Investigation continues into Scarborough derailment

TORONTO — An investigation continues into the July 24 derailment on the Toronto Transit Commission’s Scarborough RT line, with the TTC saying on Thursday that “another couple of weeks” would be required for the ongoing assessment of equipment and infrastructure.

Test trains ran in the area of the Lawrence and Ellesmere stations “as part of the investigation only,” according to the TTC Media Relations feed on X/Twitter.

Five people went to the hospital with injuries when the last car of a four-car Scarborough line train detached from the rest of the trainset and derailed near the Ellesmere station [see “Five require treatment …,” Trains News Wire, July 24, 2023].

The 4-mile, six-station line — unlike the rest of the Toronto subway system in its use of lighter-weight equipment — was already scheduled to be closed for good in November before the accident. Buses will replace the rail line while another subway route is extended to take its place, a process expected to take until 2030. The TTC had said in the days following the accident that the Scarborough line would be closed at least three weeks while the accident was investigated; it also cautioned that “early decommissioning is on the table.”