Toronto’s newest transit line will be free on Sunday when it opens to the public for the first time.
The Finch West LRT, which will begin running before 8 a.m. Sunday, won’t charge riders to use it on opening day, with activities planned to celebrate its launch.
It is the first major transit opening in the city since the Spadina subway extension at the end of 2017.
“I just want to let everyone know when we have the grand opening on Sunday, you can ride for free, which is great,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow confirmed on Friday.
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“So come and check it out!”
Politicians and senior transit officials gathered at the station on Friday morning to ride the train for the first time and unveil an opening plaque.
Chow was joined by Premier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, among others.
“Thank goodness we’re open for business now,” the premier said to reporters.
The Finch West signed its major construction contract in 2018 and, at the time, had a proposed opening date of 2023.
It missed that date substantially and was bogged down in a lawsuit as it hit issues toward the end of its construction.
By September 2024, major station and stop construction was finished and final tests on the line began in September 2025. They wrapped up by Oct. 23, and the line was declared substantially complete last month.
It will open to the public on Dec. 7, with ceremonial trains leaving Finch West Station around 7:20 a.m. and 7:27 a.m.
The first full-service rides will begin near the Jane and Finch area over the following half an hour.
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https://globalnews.ca/news/11563521/finch-west-lrt-free-rides-opening-day/
