a major part of the Mississauga-to-Brampton light-rail transit route “is coming together” near Square One in Mississauga’s downtown core.

Large concrete structures that are “the building blocks” for a new elevated guideway that will allow the LRT trains to run along Hurontario Street overtop the busy Highway 403 are now in place, Metrolinx officials said in a project update on Tuesday.

“This elevated section of track will connect the future City Centre stop at Rathburn Road and Robert Speck stop at Hurontario Street, providing easy access to this core area of the city,” said officials at Metrolinx, the provincial agency overseeing construction of the massive transit line that’ll run some 22 kilometres between Port Credit GO in south Mississauga and Brampton.

Recent drone footage (see video in post below) offers “a stunning perspective,” project leaders said, on progress of the elevated section, described as a “unique” part of the LRT.

“From above, you can see the guideway stretching over Highway 403, gradually connecting with sections over Rathburn Road and Centre View Drive. Each addition is a visible reminder that the Hazel McCallion Line is getting closer to becoming a reality,” Metrolinx officials said.

The elevated guideway is coming together! This marks another step toward delivering the Hazel McCallion Line. https://t.co/35DUJ8Pyv6 pic.twitter.com/xjH9jg2wnV

— The Hazel McCallion Line (@HMcCallionLine) January 7, 2025

“With all the key parts now in place, construction teams are shifting focus to building the bridge deck, the flat surface that will eventually hold the LRT tracks,” project leaders continued. “Completing the bridge deck will be a key moment as it will pave the way for the next step — installing the tracks for the LRT.

“The elevated guideway is coming together. This marks another step toward delivering the Hazel McCallion Line.”

Exactly when the new LRT route, named for Mississauga’s iconic former mayor of three-plus decades, will be delivered and ready for its first passengers isn’t known.

Initially tapped for a fall 2024 completion, the Hazel McCallion Line, which will feature nearly two dozen stops as it follows Hurontario Street from south Mississauga all the way north into Brampton, has experienced some delays.

Metrolinx officials have not yet committed to a completion date for the route, telling INsauga.com on two occasions since September that “when construction nears completion and we move into the testing and commissioning phase, we will be in a better position to provide a specific opening date.”

Rendering shows what part of the Hazel McCallion Line will look like once it opens to passengers. (Image: Metrolinx)

Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish said in an interview with INsauga.com this past fall she’s fine with that and suggested the LRT line might not be open for business until sometime in 2026.

“I’d be happily surprised” if the huge transit project, described earlier as the largest such undertaking in Mississauga’s history, opened in 2025, Parrish said at the time.

More than likely, it’ll be 2026 she and other Mississauga officials believe.

“And I’m not worried about it because every single LRT that’s been built has been late,” she said. “I think it’s one of those optimistic views (where you’re) going to have it done (on schedule) if everything goes perfectly smoothly, but it never does.”

Project leaders also noted recently that “exciting progress” has been made in construction of the starting point for the Hazel McCallion Line.

Metrolinx said work on what will be an underground station at Port Credit GO in Mississauga’s south end is moving forward as crews aim to finish the job on schedule.

“The future southern terminus of the Hazel McCallion Line is taking shape,” project leaders said in a recent post to social media. “This station will (also) connect riders to GO Transit nearby.”

Stops along the Hazel McCallion Line. (Image: Metrolinx)