Ontario Construction News staff writer
Crosslinx Transit Solutions (CTS), a design and construction consortium established to deliver and maintain the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, is planning to sue Metrolinx, the provincial government agency says.
The consortium is comprised of ACS-Dragados, Aecon, EllisDon and SNC-Lavalin.
In a statement released Tuesday morning, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster said CTS informed the government agency of its intention to litigate and stop working with the TTC, which will be responsible for operating the line when itโs up and running.
โThis is another unacceptable delay tactic by CTS at a time when they should be submitting a credible schedule to Metrolinx for completing the project,โ Verster said. โWhile Metrolinx is driving and supporting CTS to complete the project, CTS is looking for new ways to make financial claims.
โCTSโs behaviour continues to be disappointing, especially for our Toronto communities who have been waiting patiently for the completion of this project.โ
Last month, Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said CTS has failed to produce a โcredible scheduleโ for the lineโs completion. Shovels first went into the ground in 2011.
The opening of the $5.5 billion project was originally set for 2020 and Metrolinx has confirmed the line will not open this year.
Verster says Metrolinx is looking for โa schedule that describes how they will complete the testing, commissioning, safety and quality rectifications of the rail line.
โMetrolinx will defend this latest legal challenge by CTS as we have done several times before. The cost of CTSโs delays are for CTS to bear,โ he said. โMetrolinx is already withholding significant payments for poor performance.
โWe 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. โThe cost of CTSโs delays are for CTS to bear. Metrolinx is already withholding significant payments for poor performance.โ