TORONTO – So what is this new Line 5 subway really like, after being awaited by Torontonians for a full fifteen years? We tried it out right away, both on Sunday — the day of the official opening: read our article here — and on Monday, today, to test it under regular weekday conditions. And we did so not only as journalists, but also as commuters, since yours truly – the author of this piece – has been travelling along roughly the same route every day for almost three years to get to the Corriere Canadese newsroom. What follows, then, is our account of two trips on the “Eglinton Crosstown LRT”, better known as Line 5, “Eglinton,” or more simply as “the orange line.”

The inauguration: Sunday, February 8

After finishing my workday at the newsroom at 75 Dufflaw Road, I reach Fairbank Station—at the intersection of Dufferin Street and Eglinton Avenue West—on the 29 bus. It’s 5:19 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. The sliding doors open in front of me: the station entrance is large, airy, and naturally spotless, given that the structure is brand new. I head down several flights of stairs and find myself on the platform. There are quite a few people around — it is opening day, after all, and service is free. Curiosity is high: many are taking photos and videos, others are exploring the station while waiting for the train.

I’m heading east, toward Yonge and Eglinton. While I wait, I listen to the service announcements: they’re in English and French. Until now, on other subway lines, I had only heard messages in English. At times, however, the two voices overlap and it’s hard to make anything out. They’ll need to fine-tune the audio, I think.

The wait is short: my train arrives at 5:23 p.m., so I’ve waited just four minutes. I get on, but the train is already packed, and from snippets of conversation among my fellow passengers—complete strangers—I gather that almost everyone is there simply “to try out the orange line.”

The train is clean (brand new as well), but I can’t really “test” the seats because they’re all taken. Standing up, I notice that the driver still seems to be getting used to the brakes—probably still a bit too new. At every station the train stops with a jolt, and a few people nearly lose their balance. Still, I arrive safely at Eglinton Station (at Yonge) at 5:38 p.m.: the trip took 15 minutes. By bus it would have taken about 25, not counting the wait at the stop (so, realistically, even longer). And waiting for a bus outside, in –15°C weather, is quite different from waiting for a subway train indoors—not a minor detail at all.

I get off at Eglinton and, without exiting the station, easily make my way—thanks to clear, well-placed signage and (working) escalators—to the Yellow Line platforms, where I catch my train to York Mills. Destination: home.

(Here below is a series of videos from the first of the two trips described in this report)

The first weekday: Monday, February 9

The real test is the weekday one. On opening day—especially when it’s a Sunday—everything tends to look great. Let’s see how the service really performs on a “normal” working day.

It’s Monday (today), early in the morning. I arrive at Eglinton Station (Yonge) on the Yellow Line from York Mills at 7:02 a.m. Once off the train, I easily reach Line 5 by following the signs. The escalator, however—unlike the day before—is already out of service this morning. Fortunately (for those who need it), the elevator is working. I notice this while watching a passenger dragging a heavy suitcase: after looking with some annoyance at the stopped escalator, he tries calling the elevator and lets out a sigh of relief—it works!

The bilingual announcements are working better than yesterday: English and French no longer overlap, and everything is much clearer.

There are fewer people on the platform than on Sunday, and the wait is slightly longer; the train arrives at 7:09 a.m. No big deal, though, because this time I manage to get a seat. There are passengers on board—all commuters—but nothing like Sunday’s crush, so I can actually “test” the seat. It seems comfortable, even if I don’t sit long enough to judge properly: I arrive at Fairbank at 7:21 a.m., in just twelve minutes—three minutes faster than on Sunday along the same route, but in reverse.

I head back up to street level on the escalator (which here is working) and suddenly I’m right at the intersection of Dufferin and Eglinton. A little earlier than usual, and maybe even a little less frozen than usual…

(Here below is a series of videos from the second of the two trips described in this report)

The riders can provide feedback on the new line directly to the TTC through an online survey at https://www.ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/line-5-eglinton.

Here, finally, is some useful information about the Line 5 “Eglinton”, from TTC website (here).  

Line 5 Eglinton Light Rail Transit (LRT) service has launched under phased “soft opening” conditions and will operate until 11 p.m. nightly:

• Monday to Saturday – 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Sundays – 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Holidays – 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Line 5 Eglinton Shuttle Bus service will operate nightly from 10 p.m. to 1:20 a.m. replacing Line 5 LRT service. Line 5 Shuttle Bus service will pick up and drop off customers inside of Kennedy, Eglinton, Cedarvale and Mount Dennis bus terminals as they would under normal shuttle bus operations. At all other stations, the Line 5 Shuttle Bus service will serve on-street stops located near Line 5 LRT stations along the Eglinton Avenue corridor.

34 Eglinton buses will also operate weekdays and Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. every 20 minutes.

In the photogallery below, some pics from our “trips” on the Line 5 on Sunday and Monday (all photos and videos by Marzio Pelù / Corriere Canadese)