Under the original Transit City agreement, Metrolinx was to develop and own the crosstown light-rail line under Eglinton Avenue.
The TTC is now talking to Metrolinx about a possible long-term deal to maintain and operate the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, a $6-billion project being financed and built entirely by the provincially owned agency, Toronto Transit Commission sources have told The Globe and Mail.
TTC sources said Metrolinx has floated the possibility of issuing a request for proposals that asks for bids for a design-build-maintain-and-operate contract. Under the original Transit City agreement, Metrolinx was to develop and own the Eglinton line. At present, the TTC owns all its rail lines and rolling stock.
Metrolinx spokesperson Vanessa Thomas said in an e-mail statement that "the maintenance and operations of the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown will be determined in a future agreement. No such decision has been made at this time."
Such a deal would mark another first, as the agency has traditionally operated all its routes. The KPMG core service review of the TTC, released this week, also raised the possibility of out-sourcing TTC routes.
Special to the Globe and Mail