It’s full speed ahead for vehicle testing along the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) route.

You might have noticed light rail vehicles (LRVs) going up and down Eglinton Avenue East near Leslie Street recently, and wondered what’s going on?

It’s all part of an extensive vehicle testing program.

Trains have been testing at their full street level speed of 60 km/h on the east end of the LRT route for some time, but now the testing is going underground.

On May 1, crews did a series of full speed test runs along part of the underground section of the LRT.

For the first time, trains reached speeds of 80 km/h between the west portal (Black Creek Drive) and Avenue Station.

This weekend (May 8), LRVs will once again be going full speed through some of the underground sections. This time they will be going from Avenue Station to the east portal (Brentcliffe Road).

This is all leading up to a full speed test of the entire line later this month.

That means 60 km/h at street level and 80 km/h underground, the top safe allowable speeds for the route.

Safety is important during testing

Metrolinx and Crosslinx want to remind everyone to be extra careful while vehicles are being tested along Eglinton Avenue.

As LRV’s start going faster, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians should be cautious when traveling around Eglinton Avenue. Always follow all traffic signals, remember to be careful of the tracks, and only make left turns where it’s safe to do so.

Check Metrolinx News regularly for Crosstown LRT updates and follow the project on social media for the latest.