What will LRT stations look like as part of massive Mississauga transit project?
Published July 31, 2023 at 10:24 am
Builders of a massive new light-rail transit (LRT) route in east Mississauga that will likely also one day connect with Pearson Airport are now trying to plan what the stations along the line will look like.
As Metrolinx looks to the next stage of work on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE), it’s taking its “early design concepts” for the stations to the public this week.
Metrolinx is the provincial agency in charge of the major ECWE project, which when completed in roughly eight years will see a 9.2-kilometre above ground/underground route link east Mississauga with parts of west Toronto.
By 2030-31, the new line is expected to be up and running to bring the Eglinton Crosstown LRT from Toronto west to Renforth Dr. in east Mississauga via the ECWE.
A proposal to extend the ECWE an additional 4.7 kilometres from Renforth Dr. to Pearson Airport in Mississauga is also being strongly considered.
In the meantime, Metrolinx is hosting an open house this Wednesday (Aug. 2) from 6 to 8 p.m. to show those in attendance what the stations may look like.
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The session also invites public feedback on the design concepts and will inform people of the following as well:
- recent construction milestones
- progress on tunnelling work
- next steps for the project
Metrolinx officials say experts will be on hand to answer any questions from those who attend.
The open house is being held at Humbervale Place (Parkwood Dining Room), located at 1447 Royal York Rd. in Etobicoke.
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 at Metrolinx 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.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertisingWe want your feedback on design elements of the stations for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension! 🚇
Stop by our open house on August 2nd to learn more about plans for the stations and share your input. 🤝https://t.co/CIxLAx4iNy#torontotransit #yyz #etobicoke #mississauga pic.twitter.com/wFHCAuMdcB
— Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (@EglintonWestEXT) July 26, 2023