Igor's vibesite

Eglinton LRT — Toronto’s new light rail line — is clean, fast, and cold.

The opening of new surface transit lines in Toronto does not happen often — roughly once every few decades. However, the winter of 2025–2026 will go down in history not only for its impressive amount of snow and consistently freezing temperatures but also for the opening of two entire lines — the sixth and the fifth (in that order).



I don’t consider myself a die-hard public transit fan — more of a sympathizer — but I did have thoughts about attending the opening of Line 6. Laziness won out, and I skipped that event. Regret over this — and encouragement from my wife — finally forced me out of the house on February 8 to reach the new Line 5. The TTC did not promise a grand opening ceremony today; they say that will happen in the coming months.

Before leaving, we discussed a route intended to fit our visit into about an hour and a half: from St. Andrew subway station, we head north to Cedarvale station, and from there, we travel west to the Mount Dennis terminus. Then, from Mount Dennis, we take the UP Express back to our downtown area at Union Station.

The updated and more "mature" Toronto subway map helps to understand the route:

Whew, what weather it was. The air temperature was around minus twenty; with wind gusts, it felt like something around minus 30. But we didn’t have to stay on the surface for too long: the main part of today’s journey takes place underground.

Line 5 is called the Eglinton LRT. It is a 20-kilometer light rail transit section running along one of the major namesake streets, connecting Mount Dennis in the west and Kipling in the east. Details can be found on the TTC website: https://www.ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/line-5-eglinton. The construction project is notable for the fact that it lasted 15 years and was the subject of numerous delays and budget overruns. Torontonians on the internet never stop making bitter jokes on this topic—but the fact that two lines have been launched recently should smooth over the picture a bit.

So, here are the impressions.

Naturally, everything is brand new. The walls, doors, and signs are pleasant to look at. Some say the monotonous "millennial condo" style design is just begging for graffiti on every surface. Hopefully, that won't be the case.



The platforms turned out to be crowded and unexpectedly cold. Granted, -20 is not a very common temperature for Toronto—we’ll make an allowance for that. But compared to the subway, it felt 10–15 degrees colder. An LRT employee on Reddit wrote that it’s due to the large volume of air moving through the tunnels; they claim it is technically impossible to heat it. But there seems to be some disingenuousness in this, as the subway isn't nearly as cold despite having a similar design.

The stations are designed in a uniform minimalist style, with track walls made of béton brut featuring bright orange signs with the station names. Compared to the design of most subway stations dating back to the 70s, it feels like radical modernism.



The trams move quietly and smoothly—I was very pleased. Toronto subway trains—especially the older models on Line 2—do not spoil passengers with inertial or acoustic comfort. The LRT trams, by contrast, are an excellent illustration of the engineering progress of recent decades.

The section we rode—from Cedarvale to Mount Dennis—was entirely underground. Between stations, the train reached speeds of nearly 80 km/h, which is quite adequate for this mode of transport.



It was unusual to see stop request buttons inside the car in this context—after all, it feels like we’re almost in the subway. Reports online say the train stops at all stations regardless.



We reached the terminus in about 15 minutes. According to recent reviews, the train covers the entire distance in an average of 55 minutes. The eastern part of the route is primarily above ground, and the tram does not (yet) have signal priority at traffic lights. This significantly slows down movement. City Council is working on implementing a solution that will give the LRT right-of-way on the road.

The terminus—Mount Dennis—conveniently connects Line 5 with the GO regional rail line and the UP Express to the airport. After getting slightly lost in the tunnel, we went out onto the platform to wait for the express. It turned out to be the wrong platform; we had to wait another 15 minutes for the next train. We were back in our downtown area within 15 minutes.



It is gratifying to see Toronto’s already impressively covered transit system expanding. These two new additions make the transit map look noticeably more mature. Now, we await the opening of the Ontario Line — featuring automated trains!