VIDEO: Finch West LRT taking shape

Metrolinx has released a new video showcasing the progress that’s been made on Toronto’s Finch West light rail transit (LRT) line. Located in northwest sector of the city, the transit project extends from Humber College to Finch West Station.

The first vehicle tests on the line’s main tracks happened in February with light rail vehicles (LRVs) emerging from the maintenance and storage facility (MSF) and running daily on a 1.8-kilometre section of test track. As of early July, the LRVs were reaching top speeds of 60 kph, which is the speed limit on Finch Avenue West.

Once complete, the Finch West LRT will run along a 10.3-kilometre stretch from Keele Street to Highway 27. Roughly 35 per cent of the rail is now installed, and Metrolinx reports that progress is continuing every week.

The team is also making great progress on the power side of the project as well. More than half of the overhead catenary system (OCS) that provides electrical power to the LRVs has been installed and the nine traction power substations (TPSS) dotted along the route now installed, with testing and commissioning work underway. These TPSS units convert raw power from the electrical grid into a form usable by LRVs.

On the far east end of the Finch West LRT sits Finch West Station, one of two underground stations on the line and the interchange with the TTC’s Line 1 subway. This spring, teams at Finch West Station focused on building up the station’s structure, completing numerous concrete pours within the main entrance, the station box itself, and the connection slab that bridges the gap between the existing TTC subway station area and the Finch West LRT station area.

Concrete pours will continue through the year as the station crews work towards structural completion.

www.metrolinx.com