Along the ride of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT line, we’ve seen a lot of digging, a few mined caverns and tons of dirt in between.

But a light shines at the end – or near it at least – of the Crosstown tunnel. Our 14th stop heading east on the line leads us to the Sunnybrook Park stop, or the first surface section stop.

The Sunnybrook Park stop will be located in the middle of the intersection of Eglinton Avenue East and Leslie Street and will be accessible from the east north-south crosswalk.

The stop will feature two fully accessible parallel side platforms with level boarding. Automated Presto machines will be on the platform, making it easy for you to pay your fare before riding. The stops themselves will have next vehicle arrival time screens, so you can know how long until your next ride, as well as covered waiting areas featuring benches, platform illumination and a passenger assistance intercom.

Construction of these stops is much simpler than any station we have seen so far. Since no digging is required, construction of the Sunnybrook Park stop will officially start in July of this year, with the bulk of the work being completed closer to the end of 2019.

Work is being conducted in stages. First, Eglinton Avenue is being widened north and south. The guideway, the part that contains the electrical to power the light rail vehicles and the track, will be constructed down the centre of the roadway. Watch out for track being laid later this year.

With surface stops not nearly as involved as some of the station’s we have seen, significant work will be taking place to build these stops. A reminder to all drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to watch for new signage popping up in this area and closures that may need to take place to accommodate construction.

Exciting progress is coming to a surface stop near you.