ATU Local 113’s President Marvin Alfred is calling on Metrolinx leadership to be more transparent with Torontonians regarding the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
“Toronto transit riders deserve better,” said Alfred. “Metrolinx has repeatedly failed to deliver this project on time. Now they won’t even tell us when the Eglinton Crosstown will open, or the reason for the continuous delay.”
Public transit agencies like the TTC have always built and operated large scale transit projects. Every year, the TTC continues to service and maintain countless kilometers of streetcar tracks. Instead of relying on expertise and experience, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project was built by novices.
Premier Ford has acknowledged that the privatized Ottawa Light Rail is a ‘real disaster’. The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is just the same situation. The common factor is the privatization of these projects. Transit should be kept public. Metrolinx wants to conceal their privatized failures. It is time for Metrolinx and its leadership to come clean.