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The Subway That Took a Generation: Why the Eglinton Crosstown’s Delays Were Even Worse Than You Think

  Toronto has a long history of transit projects that drag on, but the Eglinton Crosstown LRT has become the city’s defining example of how complicated, political, and painfully slow building transit can be. Most people think of the project as something that started in the early 2010s and simply ran over schedule. The truth is far messier—and stretches back decades. A Project With Roots in the 1990s Long before shovels hit the ground in 2011, the idea of rapid transit along Eglinton was already alive. In the mid‑1990s, the TTC began digging tunnels for what was then called the Eglinton West Subway . Construction actually started—tunnels were being carved out under the street—until the project was abruptly cancelled in 1995. The partially built tunnels were filled in, and the corridor sat untouched for years. That early false start meant that by the time the Crosstown was revived as part of the Transit City plan in 2007, planners weren’t starting fresh. They were restarting a dr...

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Wall Street braces for inflation data amid Fed uncertainty

Wall Street is set to open lower on Monday as investors await the latest inflation data and the Federal Reserve’s next move on interest rates.

The S&P 500 futures fell 0.5% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 0.4% ahead of the opening bell.

The main focus this week will be the government’s consumer prices report, due on Tuesday, which will show how much inflation has eased or worsened in February. Inflation has been a major concern for the markets, as it erodes the value of future earnings and could prompt the Fed to tighten monetary policy faster than expected.

The Fed has raised interest rates 11 times since March 2022, bringing its benchmark rate to a 23-year high of about 5.4%. The central bank has said it expects to cut rates three times in 2024, but has not given any clear signal on the timing of the first cut.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell testified to Congress last week, but did not offer any new insights into the Fed’s outlook or plans. Powell said the Fed would continue to monitor the economic data and act as appropriate to support the recovery.

Investors will also pay attention to other economic indicators this week, such as the producer prices index, the retail sales report, and the consumer sentiment survey.

Meanwhile, the earnings season is winding down, with a few notable companies left to report their results. Oracle, Kohl’s, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General are among the companies scheduled to release their quarterly numbers this week.

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