Toronto's Scarborough RT will not re-open

The TTC’s RT line 3 linking Kennedy subway station and Scarborough, which has been closed since 24 July after a derailment, will not re-open. The line was due to be shut down in November as work starts on the extension of the subway to Scarborough, but it has now been decided that the replacement buses arranged to cover the closure from 24 July will continue to operate for several years until the new subway is opened, probably in 2030. 

 

A TTC statement said, ‘The decision has been made to permanently close the line and begin to implement elements of the replacement plan. These measures will improve transit priority and operations, provide frequent high-capacity bus service and ensure customers can plan their trips online in September’. What the statement does not say is that the 11-minute RT ride is replaced by a 20-minute bus ride. Demonstrators held a mock funeral service for the line on 23 August. 

 

The 6.4km Scarborough RT line was opened in March 1985 and carried about 4.7M passengers/year on 7 automated two-car trains built by Bombardier that featured linear induction motors and the SELTRAC automation system. Power came from third/fourth rails. However all trains carried a member of staff to monitor operations and operate the doors. The line was originally intended to be a tramway, but the Government of Ontario, which provided most of the funding, insisted on a showcase for the Intermediate Capacity Transit System developed by its own Urban Transportation Development Corporation (then sold to Bombardier).