After over a decade of construction, the opening date for the long-overdue Eglinton Crosstown LRT — otherwise known as Line 5 — is expected to be announced by the end of the summer, according to Metrolinx.

During a press conference for the newly-introduced debit and credit payments on the TTC, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster revealed that closer to the end of summer, the transit agency will be announcing a "range of dates" for when the 19-kilometre light rail transit line will be in service. 

Initially scheduled for completion in 2020, the Eglinton Crosstown has been under construction since 2011, facing numerous technical delays, as well as legal issues between Metrolinx and Crosslinx Transit Solutions — the consortium responsible for the line's construction. 

While government officials did recently reveal that construction for the project is 98 per cent complete, it's still undergoing time-consuming testing and commissioning. 

Toronto's Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction just hit yet another snag https://t.co/nwSqvwHUMk #Toronto

— blogTO (@blogTO) April 25, 2023

"You don't want to rush and open a line," said Ontario's Associate Transportation Minister, Stan Cho. "People have suffered long enough waiting for this Crosstown to be completed, we're going to open when it's safe to do so." 

The multibillion-dollar transit line will provide 25 stations and stops along Eglinton Avenue, with links to 54 bus routes, three TTC subway stations, and GO lines. 

While the nightmare-ish project appears to be closer to completion than ever, it's still not exactly clear when Toronto residents will be able to hop aboard the light rail transit line on an everyday basis. 

However, if the project's tumultuous past is any indication, its tentative opening date might have to be taken with a grain of salt in order to avoid any disappointment.