Goodbye party held for Scarborough RT on Saturday

There was one final celebration for the Scarborough RT on Saturday.

The ultimate farewell bash marked the end of an era for Line 3 which served millions of residents in the city’s east end for 38 years. People stepped on board one of two trains parked at Scarborough Town Centre Station until 4 p.m.

There was also cake, special guest speakers, local food vendors, a DJ, local merchandise, and a silent auction of SRT parts and memorabilia to raise money for the United Way.

Mayor Olivia Chow, who was on hand for Saturday’s event, noted the Scarborough RT’s impact on the city’s DNA while calling on all levels of government to step up when it comes to affordable and reliable transit for the region.

“While we celebrate the RT’s impact we can’t lose site that this is a wake up call to the city government, to the provincial and the federal government that Scarborough residents deserve an affordable, reliable, and fast transit,” Chow said to rousing applause.

Today, we bid farewell to the Scarborough RT.

It had a deep impact on our city. Even the iconic chimes you hear before the doors close across the TTC first rang out on the RT.

I am committed to getting the busway done. Scarborough deserves better. pic.twitter.com/vki5vvzcKB

— Mayor Olivia Chow (@MayorOliviaChow) September 23, 2023

The TTC announced almost a month ago that Line 3 would not resume operation following the July 24th derailment when the rear car of a southbound SRT train separated from the rest of the train approximately 500 feet from Ellesmere Station. Of the 40 passengers who were forced to evacuate, five were treated for minor injuries.

Line 3 was originally scheduled to be decommissioned on Nov. 18 with the TTC planning to run express shuttle bus service along the 6.4-kilometre route from Scarborough Centre and Kennedy stations for the next seven years until the Scarborough Subway Extension opens in 2030.

The transit agency says while a comprehensive review was still underway, the decision was made to permanently close the line ahead of schedule and begin to implement elements of the replacement plan.

Those measures include the installation of temporary road markings and signage to establish a bus-only lane southbound on Midland Avenue and one northbound lane on Kennedy Road between Eglinton Avenue and Ellesmere Road.

The TTC says features such as red-painted lanes, new queue-jump lanes and signal priority to allow buses quicker movement through mixed traffic are being rolled out over the next three months.

In the long term, the TTC says it is exploring ways to remove the existing track and power systems along the Line 3 corridor so that it can be used as a dedicated right-of-way route for buses until the new subway extension opens.

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report