Ontario starts Laird Station construction

Ontario officials late last week broke ground on the Laird Station as part of the future Eglinton Crosstown light-rail project.

The station's location is in Toronto's Leaside neighborhood near the midpoint of the 11.8-mile line. By summer's end, more than half of the underground stations on the line will be under construction, according to a press release issued by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne.

In March, the province began construction on the Eglinton Crosstown's first station: the Keelesdale station in Toronto's Silverthorn neighborhood.

Ontario has invested $5.3 billion (in Canadian dollars) toward the line's capital costs. The Eglinton Crosstown route is the largest transit project under construction in Canada.

Expected to begin service in 2021, the line is projected to carry 5,500 passengers per hour during peak travel times by 2031, along with an annual ridership of 50 million.

"We are making real progress on the Eglinton Crosstown LTR — part of our record investment in infrastructure that is creating jobs, strengthening our economy and building a strong and sustainable future for Ontario," Wynne said in the release.