Delays, dysfunction and ballooning costs: Finch West LRT enters court battle [Video]

A consortium of companies building the Finch West LRT is warning the Ford government that the project has been saddled with “growing dysfunction, expensive delays and ballooning costs” stemming from an ongoing dispute it has with Metrolinx and TTC.

A legal challenge, launched in early August by Mosaic Transit Partners, claims Metrolinx “breached its contractual obligations” by entering into a separate operator contract with the TTC to run the line which, the consortium believes, is “inconsistent” with the original construction agreement signed with the province.

In return, Global News has learned, Metrolinx is withholding roughly $500 million from Mosiac until the project reaches substantial completion — the technical milestone required in order for the TTC and Metrolinx to officially take over the line.

The complaint that the TTC is effectively interfering with the completion of the Finch West LRT appears to mirror a similar lawsuit and complaint launched by the builders of the heavily delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT last year.