There's no 'credible plan' to complete the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, confidential documents say

The total cost of Toronto's Eglinton Crosstown project has increased by about $1 billion and the provincial agency overseeing it has raised concerns the consortium building the transit line hasn't offered a "credible plan" to complete it, according to confidential documents obtained exclusively by CBC Toronto. 

The budget for the project was $11.78 billion in 2018, which included the design, construction, financing and 30-year maintenance of the light rail transit (LRT) system. Now, that number has increased to $12.81 billion and more work still needs to be done, according to the documents from Metrolinx — the provincial agency overseeing the Eglinton Crosstown and other major transit projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

The records paint a picture of how unresolved issues between the two provincial agencies involved in the project and the consortium building it are contributing to delays. They outline concerns Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario (IO) have about the quality of some work completed, "over-ambitious" timelines and the lack of a plan to complete the LRT.

The revelations come as critics are raising concerns about the effectiveness of using the public-private partnership (P3) model for large projects and members of Toronto city council are expressing frustration at the delays plaguing the LRT line.

"Metrolinx has no idea when we're going to see the light at the end of the tunnel," said Coun. Josh Matlow, who represents Ward 12, Toronto-St. Paul's. Matlow has been critical of the project's delays and what critics say is a lack of transparency on the part of Metrolinx. 

"This project has been completely mismanaged," he said.

As CBC Toronto first reported two weeks ago, Matlow and Coun. Mike Colle are calling on the Ontario government to launch a public inquiry into the Eglinton Crosstown project.

The 25-stop,19-kilometre line was last slated to be up and running this fall. Work began in 2011 and Metrolinx previously announced completion dates of 2020 and 2021.

No clear plan in sight to open LRT: documents 

The internal documents are dated earlier this fall. They detail the status of the project and show the current approved budget to be $12.81 billion. 

A report to Metrolinx's board dated Dec. 1 says the project's total cost is $12.57 billion, but the documents obtained by CBC Toronto show the consortium, Crosslinx Transit Solutions, has $260 million in unresolved claims against Metrolinx and IO. They also appear to show the agencies believe that figure can be reduced by $13 million. 

The documents also appear to show that because of those outstanding claims, Crosslinx has yet to provide an updated work schedule that would detail what's being done to reduce the project's delay, though they note a new schedule is expected. 

The internal records state there's a "lack of a credible plan" to finish the LRT and there's no mention of when it might finally open.

About 98 per cent of the construction and engineering work is complete, according to the documents. Track and train testing is behind schedule with about 79 per cent of it done.

The documents say the testing and commission schedule is "overly ambitious and not achievable" and that the challenge of achieving the targets could significantly delay the completion of the project. 

They also say the project keeps missing deadlines due to "ongoing underperformance."

The documents show at some point the provincial agencies raised concerns about what they call "significant deficiencies" in some work completed, but it's not clear if those issues have been resolved.

Some specific issues are detailed, including concerns surrounding seepage that could lead to leaks and mould, and whether it's safe for the trains to operate along curves on the track.

"There are some very, very serious obstacles here that are just appalling at this stage," said Colle, who represents Ward 8, Eglinton-Lawrence.

"It's a never-ending mess that's costing the people of Ontario billions of dollars."

Financial issues faced by one of the companies in the consortium could also hamper efforts to finish work, which could result in further delays, according to the documents.

Metrolinx declined to answer a list of questions about the documents and instead re-sent a statement that was released in September announcing the project's third delay.

CBC Toronto attended the agency's public board meeting last week, but CEO Phil Verster and chief spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins declined to comment.

IO and Crosslinx also didn't respond to a series of questions.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Ontario's transportation minister didn't answer CBC Toronto's question about whether there's a credible plan to finish the LRT and when it would open.

"Our government is focused on making sure that it is safely operational as soon as possible," Caroline Mulroney said.

Metrolinx will learn from Ottawa public inquiry: CEO

Like the Eglinton Crosstown, Ottawa's troubled LRT was also plagued with delays. Both projects are being built using a private-public-partnership (P3). The Crosstown is being built with the province and Ottawa's Confederation Line with the City of Ottawa. The three companies that make up the consortium that built the Confederation Line are three of the four that make up Crosslinx, which consists of  ACS-Dragados, Aecon, Ellis Don, and SNC-Lavalin.

The Ontario government ordered a public inquiry into the Confederation Line after a litany of problems, including two derailments. The findings were released last week in a scathing 664-page report. 

The commissioner said the LRT was rushed into service when it opened in 2019 and "egregious violations" of public trust occurred when the consortium gave completion deadlines that were "entirely unrealistic" and when the City of Ottawa didn't tell the public testing criteria was lowered to allow the project to pass.

At last week's Metrolinx board meeting, Verster was asked how the agency will learn from the report, particularly when it comes to testing of the Eglinton Crosstown. 

Verster said Metrolinx has been keeping a close eye on Ottawa's LRT and said overall testing will ensure the Crosstown is safe and reliable. 

"I think it's really important to learn lessons from equipment that operates on other networks," he said.

"I've had an initial review of the Ottawa LRT report and we will thoroughly review the document and bring recommendations back to the board."

Rethink P3 model, advocate, councillor say

The Confederation Line is the first transit project in Ontario to use the P3 model. One of the more than 100 recommendations from the inquiry is to examine whether P3s are appropriate.

Shelagh Pizey-Allen, a member of the advocacy group TTCRiders, says she's concerned with what the group sees as as a lack of transparency and accountability on the part of Metrolinx.

"What we're seeing on Eglinton Crosstown doesn't inspire confidence." she said. "It's worrying because of all the projects that Metrolinx is responsible for in the coming decade and more in Toronto." 

She says the P3 model isn't working for the public since it's supposed to take the financial risk off taxpayers and provide more predictability when it comes to costs and timelines.

"The opposite has been true on the Crosstown," she said.

Matlow echoes her concerns, pointing to legal battles involving Metrolinx, IO and Crosslinx, which have cost taxpayers by increasing the project's budget. 

"I think this entire model needs to be reevaluated," he said.