Lessons Learned From the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch LRT | The Rundown

Multiple delays. Organizational infighting. Billions over budget. After 15 years of construction, the Eglinton LRT is finally taking riders across the city. And the Finch LRT is up and running too. We dig into the difference they'll make - and at what planners should do differently next time around - with Andy Takagi, the transportation reporter for the Toronto Star. 00:00 – Intro 00:14 – What Metrolinx learned from Eglinton Crosstown & Finch LRT 01:00 – Soft launches, hype, and managing expectations 01:26 – Do new LRT lines actually improve commutes? 01:51 – Redundancy, east‑west travel, and network relief 02:55 – What is transit signal priority? 03:45 – Why red lights slowed Finch LRT service 04:27 – Has signal priority improved commute times? 04:56 – Who’s accountable when TTC and Metrolinx clash? 06:14 – Calls for a public inquiry: will it happen? 07:12 – Ridership, operating costs, and fare increase fears 09:16 – Can future projects avoid Crosstown‑style delays? About The Rundown: The Rundown is your nightly half-hour deep dive into just one headline. With host Jeyan Jeganathan, we’ll cover everything from housing and health care to climate and AI. We’ll break down why each topic matters, who’s living it, and what’s being done to make things better – starting right here in Ontario. Slow down. Tune in. Make sense of the moment. And tell us what you think. Follow on social media: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/therundowntvo Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/TheRundownTVO X- https://twitter.com/therundowntvo Bluesky- https://bsky.app/profile/therundowntvo.bsky.social Subscribe to TVO Today to watch more content like this: https://www.youtube.com/@tvotoday Listen to the podcast: https://www.tvo.org/podcasts/the-rundown-audio Check out the rest of the TVO ecosystem TVO Docs - https://www.youtube.com/@tvo TVO Kids - https://www.youtube.com/@TVOkids TVO Learn - https://www.youtube.com/@tvolearn Download the TVO Today App Apple - https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112 Available on: Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung, LG, Amazon Fire TV Enjoying this content and want to make a meaningful impact? Consider donating today! https://support.tvo.org/site/Donation2?mfc_pref=T&idb=599945504&df_id=16843&16843.donation=form1&DONATION_LEVEL_ID_SELECTED=1661&mfc_pref=T