The long-awaited opening of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT line that will run 19 km and 25 stops across Toronto is finally feeling like a real thing that will actually happen, with Metrolinx at long last introducing the first trains to run on the line this week.

The vehicle has arrived in the east. Did you catch the vehicle being offloaded onto the rails? pic.twitter.com/UVDVRDZzwB

— Crosstown (@CrosstownTO) May 25, 2021

After part of the route was powered up for the first time earlier this month, LRT vehicles are ready to test it out before it opens for public use, and the first of six trains was shipped out and installed on the tracks yesterday.

Teamwork makes the DreamWorks. @TrafficServices @TPSMotorSquad assisting @Metrolinx get "on track". What's your choice of transportation? pic.twitter.com/wQsqMRSit7

— TPS Traffic Services (@TrafficServices) May 25, 2021

The fleet will continue to arrive near Eglinton and Rosemount Drive in Scarborough over the course of this week and next.

Look it’s the first Eglington LRT practise run! Finally! @Metrolinx pic.twitter.com/F219fM89Bw

— Tiffany Ford (@TiffanyFordTO) May 25, 2021

Though it's certainly been exciting for residents to see the LRT trains in the flesh, it will still be some time before they can ride them; testing will continue through to December. 

They’ve been working on this project since we moved here, finally got to see the build in test mode! Looks good @Metrolinx pic.twitter.com/qmJ4DHDKvU

— Amanda Sebastian-Carrier (@ZuZuMamou) May 25, 2021

And, after more than a decade of construction, we're still more than a year away from the line's full opening after numerous delays and a dispute between the construction consortium performing the work, the Province of Ontario and Metrolinx.

But, after so long, any major developments that bring us closer to the finish line are welcome.