Add your name for bus lanes and a busway!
Toronto City Councillors on the TTC Board will vote April 14th, 2022 on how to replace the Scarborough RT when it closes in 2023. Want to speak to City Councillors about this issue? RSVP here and TTCriders will send you more information. Deadline to register is April 13th at 12pm.
Click here to read the TTC staff report or read our summary below.
When will Line 3 train service end?
Train service on Line 3 would end in Fall 2023. The TTC is considering Saturday October 14, 2023 or Saturday November 25, 2023. If construction is complete ahead of schedule, a September closure date could also be possible, on Saturday September 2, 2023. The bus replacement service would launch on the Sunday after the Saturday closure.
What will replace the Scarborough RT?
The TTC staff report recommends a key TTCriders demand: Transforming part of RT corridor into a dedicated busway for replacement buses.
- Buses would operate in the exclusive right-of-way between Kennedy Station and Ellesmere Station, and then travel on Ellesmere Road and Brimley Road to connect to Scarborough Centre Station.
- There will be stops along the way at Lawrence Avenue East and Ellesmere Road, and a new stop will be added at Tara Avenue.
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The capital cost estimate of installing this right-of-way is $49.5 million, to remove the existing track, install new pavement for buses, and build new bus stops at the ground level.
How much replacement bus service will be provided?
- An additional 70 bus trips per hour will be needed to match current RT service levels in peak periods.
- That’s more than 1 bus per minute during peak periods.
How much longer will trips get between Scarborough Centre Station to Kennedy Station?
- Scarborough RT trip: 10 minutes (excluding any extra time from transfers, walking, or waiting for the train).
- Dedicated busway trip via Ellesmere Road and the new busway: 15 minutes.
- Replacement bus service northbound on Kennedy and South-bound on Midland during the peak period: 25 minutes.
Once the busway is built, if you are taking a bus like 133 Neilson, which will be extended and run all the way to Kennedy via the busway, your total travel time won’t get longer because you won’t spend time transferring!
What will happen in the 2 year period it takes to construct the busway?
- TTC staff are recommending “one-way service via northbound on Kennedy and southbound on Midland” to provide bus service between Kennedy and Scarborough Centre stations.
- “One-way service in each direction enables the best possible traffic signals co-ordination to improve the flow of transit for customers.”
- Brimley Road was originally a preferred corridor for replacement bus service, but the roadways are in poorer condition than TTC originally thought and wouldn't be suitable for frequent bus operation without rehabilitation first.
Will there be transit priority for replacement buses until the busway is built?
Potential transit priority measures are being discussed between the TTC and the City, and decisions will be made in the future.
- The TTC report says “other transit priority measures will be implemented along with this on-street operation, and will include signal operating modifications and physical improvements at key intersections to install queue jump lanes and farside bus bays.
- The report says that "bus lanes similar to the implementation on Eglinton East RapidTO corridor will be studied in more detail with City partners to understand the potential benefit and trade-offs."
Why will bus lanes and transit priority help?
The TTC report does not include detailed analysis of how much time could be saved with different transit priority measures. But the RapidTO bus lane along Eglinton East, Kingston, and Morningside has increased reliability by 12% and decreased travel times in peak periods (2 minutes in morning peak, 5 minutes in evening peak).
What about cycling options?
Cycling will be an important alternative for residents when the RT closes in 2023. There must be a safe, active transportation option along a roadway before the RT closes in 2023. The TTC report does not include analysis about cycling or active transportation options. The TTC report notes that the RT corridor will be widened to accommodate the busway: Would it be feasible to widen it enough to install dedicated cycling lanes alongside the new busway?
What will happen to the stations?
Could parts of the RT become an elevated park like the Highline Park in New York City?
- Potential transformation of the elevated concrete would only apply to the portion of the RT corridor north and east of Ellesmere Station, because the portion south of Ellesmere will be turned into a dedicate busway at ground level.
- Midland and McCowan stations will be closed for customer service and decommissioned.
- New bus stop platforms will need to be constructed at Lawrence East and Ellesmere stations, and additional bus platforms will be built at Kennedy and Scarborough Centre stations for the additional bus service to replace RT service.
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Councillors Paul Ainslie and Jennifer McKelvie moved a motion at City Council to explore reusing the elevated track as a new linear park and active transportation corridor.
How much will it cost to transform the RT corridor into a busway?
- $67.8 million will be required to fund operating costs between 2023 and 2030 to provide enough bus service to replace the Scarborough RT train service. The TTC is asking the provincial government for this funding.
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There is enough capital funding in 2022 for the TTC to start designing. But $62.7 million in additional capital funding is needed between 2023 and 2025.
What else can be done to improve transit connectivity in Scarborough before 2023?
TTCriders is also calling on provincial parties to commit to investment in more frequent bus service and free transfers between the TTC and GO network to immediately create more rapid transit options in Scarborough. We are also calling for funding of the Eglinton East LRT, which has been partially funded by the City of Toronto.
Photo of RapidTO lane by Zain Khurram.