, where the provincial transit agency said CTS did not have a “credible plan” to complete the $12.8 billion project., including “260 nonconformances — quality issues — that must be rectified.” Most of the issues are with the quality of the track work, he said.
The LRT has been under construction since 2011 and was initially set to be complete in 2020, but that date has been pushed several times. In September 2022, Verster announced the latest delay, saying CTS “have fallen behind schedule, are unable to finalize construction and testing, and therefore the system will not be operational on this timeline.”the province blocked attempts by Metrolinx to give the media and the public more information about the delays to the LRT last fall.
The relationship between Metrolinx and CTS has been rocky for several years, with Metrolinx doling out more money to the consortium several times in an attempt to keep the project on track, including after an Ontario Superior Court Justice ruled Metrolinx had to pay CTS an extra $325 million to cover COVID-19 costs.
“Metrolinx will defend this latest legal challenge by CTS as we have done several times before. The cost of CTS’s delays are for CTS to bear. Metrolinx is already withholding significant payments for poor performance,” Verster continued in Tuesday’s statement. “We will continue to hold CTS to account and examine every remedy under the Project Agreement to ensure the project is delivered to a high quality and that it is safe and reliable to open.”