There’s still no opening date for the much troubled Eglinton Crosstown LRT project.

Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster cites technical issues in the testing and commissioning phase that are continuously pushing the completion date ever further down the track

”We will announce an opening date once the high risk testing / commissioning work has been completed, but not before that time.  Any prediction of an opening date at this stage of the project will just be an estimate, and I’m not comfortable giving that,” adds Verster.

”When I give you a date it must be something I believe in and we’re not there yet.”

Verster promises to ”update the public and communities continuously over the next period of time – every 2-months – on the progress.”

Work on the 25-stop,19-kilometre Eglinton Crosstown began in 2011 and was initially supposed to be completed by 20-20, then 20-21 and then last Fall.

Budget for the troubled transit line has reportedly soared to nearly $13-billion, including 30-year maintenance costs.

That’s more than double initial estimates.