The Hazel McCallion LRT, Explained: What Mississauga’s Most-Delayed Infrastructure Project Means for Your Money
It won’t open until 2028 at the earliest — four years past its original target. Here’s what the Hazel McCallion Line actually is, why it keeps slipping, and the three places it’s already changing what things cost along Hurontario Street: rent, small business revenue, and transit fares.
If you live, rent, or run a business anywhere near Hurontario Street, the Hazel McCallion Line has probably already cost you something — closed lanes, detoured parking, lost foot traffic, or just confusion about what’s actually being built and when it’ll be done. This piece is the explainer we kept linking to from other articles without it existing: what the line is, where the money implications actually land, and what to do about it depending on which side of the transaction you’re on.
1. What it actually is
The Hazel McCallion Line (formerly called the Hurontario LRT, or Hurontario-Main LRT) is a light rail transit line under construction along Hurontario Street, running from Port Credit GO Station in south Mississauga north through Cooksville and Mississauga’s City Centre, then continuing into downtown Brampton. It’s named after Hazel McCallion, Mississauga’s mayor from 1978 to 2014, in a renaming announced in 2022 on her 101st birthday.
It’s being built and will be operated under a public-private partnership with Mobilinx, a consortium of European and Japanese companies, under a contract worth $5.6 billion total — $4.6 billion to design, build, and finance the line, plus roughly $1 billion to operate and maintain it for 30 years once it opens. Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency, retains ownership.
2. Why it’s four years behind schedule
Construction began in 2020 with a planned completion by the end of 2024. As of early 2026, that target has slipped repeatedly — and the most recent word from Metrolinx puts substantial completion in spring 2028, with testing and revenue-service demonstration still to follow after that.
Mobilinx selected as preferred proponent; construction starts in 2020 with an original fall 2024 opening target.
Pandemic-era supply chain disruption and track procurement issues pushed the project off schedule.
The province approved extending the line into downtown Brampton via tunnel, and reinstating Mississauga’s “downtown loop” through the City Centre area near Square One.
Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay told Mississauga councillors the agency now targets spring 2028 for substantial completion of construction — not the public opening date, which would follow months of testing and commissioning.
Major intersection work continues along the Hurontario corridor, including closures near Dundas Street in Cooksville. Mayor Carolyn Parrish has said she would not be surprised if the line isn’t complete until 2029.
3. The three places this hits your wallet
Rent along the corridor — while the discount window is still open
Cooksville currently holds the title of Mississauga’s most affordable neighbourhood, with average all-unit rent of $2,199/month — over $100 below the city average. Part of that is the active construction disruption itself suppressing demand. Comparable LRT openings in other North American cities have historically produced rental premiums of 5–15% within 800 metres of new stations in the years following opening. That means corridor neighbourhoods — Cooksville, Port Credit, and City Centre — are currently priced as if the disruption will last indefinitely, when in fact it’s a temporary window.
Small business revenue — and zero compensation from Metrolinx
For businesses directly on Hurontario Street, particularly in Cooksville, construction has meant reduced foot traffic, closed lanes, and unpredictable access — including intersection closures issued with less than one business day’s notice. Metrolinx’s confirmed position, consistent with its stance during the Eglinton Crosstown’s construction in Toronto, is that there is no compensation pool for businesses’ lost revenue. The Cooksville BIA confirmed this publicly after billing Metrolinx for losses tied to the Taste of Cooksville festival in September 2025 and receiving no payment.
If you operate a business on or near the corridor, the financial levers available to you are limited to BIA marketing/promotional support — not direct compensation. Our dedicated Cooksville business impact guide walks through the six concrete steps available to owners managing through this right now.
Transit fares — already being rewritten because of this line
The line crosses two transit systems with different fares: MiWay’s PRESTO fare is $3.50 (cash $4.50) versus Brampton Transit’s $3.55 (cash $4.75). Since the LRT will physically run through both cities, the Ontario government has begun work to harmonize fares and schedules across municipalities ahead of the line’s eventual opening — meaning the fare you pay once it opens may not match either city’s current rate.
4. What to actually do, depending on who you are
- Renters: if budget allows, prioritize pre-2018 rent-controlled buildings in Cooksville or Port Credit now — you lock in today’s lower rent and a capped annual increase before any post-opening repricing happens.
- Hurontario Street business owners: register with your local BIA for promotional support and advance closure notices — it’s the only mitigation currently on offer from Metrolinx.
- Homebuyers near the corridor: treat any “steps to the future LRT” marketing language with realistic timeline skepticism — 2028 is a construction target, not a confirmed opening date.
- Commuters: don’t plan a 2026 or 2027 commute around the LRT being operational. Budget your GO Transit or MiWay costs as if the line doesn’t exist yet, because for practical purposes, it doesn’t.
- Everyone: watch for fare harmonization changes — if you regularly cross between Mississauga and Brampton transit systems, the province’s fare integration push could change your costs before the line even opens.