TORONTO — Ontario’s transit agency says the consortium building a delayed midtown Toronto light rail transit line intends to launch a legal challenge over the project. 

Metrolinx, the provincial agency, says it was informed late last night by Crosslinx Transit Solutions that the consortium intends to litigate over the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project and stop working with the Toronto Transit Commission. 

In a statement this morning, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster called it an “unacceptable delay tactic, alleging the consortium was “looking for new ways to make financial claims.”

Verster said last month the project, under construction since 2011, was plagued by 260 quality issues and had no projected opening date. 

He says Crosslinx is responsible for delay costs and Metrolinx is already withholding “significant payments for poor performance.”

Crosslinx and the TTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2023. 

The Canadian Press