The trains that used to run along the TTC’s Line 3 are set for “a new life in Detroit” after transit officials in the United States outlined plans for the vehicles.
Negotiations between the Toronto Transit Commission and the Detroit People Mover are underway for the United States city to take the trains from Toronto.
Transit officials in Detroit have approved $1 million plus shipping costs to buy parts of the Scarborough Rapid Transit (RT) line.
Robert Cramer, general manager of the Detroit Transportation Corporation, told Global News he would buy “anything” available from the Toronto closure.
“It’s a very unique set of circumstances and just so happens to be the ultimate win-win,” he said of the newly available train cars.
“They’ve decided to decommission the system. Of course, that’s a bunch of stuff that really nobody else can use and it’s a bunch of stuff that we really can’t find anywhere else and actually need.”
The Scarborough RT was closed earlier in the year after a train derailment sped up plans from the TTC to permanently shutter the line.
Five people suffered injuries when a train car derailed while leaving Ellesmere Station in July. The TTC shut the line and, after an internal investigation, decided it would not reopen it to the public.
The provincially-funded Scarborough Subway Extension is due to serve a similar area to the RT when it opens in 2030.
Stuart Green, TTC spokesperson, told Global News the decision to decommission the Scarborough RT was met with interest from transit officials in Detroit.
“They are eager to get as much as they can as quickly as possible,” he said.
The Detroit People Mover, Vancouver SkyTrain and Scarborough RT are three relatively unique lines supplied by the same train manufacturer during their inception in the 1980s.
With similar climates and the advantage of proximity, Toronto and Detroit have cooperated on their sister lines for years.
While Toronto opted to decommission its system, Detroit is continuing to run its trains.
Cramer said he had no concerns about buying trains after the derailment, which he said was a track and not a train-related issue.
“With these rail vehicles that have had some investment as far as overall goes really give us a big boost to extend the life of our system,” he said.
Green agreed, saying the trains remain ready to be used.
“The vehicles are in good shape; they’ve got many more years left in them,” he said.
The TTC plans to hold onto two trains to display in archives and museums. Meanwhile, officials in Detroit are putting their heads together to work out how to honour the Toronto heritage of the vehicles they’re able to buy.
“Maybe we’ll ask the TTC if they have any ideas also about ways we could honour that the vehicles came from Toronto. We would love to do that,” Cramer said.
“It’s such a great partnership between the cities over the years.”