On July 24, 2023, 38 years of Line 3, the Scarborough RT, came to an ignoble end when a car came off the tracks just south of Ellesmere Station, four months ahead of the scheduled closure of the deteriorating line. Though the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) were hesitant to say so at the time, it was apparent that the July derailment meant Line 3’s permanent closure. A farewell party, with two SRT cars, was held at Scarborough Centre Station on September 23, 2023, allowing the public to have one last sit in the venerable cars.
I went to check out the new temporary bus lanes on Midland and Kennedy, installed ahead of a planned busway between Kennedy and Ellesmere Stations. The busway, which will open in 2025 after the old SRT right-of-way is decommissioned, will include a new stop at Tara Avenue, at the Meadoway trail.
In the meantime, most drivers appear to be respecting the new painted lanes, even on busy Kennedy Road. With several bus routes from north and east Scarborough diverted to Kennedy Station to provide a more pleasant ride, the bus lanes are very well used.
You can read more about the planned busway on Urban Toronto, where I am now a contributor.
Sean Marshall 