Why does winter weather seem to throw the Finch West LRT off track?
Repeated service disruptions during snow and freezing rain over its first month of operations have added to riders’ woes.
Jan. 6, 2026
The Finch West LRT has had repeated service disruptions because of switch problems during inclement weather.
By Andy Takagi Transportation Reporter
Only a month into its operation, the Finch West LRT has struggled repeatedly during winter weather, adding to riders’ frustrations with its sluggish operations and raising concerns over what it might portend for the Eglinton Crosstown.
The agencies in charge of the $3.5-billion light-rail line, meanwhile, are tight-lipped about why the brand-new line has been tripped up during the season for which Canada is best-known.
Finch West, which opened on Dec. 7, was plagued with delays on its opening day, when the line was blanketed with heavy snow. A snowstorm on Boxing Day caused switch issues, according to the TTC, which led to multiple service disruptions. And again, on Monday, the line was temporarily shut down for stretches due switch issues after a snowfall.
During icy rain and snow, the Line 6 has been particularly affected, with switch issues cropping up along the line. Switches are parts of the line where the train is able to change to another track, which happens along the Finch West Line.
A record of service disruptions
Specific data on the line’s delays hasn’t been made available yet. But the 10-kilometre line has so far been plagued by multiple service alerts, according to the TTC’s X account, which offers a high-level overview.
Since Dec. 7, the Finch West has had no service on portions of its line 14 days of its 29 days of service — in other words, it’s had some type of closure (ranging from intruders or debris on the tracks to mechanical issues) for nearly half of the days it has been in operation.
No transit agency involved with the Finch West LRT answered when asked whether inclement weather was the problem or if the issues were more structural.
“All of Metrolinx’s projects are planned and constructed to run in adverse weather conditions, including snow,” a spokesperson for Metrolinx said, via the TTC. Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency, has overseen the construction of both the Finch West and the Eglinton Crosstown LRTs.
"We have no insights into the mechanics of the switches,” said Stuart Green, spokesperson for the TTC, about the Finch problems. The TTC manages switches on both its streetcar and subway tracks.
“Metrolinx built, owns and maintains the line,” Green added. “I can only offer what they have provided.
”Although the TTC operates the trains on the Finch West line, it is maintained by Mosaic Transit Group, a private company contracted by Metrolinx. Mosaic did not respond to requests for comment.
The 18-stop LRT line runs from Finch West Station in the east to Humber Polytechnic’s north campus in the west and replaced most of the 36 Finch West bus route.
Construction on the Finch West LRT began in 2019, and it was originally slated to open in 2021, but the line’s opening was pushed back for various reasons, including vehicle delivery delays, the pandemic and a lawsuit.
When it finally opened last month, Line 6 was greeted with disappointment by many riders because of its sluggish performance, which city hall has promised to fix.
Local frustrations
For local residents, like Butterfly GoPaul, every day that the line runs slowly, or has a period when it doesn’t run at all, there is a real cost for a neighbourhood that is predominantly transit-reliant and working-class.
“It’s so frustrating,” said GoPaul, a member of Jane Finch Action Against Poverty. After riding the LRT for the first time Sunday, she said she’s thankful she wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry.
“This stuff is predictable. It’s not like Toronto never dealt with snow,” GoPaul said. Jane and Finch is an area that has had a historical need for rapid transit, GoPaul explained, especially for precarious workers.
“If this is your only route, what recourse do you have? Folks can’t afford Ubers and taxis. This shouldn’t even be a problem,” she added.
The long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown, which is expected to open in early February, was also built by a private consortium and will be maintained by a private contractor.
The line could also have switch issues like the Finch West, depending on the communication system used on the line, said Steve Munro, who has written on Toronto transit for decades.
The Eglinton LRT runs on the surface for almost half its 19-kilometre length.
“There are so many different ways that they can have failures,” said Munro. “It’s not like there’s one or two (issues) and you say, right, we fixed this and all the problems are solved.”
Without clear explanation from the TTC, Metrolinx or Mosaic, there’s little information TTC watchers can gather from public data on fixes that are made by Mosaic, the private consortium.
“The only real indication, if things were being repaired, is that the frequency of various types of errors should diminish,” Munro said.
