The extent of Metrolinx’s strife with Crosslinx was detailed in a September 2022 performance report obtained by the Star, where the provincial transit agency said Crosslinx did not have a “credible plan” to complete the $12.8-billion project. The relationship between Metrolinx and Crosslinx 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 Crosslinx an extra $325 million to cover COVID-19 costs.
No updated timeline has been announced since. The opening date was then pushed to early 2023, but in September 2022, Metrolinx said that deadline would not be met.Ĭrosslinx “have fallen behind schedule, are unable to finalize construction and testing, and therefore the system will not be operational on this timeline,” Verster said in a statement at the time.
When Crosslinx first won the contract to build the LRT, it was set to be open by September 2021. The move by Crosslinx is the latest hurdle for the beleaguered light rail transit line, which has been under construction since 2011.
She added that Crosslinx “has been forced to take this step after months of engagement with Metrolinx about the challenges to the project as a result of Metrolinx having no signed operating agreement with the TTC (despite having a decade to do so).” In a statement, Susan Sperling, Crosslinx’s vice-president of communications and public engagement, said Crosslinx is “disappointed with the characterization of this action as a ‘delay tactic,’ when this action seeks to remove existing barriers to completion so that we can get this project opened to the public as soon as possible.” “That decision was made years ago and now it’s just a matter of ironing out final details.” “There is no question the TTC will be operating the line upon opening,” Green said. TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said he would not comment on the specifics of Crosslinx’s filing as it is “before the courts,” but that “discussions to finalize (operating) agreements are ongoing” between Metrolinx and the TTC. Infrastructure Ontario did not respond to a request for comment from the Star. (Crosslinx)’s behaviour continues to be disappointing, especially for our Toronto communities who have been waiting patiently for the completion of this project.” “While Metrolinx is driving and supporting (Crosslinx) to complete the project, (Crosslinx) is looking for new ways to make financial claims. “This is another unacceptable delay tactic by (Crosslinx) at a time when they should be submitting a credible schedule to Metrolinx for completing the project,” Verster said.
In a statement, Phil Verster, CEO of Metrolinx, the provincial agency in charge of the line, called the move by Crosslinx “disappointing.” In a statement, the transit agency said Crosslinx has known since 2015 the TTC is the LRT’s operator, and that Metrolinx is working with the TTC to finalize an agreement. Metrolinx said the operator contract has “no effect on (Crosslinx’s) performance of its contractual obligations.” In the pleading, Crosslinx says it has no obligation to continue working on the Crosstown project until an operator - the TTC - is formally appointed.Ĭrosslinx’s claims have not yet been proven in court. It goes on: Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario “have taken an irresponsibly hands-off approach, leaving its two contractors to try to sort it out themselves without the contractual guidance and direction expected of a prudent and responsible owner on a complex public infrastructure project like this one.” “As a result, Crosslinx has been hamstrung in its ability to advance the project and has faced significant delays,” which could have been avoided had the contracts been aligned, the application reads. The latest allegations, which Metrolinx has called a “delay tactic,” came in a legal proceeding filed Tuesday in which Crosslinx Transit Solutions asked the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to let it stop work on the LRT until Metrolinx makes the TTC follow the terms of the project’s original agreement.Ĭrosslinx, a construction consortium made up of transportation companies ACS-Dragados, Aecon, EllisDon and SNC-Lavalin, accused Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario, a provincial agency focused on infrastructure, of never entering into a formal contract with the Toronto Transit Commission as the line’s “operator.” As the “de facto operator,” the TTC has since dictated terms outside of the original agreement with Crosslinx, asking it to “change its plans, designs and sequence of activities, to accommodate the wishes of a third party who has no contract to guide them,” the consortium claims.
0 kommentar(er)
