The laboured launch of the Finch West LRT in Toronto left the new line out of service 12 per cent of the time one week, but officials say service is improving through a harsh winter.
The light rail route opened to some fanfare in early December as the first new transit project to be completed in Toronto since 2002.
It didn’t take long, however, for the line to hit trouble. Freezing temperatures wreaked havoc with its switching systems, suspending service and forcing passengers onto shuttle buses.
The line was closed for hours on Boxing Day in freezing conditions and, after a winter storm in January, stayed suspended for more than a day.
Data on the Finch West LRT’s performance, shared with Global News by Metrolinx, shows service availability dropped to 88 per cent one week.
Since it launched, the line has been open as planned 94 per cent of the time on average. Week-by-week, it has been:
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- Dec. 7, 2025: 94 per cent
- Dec. 14, 2025: 97 per cent
- Dec. 21, 2025: 88 per cent
- Dec. 28, 2025: 94 per cent
- Jan. 4, 2026: 98 per cent
- Jan. 11, 2026: 90 per cent
- Jan. 18, 2026: 97 per cent
- Jan. 25, 2026: 90 per cent
- Feb. 1, 2026: 99 per cent
A spokesperson for Metrolinx pointed out the line was impacted by winter weather and, without freezing temperatures and snow, performed at close to full capacity.
“The 94% availability rate included three days with significant service impacts due to isolated events and severe weather,” they wrote in a statement.
“For days unimpacted by weather or isolated events, we saw that service availability was 97% — which is within our current expectations for this new transit service and will continue to implement improvements.”
Aside from major issues clearing snow from the line after a record-breaking snowstorm in January, the key issue on the Finch West LRT has been freezing rail switches.
The system uses electric heaters to keep the switches running in winter, the same kind of technology that caused issues on the Ottawa LRT.
Metrolinx said its operators getting used to working those systems was behind the better service.
“The recent improvements to the Finch West LRV schedule are the result of Operators gaining experience and becoming more familiar and comfortable with the system,” the spokesperson said.
In before all the far-right magat freaks.