Line 3 Scarborough

"Scarborough line" redirects here. For the railway in Yorkshire, see York–Scarborough line.
Line 3 Scarborough
An S-series train at the Line 3 platform of Kennedy station
Overview
StatusClosed
OwnerToronto Transit Commission
LocaleToronto, Ontario, Canada
Termini
Stations6[1]
WebsiteOfficial route page
Service
TypeLight rapid transit
SystemToronto subway
Operator(s)Toronto Transit Commission
Depot(s)McCowan Yard
Rolling stockS series
History
OpenedMarch 22, 1985 (1985-03-22)
ClosedJuly 24, 2023 (2023-07-24)[2]
Technical
Line length6.4 km (4.0 mi)[3]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification600 V DC fifth rail
SignallingThales SelTrac CBTC
Route map
Map Line 3 Scarborough highlighted in blue
Legend
McCowan Yard
 McCowan
Scarborough Centre
Midland
Stouffville line
to Old Elm
 Ellesmere
Lawrence East
Line 5 Eglinton
 Kennedy
TTC
 
│ GO
Line 2 Bloor–Danforth
Stouffville line
to Union Station
This diagram:

Line 3 Scarborough, originally known as Scarborough RT (SRT), is a defunct medium-capacity rapid transit line that was part of the Toronto subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[4][5] The line ran entirely within the eastern district of Scarborough, encompassing six stations and 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi) of mostly elevated track. It connected with Line 2 Bloor–Danforth at its southwestern terminus, Kennedy, and terminated in the northeast at McCowan. Until its closure in July 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,908,000 per year.

The rolling stock of Line 3 consisted of smaller, semi-automated, medium-capacity trains, rather than the larger heavy-rail subway trains used on other lines in the system. Designated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) as the S series, these were Intermediate Capacity Transit System (ICTS) Mark I trains built by the Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC). The trains were powered by linear induction motors and operate on 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge tracks, unlike the heavy-rail subway lines and the Toronto streetcar system, which use the unique 1,495 mm (4 ft 10+7⁄8 in) Toronto gauge.

The line remained mostly unchanged from its opening in 1985 and contained two of the least-used stations in the system. Beginning in the late 2000s, Toronto City Council debated over competing plans to revitalize and expand the line, to convert its right-of-way for use by modern light rail vehicles, or to close the line and extend Line 2 Bloor–Danforth farther into Scarborough along a different route. In 2013, the council decided on a three-station extension of Line 2 to replace Line 3 along a different route. In 2016, in order to free up funds for another transit project, the city reduced the extension to include only one station,[6][7] which was set to be completed by 2026.[8] In 2019, Progressive Conservative premier Doug Ford reinstated the three-station Scarborough subway extension and committed to completing it by 2030, with all construction costs to be borne by the province.[9][10]

The TTC planned for Line 3 to cease operations in November 2023,[11] with shuttle buses running in place of Line 3 train service until the Line 2 Bloor–Danforth subway extension to the existing Scarborough Centre station opened for service, which was estimated to be in 2030.[12] However, a train derailment in July 2023 resulted in the line permanently closing four months ahead of schedule.[13][14] By March 2023, a plan existed to convert a portion of the existing right-of-way between Kennedy and Ellesmere stations into a bus right-of-way, including an additional stop at Mooregate Avenue / Tara Avenue, located near a pedestrian bridge that spans over the former Line 3 and GO Transit's Stouffville line between Eglinton Avenue and Lawrence Avenue. In 2023, the busway was targeted for completion by 2025.[15][16]

  1. ^ "Toronto Transit Commission Subway ridership – 2018" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "TTC, City improving Line 3 Scarborough bus shuttle routes as train service set to permanently end". August 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "2011 TTC Operating Statistics". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  4. ^ "Subway". Schedules & Maps. Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2017. Line 3 Scarborough has six stations
  5. ^ "Line 3 will stay closed permanently after Scarborough RT derailment". Toronto. August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference TheStar-2016-01-20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Scarborough subway confirmed by Toronto council". Toronto Star. October 8, 2013. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Spurr, Ben; Pagliaro, Jennifer (February 4, 2021). "TTC recommends seven years of shuttle buses on Scarborough RT ahead of 2030 subway opening". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  9. ^ "Premier Ford Unveils Transportation Vision". news.ontario.ca. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  10. ^ "Line 2 East Extension". www.ttc.ca. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  11. ^ "Here is when the last Scarborough RT train will run before line is demolished".
  12. ^ @TTChelps (June 22, 2023). "Crews were busy installing signage to help Line 3 Scarborough customers stay informed" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Harvey, Lex (July 27, 2023). "Scarborough RT to remain closed for at least three weeks after derailment". Toronto Star.
  14. ^ Harvey, Lex. "TTC ends Scarborough RT service permanently". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference TTC-SRT-Future was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Scarborough is about to lose its light rail line. The city's replacement plan has alarmed residents". Toronto Star. May 1, 2023. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.