Yet another Toronto transit project will not meet opening target

In a story that's all too familiar for Toronto transit riders, yet another major infrastructure project is reportedly falling behind schedule, with newly obtained TTC documents indicating that the long-awaited Scarborough Subway Extension will not meet its original opening target. 

According to internal TTC emails obtained by the Toronto Star through a freedom of information request, the extension of Line 2 in Scarborough is now expected to open in 2033, exactly three years later than the previously anticipated 2030 launch. 

As reported by the Star, the documents do not identify Metrolinx as the source of the revised timeline. 

The Scarborough Subway Extension will extend the TTC's Line 2 nearly eight kilometres deeper in Scarborough, from Kennedy Station to Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road, replacing the decommissioned Line 3 Scarborough RT, which was closed months ahead of schedule after a train derailment in July 2023.

Construction of the line kicked off in early 2023 and has advanced with the construction of tunnels, and most recently, the start of work on a key station last September.

However, tunnelling work was delayed by a months-long stall in the massive tunnel boring machine etching out the line's path below Scarborough.

News of the line's resulting delay to 2033 marks another setback for commuters in Scarborough, who have relied on the replacement bus service for years. The service operates southbound via Midland Avenue and northbound via Kennedy Road between Scarborough Centre and Kennedy stations. 

As with many large-scale transit projects in Toronto, costs associated with the extension have also continued to rise, surpassing $10 billion as of last year, due largely to rising project and construction costs. 

With work on the subway extension continuing over the next several years, the City is moving ahead with the Scarborough Busway, which is now under construction. The dedicated bus corridor will replace Line 3 train service and will operate along roughly four kilometres of the former Line 3 right-of-way. 

The service will begin at Kennedy Station, with stops at Tara Avenue/Mooregate Avenue, Lawrence East Station, and Ellesmere Station, where buses will then transition to priority bus lanes to reach Scarborough Town Centre. According to the TTC, passengers will save roughly seven minutes with the new service compared to the on-street bus replacement. 

Back in December, Mayor Olivia Chow and TTC CEO Mandeep S. Lali announced that the construction for the Scarborough Busway would be accelerated, with service now scheduled to begin by this September. 

The project was originally expected to be completed in 2027. Once in service, a trip between Scarborough Centre Station and Kennedy Station is anticipated to take 15 minutes.