In an escalation of a legal dispute that has cast doubt on the completion date of the province’s largest transit project, Metrolinx is going to court in an attempt to block a lawsuit from the consortium building the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.Last month Crosslinx Transit Solutions, the consortium constructing the $5.3 billion light rail line, filed a notice of action against Metrolinx that claimed the transit agency had breached the project’s contract. The notice said Crosslinx intended to seek an unspecified amount for damages, as well as an extension to the September 2021 construction deadline for the LRT.Read more:Companies building Eglinton Crosstown LRT sue Metrolinx for breach of contractCity council votes to extend Eglinton LRT to MalvernOn Wednesday, Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency, fired back with an application seeking a stay of the proceedings that Crosslinx launched.In its 10-page filing to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the transit agency argues the “detailed dispute resolution procedure” spelled out in the Crosstown contract stipulates disagreements between the parties should be settled only after the project is complete. Crosslinx is “contractually required, during the construction period, to attempt to recover schedule and mitigate any delay,” Metrolinx’s filing asserts.It says the agency’s position is that the 2021 deadline can be met, and Metrolinx “requires and insists” that Crosslinx complete the LRT by that date.The notice asks for a “declaration that no further steps may be taken in the action” Crosslinx has launched unless the court grants permission, and for Metrolinx to be awarded legal costs.A spokesperson from Crosslinx, a consortium made up of construction giants Aecon, Dragados, EllisDon, and SNC-Lavalin, said Wednesday the group was “disappointed” Metrolinx had “taken this unnecessary pre-emptive step.” “Crosslinx has w ...
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