Repeated service disruptions during snow and freezing rain over its first month of operations have added to riders’ woes.
Jan. 6, 2026
The Finch West LRT has had repeated service disruptions because of switch problems during inclement weather.
By Andy Takagi Transportation Reporter
Only a month into its operation, the Finch West LRT has struggled repeatedly during winter weather, adding to riders’ frustrations with its sluggish operations and raising concerns over what it might portend for the Eglinton Crosstown.
The agencies in charge of the $3.5-billion light-rail line, meanwhile, are tight-lipped about why the brand-new line has been tripped up during the season for which Canada is best-known.
Finch West, which opened on Dec. 7, was plagued with delays on its opening day, when the line was blanketed with heavy snow. A snowstorm on Boxing Day caused switch issues, according to the TTC, which led to multiple service disruptions. And again, on Monday, the line was temporarily shut down for stretches due switch issues after a snowfall.
During icy rain and snow, the Line 6 has been particularly affected, with switch issues cropping up along the line. Switches are parts of the line where the train is able to change to another track, which happens along the Finch West Line.
A record of service disruptions
Specific data on the line’s delays hasn’t been made available yet. But the 10-kilometre line has so far been plagued by multiple service alerts, according to the TTC’s X account, which offers a high-level overview.
Since Dec. 7, the Finch West has had no service on portions of its line 14 days of its 29 days of service — in other words, it’s had some type of closure (ranging from intruders or debris on the tracks to mechanical issues) for nearly half of the days it has been in operation.
No transit agency involved with the Finch West LRT answered when asked whether inclement weather was the problem or if the issues were more structural.
“All of Metrolinx’s projects are planned and constructed to run in adverse weather conditions, including snow,” a spokesperson for Metrolinx said, via the TTC. Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency, has overseen the construction of both the Finch West and the Eglinton Crosstown LRTs.
"We have no insights into the mechanics of the switches,” said Stuart Green, spokesperson for the TTC, about the Finch problems. The TTC manages switches on both its streetcar and subway tracks.
“Metrolinx built, owns and maintains the line,” Green added. “I can only offer what they have provided.
”Although the TTC operates the trains on the Finch West line, it is maintained by Mosaic Transit Group, a private company contracted by Metrolinx. Mosaic did not respond to requests for comment.
The 18-stop LRT line runs from Finch West Station in the east to Humber Polytechnic’s north campus in the west and replaced most of the 36 Finch West bus route.
Construction on the Finch West LRT began in 2019, and it was originally slated to open in 2021, but the line’s opening was pushed back for various reasons, including vehicle delivery delays, the pandemic and a lawsuit.
When it finally opened last month, Line 6 was greeted with disappointment by many riders because of its sluggish performance, which city hall has promised to fix.
Local frustrations
For local residents, like Butterfly GoPaul, every day that the line runs slowly, or has a period when it doesn’t run at all, there is a real cost for a neighbourhood that is predominantly transit-reliant and working-class.
“It’s so frustrating,” said GoPaul, a member of Jane Finch Action Against Poverty. After riding the LRT for the first time Sunday, she said she’s thankful she wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry.
“This stuff is predictable. It’s not like Toronto never dealt with snow,” GoPaul said. Jane and Finch is an area that has had a historical need for rapid transit, GoPaul explained, especially for precarious workers.
“If this is your only route, what recourse do you have? Folks can’t afford Ubers and taxis. This shouldn’t even be a problem,” she added.
The long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown, which is expected to open in early February, was also built by a private consortium and will be maintained by a private contractor.
The line could also have switch issues like the Finch West, depending on the communication system used on the line, said Steve Munro, who has written on Toronto transit for decades.
The Eglinton LRT runs on the surface for almost half its 19-kilometre length.
“There are so many different ways that they can have failures,” said Munro. “It’s not like there’s one or two (issues) and you say, right, we fixed this and all the problems are solved.”
Without clear explanation from the TTC, Metrolinx or Mosaic, there’s little information TTC watchers can gather from public data on fixes that are made by Mosaic, the private consortium.
“The only real indication, if things were being repaired, is that the frequency of various types of errors should diminish,” Munro said.
