TTC Launches Scarborough Busway to Speed Up East End Commutes
The new four-kilometre dedicated transit corridor opens as a temporary replacement for the decommissioned Line 3 RT.
The TTC officially opened the Scarborough Busway on Wednesday, September 30, according to CityNews Toronto. The project introduces a dedicated four-kilometre transit corridor running between Ellesmere and Kennedy stations, which then links to Scarborough Town Centre via priority bus infrastructure on Ellesmere Road.
City officials estimate the busway will serve over 100,000 riders. According to CityNews Toronto, travel between Scarborough Town Centre and Kennedy is expected to take 15 minutes, which officials say will save commuters more than one hour per week.
The busway serves as a temporary solution until the Scarborough subway extension—which will extend Line 2 Bloor-Danforth to Sheppard Avenue East and McCowan Road—opens in 2030. CityNews Toronto reports the plan was initiated in November 2023 following a Line 3 Scarborough RT train derailment on July 24, 2023, that led to the corridor's early closure.
To provide express service, the busway will be used by nine TTC routes: 38 Highland Creek, 129 McCowan North, 131 Nugget, 133 Neilson, 154 Curran Hall, 903 Kennedy Stn-Scarborough Express, 904 Sheppard-Kennedy Express, 938 Highland Creek Express, and 939 Finch Express. CityNews Toronto notes that these routes will no longer operate on Midland Ave. or Kennedy Rd., with new stops established at Ellesmere Station, Lawrence East Station, and Tara Ave. Riders using Kennedy Rd. and Midland Ave. can still utilize the 57 Midland and 43 Kennedy routes. Additionally, the RT replacement bus lanes on Midland Road and Kennedy Road will be removed now that the busway is operational.