Even if we more than likely won't be able to board the Eglinton Crosstown LRT anytime this year, the forever-under-construction transit route's 9.2 km-long addition has just moved onto another phase of work.

On Monday, the Province of Ontario and Metrolinx commemorated the completion of underground tunnelling for the western portion Crosstown West Extension, a line that will run another seven stops from the main LRT's existing western terminus at Mount Dennis station.

📰 UPDATE: Tunnelling for the western underground segment of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension is complete! 🚇🎉

Dig into the details of Rexy and Renny's remarkable journey and learn about what's next for the project here: https://t.co/nVrLdxlM0N pic.twitter.com/OxfE4G7dH4

— Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (@EglintonWestEXT) June 24, 2024

The two gigantic tunnel boring machines, named Rexy and Renny, emerged through the final wall of their journeys at the end of April and May, respectively — marking the end of what could be considered the most substantial part of the extension's completion.

With the colossal pieces of equipment now removed from their extraction shaft, work can commence on the tunnel portal itself that future LRT vehicles will travel through between subterranean and above ground portions of the line.

Ontario is celebrating a major milestone for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension!

Tunnelling for the western segment is now complete, bringing rapid transit one step closer to Etobicoke and Mississauga.

Learn more: https://t.co/ivZNDKrR3L pic.twitter.com/0CUwT0Od0d

— Ontario Ministry of Transportation (@ONtransport) June 24, 2024

Another, much smaller tunnelling project will also now be able to kick off on the eastern end of the route, which will be only 500 m in length — but will cost $255 million — between Mount Dennis and Jane stations.

The trips that Rexy and Renny just wrapped up, meanwhile, were a whopping 6.3 km each, side by side, and included the removal of 1.2 million tonnes of soil and rock from between just east of Renforth Drive to just past Royal York Boulevard.