The environment minister has given the green light to build the Eglinton LRT line, a 33-kilometre stretch of track that will run from Kennedy Station in the east to Pearson International Airport in the west.

TTC spokesman Ryan Bissonnette said Thursday that the environmental assessment on the project was given unobstructed approval, which is "unprecedented for a project this size in a major metropolis."

The central portion of the line will run underneath Eglinton Avenue and will travel at the same speed as the TTC's subway, said Bissonnette.

The underground section will stretch 10.5 km, from Black Creek Drive in the west to Brentcliffe Road in the east.

Bissonnette said that it isn't known when construction on the line will begin.

Workers have already broken ground on the Sheppard LRT, which is also part of the Transit City initiative.

Mayor David Miller unveiled Transit City last year to much fanfare, with a stated goal that would build 120 km of new track around the city. The plan hopes to increase rider ship by 175 million by 2021.

However, Miller said in March that the plan was in danger of going off the rails because of provincial cutbacks, which were unveiled in the Liberals' budget.

However, Bissonnette said that the provincial cuts simply changed the timeline of the project, with the project finishing up in 10 years rather than the previous goal of eight years.

He added that the Eglinton LRT was always scheduled to be completed in 2020.