PROJECT STORY
The challenge
Create a passenger-focused, new transit line, across a 20-kilometre, east-west route, that spans five established boroughs and encompasses 15 stations and 10 stops while seamlessly integrating with the city’s existing transit systems.
Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit
Leading Toronto's largest transit expansion in decades
The solution
The project enhanced the passenger experience through clear design, accessible spaces, effective wayfinding, and integration with existing developments and transit systems.
The impact
The project will have a transformative impact in Toronto by enhancing connectivity, reducing congestion, fostering vibrant communities, and promoting sustainability through a reliable transit option.
25
new station stops
60%
faster travel time across the city
5
neighbourhoods connected to established transit and regional rail
The challenge
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT (ECLRT) is Toronto's most significant transit expansion project in decades. It spans the city east-to-west across nineteen and a half kilometers encompassing 15 stations and 10 stops, including three interchange stations and a maintenance and storage facility. The ECLRT prioritizes the passenger experience by connecting five well-established city boroughs to existing subway stations, bus terminals, and regional rail transit. By employing context-sensitive, system-wide design principles, it acts as a catalyst for urban intensification and civic improvement along the Eglinton corridor, fostering enhanced connectivity and contributing to the city's overall growth.
The solution
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT project introduces unique solutions to enhance the passenger experience and ensure seamless transit operations. From the clear and uncluttered architectural expression to creating accessible, safe, and enjoyable spaces, the project focuses on delivering a superior user experience.
Each station is thoughtfully aligned to Eglinton Avenue's right-of-way, featuring a main entrance and a secondary entry that facilitate easy movement from the entrance through the concourse to the platform and vice versa. The location of underground stations is adapted to blend with neighboring commercial, institutional, and existing or future residential developments, resulting in three typologies: pavilion buildings, corner buildings, or stations embedded between buildings.
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A prototype design is tailored to each typology, starting with a clear, glass, entrance structure that exudes light and openness. Spacious galleries and clear wayfinding enhance navigation, while vertical circulation remains visible from the entrance, ensuring easy orientation. All spaces are rendered in an uncluttered, legible, and easily maintainable manner with integrated lighting, system-wide branding, structural efficiency, and high quality, durable, low maintenance finishes.
The same architectural language extends to at-grade stops, boasting a modern, durable, and visually appealing rectilinear form. Perpendicular access between the sidewalk and platform ensures user-friendly convenience, while consolidated platform elements facilitate maintenance activities.
The terminal stations at Kennedy to the east and Mount Dennis to the west, serve as intermodal hubs, featuring green roofs, plazas, bicycle parking, and storage to support Toronto's cycling network. Notably, the Mount Dennis station creatively incorporates the previously abandoned Kodak heritage building into a vibrant community space.
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT project exemplifies ambitious, responsive, and integrated design solutions that elevate the quality of the passenger experience. With a strong conceptual narrative permeating the entire transit system, it sets a new standard for system-wide design excellence.
The impact
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is a transformative project in Toronto, connecting diverse neighborhoods and establishing Eglinton Avenue as a major east-west transit corridor. Spanning 19.5 kilometres, it expands the city's transit system, generates civic spaces, reduces congestion, increases urban density, and promotes sustainability. The design prioritizes design excellence and public outreach to ensure success. By prioritizing the passenger experience, the ECLRT enhances connectivity, accessibility, and livability. It serves as a reliable, efficient, and sustainable transportation option, catalyzing economic development and fostering vibrant communities. Through collaboration, innovation, and design excellence, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project shapes Toronto's future, strengthening the transit network and enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors.
