There are a number of things that often jump out in images of ongoing progress on the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) project – the large scale, depths of digging, people-power and how the Toronto communities involved are forever being changed by the future transit line.

But today we wanted to focus on two other things – the beauty as well as the technical prowess that’s going into making the line safe for passengers.

In this first image, the construction of this section of tunnel, connecting the Black Creek portal to Keelesdale Station,  looks like a piece of art you’d hang on the wall. Look to the hint of blue at the far end. On the very practical side, all rail installation is now complete in this section.

This second photo captures an important piece of safety equipment. In the unlikely event any light rail vehicle’s brakes fail, a special device on the connecting track between the Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility (EMSF) and Mount Dennis will guide the train to safely derail off to the side, preventing injuries. It’s a bit like the emergency truck lanes designed on steep-grade highways, that give drivers having brake difficulties a place to safely pull off, to be quickly stopped.

The two photos are good examples that Crosstown is urban art – but with a lot of substance along the line.