The Toronto Transit Commission continues to investigate after a Scarborough RT train derailed Monday evening, and says it is considering decommissioning service on the line ahead of schedule.
Shortly before 7:30 p.m., police responded to reports of a subway train derailing at Kennedy and Ellesmere roads.
“…The trailing car of a southbound train at Ellesmere Station on Line 3 Scarborough became uncoupled from the front cars and derailed,” TTC CEO Rick Leary said in a statement Monday night.
Approximately 45 people were on the train at the time of the incident and four people were injured, Leary said. However, Toronto Fire confirmed on Tuesday that five people were sent to hospital with various non-life threatening injuries.
“I want to apologize to all those impacted by this incident and to assure our customers that safety is always paramount to all we do. I have spoken to my executive team and ordered an immediate review of this incident, using outside help and expertise as necessary,” Leary stated.
As a result, there is currently no train service between Kennedy and McCowan TTC stations and dozens of shuttle buses are running along the line until it is safe to resume train service. The TTC says approximately 40 buses are running during peak times and staff is on hand to assist customers.
TTC customers can also ride GO trains on a TTC fare at Milliken, Agincourt and Kennedy stations on the Stouffville Line and at Scarbrough and Eglinton on the Lakeshore East Line until the Scarborough RT trains resume service.
The train derailment comes only four months before the TTC was set to decommission service on the Scarborough Line 3 in November, as the trains have been in service 10 years past their design life. The TTC says express bus service will replace SRT service until the Scarborough Subway Extension is opened by the province in 2030.
In response to the train derailment, the TTC says plans are “on the table” to decommission the trains earlier than planned.
Transit advocacy group TTCriders is demanding answers and wants “urgent action” after the derailment.
“The derailment of the Scarborough RT (Line 3) is unimaginable and must be fully investigated. The consequences could have been much worse. Transit riders need answers about how this happened and whether the infrastructure and vehicles were being adequately maintained,” the group said in a statement Monday evening.
“To replace the current RT service in the interim, 70 replacement buses per hour are required during rush hour. The TTC dispatched only 20 shuttles on Monday night, which is nowhere near enough to meet Scarborough’s needs,” the statement continued.
