Toronto’s transit agency says it is on course to deliver a dedicated Scarborough busway by next September, substantially ahead of its original schedule.
Mayor Olivia Chow, along with officials from the TTC, made the announcement on Friday, promising a busway would deliver faster travel times as residents wait for a subway extension in the long run.
Since decommissioning the Scarborough RT following its summer 2023 derailment, the TTC had been considering alternatives to the rapid transit route.
Converting the now-abandoned rail infrastructure into a busway has been favoured by city hall, with staff suggesting buses running along the old route would get to Scarborough Town Centre seven minutes quicker than if they were forced to drive in traffic.
Initially there were concerns about the plan from staff at city hall, who said it was over budget, unfunded and would take three years to complete.
Chow, however, said the TTC had been able to speed up construction and that the route will open in September 2026 rather than 2027.
“I want to thank the TTC for recognizing the need to accelerate this project,” she said. “Thousands of Scarborough commuters will soon have a dedicated busway, ensuring faster and more reliable travel times while we wait for the Scarborough subway to open.”
Over the past two years, the TTC has operated replacement buses on the road route once covered by the Scarborough RT.
The replacement busway will run for four kilometres along the route of the old Scarborough RT, and riding it from one end to the other is estimated to take 15 minutes.