Everyone in Toronto is aware of Crosstown Line 5 which is approaching completion along Eglinton Avenue, but less talked about is a second LRT line currently underway a little further to the north. The Finch West Line 6 LRT is being built and financed by Mosaic Transit Group working with Metrolinx, and is targeted to be operational sometime late in 2023.

The new transit line runs from the Humber College campus in the west, across Finch to Keele Street in the east, stretching a total of 10.3 kilometres. The line will connect with University Line 1, plus TTC buses at many stops, and YRT, MiWay, and Brampton Transit services at some.

Map of the future stops of the Finch West LRT, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Major construction on the Finch LRT began in 2019, and since then a significant amount of progress has been made. Approximately 35% – or four kilometres – of the total 25.6 kilometres of track has now been installed, in addition to all the rail at the maintenance and storage facility, along with its connection to the line at York Gate Boulevard.

Current track work as of May 2022, image courtesy of Metrolinx

On the 4km stretch of completed track, located between Pelican Gate and Sentinel Road, regular Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) testing is now underway. Crews have been testing the vehicles in rain and shine, making sure that they perform in any weather.

Testing the braking performance under wet conditions on the downhill to Tobermory Station, image by UT Forum contributor crs1026

At other parts of the line where tracks have yet to be laid, underground excavation continues. At Finch and Weston Road, this work will continue until the end of the summer. The next stage will be utility works in the middle of the intersection, which will be worked on concurrently with the overhead and underground electrical work, that will continue until the fall.

Between Norfinch Drive and Highway 27, road widening is underway. Meanwhile, concrete pours and steel structural works for the Highway 27 station are ongoing, while track work recently started at Humber College Station last month.

Between Keele and Jane, Driftwood and Tobermory stop platforms have recently been completed, with architectural work to follow in the near future.

Aerial view of the intersection of Finch Avenue West and Driftwood Avenue, image courtesy of Metrolinx

As for the LRT station at Finch West at the intersection of Finch and Keele streets, structural work on the station is still underway, recently seeing a concrete pour last month. Overhead and underground electrical work is also ongoing.

Keele and Finch station and portals, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Designed by Arup, the terminal station will add an entrance building at the southeast corner of Keele Street and Finch Avenue, a landscaped median on Finch either side of Keele and above the station featuring a pair of skylights, and an underground connection to Finch West subway station, where transit riders will be able to catch trains travelling northbound and southbound on Line 1. 

Finch West Station of the Finch West LRT, image courtesy of Arup Canada

Eight out of nine traction power substations (TPSS) have now also been installed along the line. These facilities house electrical equipment for the line, with 27,000 volts of electricity being delivered through each structure.

A TPSS is lifted into place with a mobile crane, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Toronto transit YouTuber Transitthinker recently walked the length of the line and put together this video showing progress overall:

UrbanToronto will continue to follow updates for this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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