Scarborough Centre is a bus terminal in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, serving multiple bus routes of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and one Durham Regional Transit (DRT) bus route. It was also a rapid transit station serving Line 3 Scarborough of the Toronto subway system until Line 3's closure on July 24, 2023. It is located north of Ellesmere Road between Brimley and McCowan Roads, just south of Highway 401. It was adjacent to the former Scarborough Centre Bus Terminal, which was a station for GO Transit buses and other intercity coach services until the TTC modified the facility for TTC buses.
Scarborough Centre  | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Scarborough Centre station platform in 2018 | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | 290 Borough Drive, Toronto, Ontario Canada | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 43°46′28″N 79°15′28″W / 43.77444°N 79.25778°W | ||||||||||
| Platforms | Side platforms | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Connections |
 Scarborough Centre Bus Terminal | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | Elevated | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Website | Official station page | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | March 22, 1985 | ||||||||||
| Closed | July 24, 2023 (Line 3) | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| 2019[1] | 24,399 | ||||||||||
| Rank | 39 of 75 (2019) | ||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
A new Scarborough Centre station is planned to be built along the Line 2 extension east of the existing station, which is set to open circa 2030.[2]
History
editScarborough Centre station was opened in 1985 along with the rest of Line 3. The station replaced transit access to the Scarborough Town Centre shopping mall's south side (at ground level along roadway).
In 2000, this station became accessible with elevators.
The Toronto Transit Commission had planned to extend Line 4 Sheppard southeast from its current terminus at Don Mills to Scarborough Centre. The 985A Sheppard East Express bus currently links the two stations, making limited stops along Sheppard Avenue. In March 2007, however, the TTC dropped this plan when it announced its Transit City proposal to build the Sheppard East LRT. The LRT proposal was later replaced by a plan to extend Line 4 eastwards from Don Mills station to McCowan Road.[2]
Around 2011, there was a proposal to convert Line 3 to light-rail with an extension of the Eglinton Crosstown line (Line 5 Eglinton) over the Line 3 right-of-way.[3][4]
In 2013, the proposal was changed to abandon the Line 3 right-of-way and build an underground extension of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth along McCowan Road. This would result in the decommissioning of all Line 3 stations beyond Kennedy station. A new Scarborough Centre station would be built east of the current station and would be oriented on a north–south alignment rather than the east–west alignment of the current station. Between 2013 and 2016, the new Scarborough Centre station was planned as a through-station.[5] In order to save money for another transit project, the plan was revised in 2016 to make it a terminal station.[6] However, in 2019 the plan was revised again to make the new Scarborough Centre station a through-station.[7][2]
In February 2021, the TTC recommended the closure of Line 3 in November 2023 and its replacement by bus service until the completion of the Scarborough extension of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth.[8] However, the rail portion of this station permanently closed following a derailment on July 24, 2023, after which the TTC decided not to reopen Line 3.[9]
Station description
editExisting station
edit.jpg){kind=spacer}
The existing station is located north of Ellesmere Road, between Brimley and McCowan Roads on the south of the Scarborough Town Centre. The station was built on three levels: Line 3 used to operate through the upper level; the mezzanine, passenger entry from the mall, and an automatic entrance from Brian Harrison Way are on the middle level; and two bus terminals were located at ground level, one for TTC buses connected by an automatic entrance to the Scarborough Centre Bus Terminal for intercity buses. (In October 2022, the intercity terminal was relocated so that the TTC bus terminal could expand into its space.[10]) There is elevator access for TTC services, making this station fully accessible to anyone with disabilities.
East of the current station, the Line 3 continued travelling east on an elevated bridge until McCowan station. West of the station, the Line 3 ran on an elevated bridge which descended after passing over Brimley Road. It continued to descend until reaching Midland station.
The TTC permanently closed the Line 3 portion of the existing station after a derailment on July 24, 2023;[9] however, the adjacent bus facilities will be kept in operation until 2030 with its bus bays reconfigured.[10]
Future station
editScarborough Centre  | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Mississauga, Ontario Canada | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Status | Under construction | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opening | 2030[8] | ||||||||||
| Future services | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
The provincial transit agency Metrolinx is building a new underground Scarborough Centre station parallel to McCowan Road along an extension of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth. The new station will be on a north–south alignment to the east of Scarborough Town Centre. The new station will have a new Scarborough Centre Bus Terminal serving TTC and GO Transit buses as well as the Durham Region Transit bus rapid transit line.[2] The new station will be located 500 metres (1,600 ft) east of the former station, on the east side of McCowan Road north of the Line 3 right-of-way next to the site of McCowan station.[11]: 00:15:54–00:21:00 The new station and bus terminal are expected to open in 2030.[8]
Nearby landmarks
editLocated in Scarborough City Centre, nearby landmarks include the Scarborough Town Centre shopping mall, Scarborough Civic Centre, Albert Campbell Square, Canada Centre government offices, and Scarborough YMCA.
Surface connections
editToronto Transit Commission Bus Terminal
editBus routes serving the bus terminal include:
| Bay number | Route | Name | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 920 (DRT) | Eastbound to Harmony Terminal | |
| 2 | 134A | Progress | Northbound to Finch Avenue East via Tapscott Road |
| 134B | Northbound to McNicoll Avenue via Tapscott Road (Rush hour service) | ||
| 134D | Northbound to Finch Avenue East via Centennial College and Tapscott Road | ||
| Northbound to Finch Avenue East via Centennial College and Crow Trail | |||
| 903A | Kennedy Station–Scarborough Express | Eastbound to Centennial College | |
| 3 | 131 | Nugget | Eastbound to Old Finch Avenue and Morningview Trail |
| 4 | 939A | Finch Express | Westbound to Finch Station |
| 939B | Westbound to Finch West Station via Finch Station | ||
| 5 | 129A | McCowan North | Northbound to Major Mackenzie Drive |
| 129B | Northbound to Steeles Avenue East | ||
| 6 | 904 | Sheppard–Kennedy Express | Westbound to Don Mills Station |
| 7 | 133 | Neilson | Northbound to Morningside Heights via Centenary Hospital |
| 8 | 38A | Highland Creek | Eastbound to Rouge Hill GO Station |
| 38B | Eastbound to University of Toronto Scarborough | ||
| 938 | Highland Creek Express | Eastbound to University of Toronto Scarborough (AM rush hour service) | |
| 9 - 13 | 38 | Highland Creek | Southbound to Kennedy Station via Midland Avenue (Line 3 express bus replacement service) |
| 129 | McCowan North | ||
| 131 | Nugget | ||
| 133 | Neilson | ||
| 903 | Kennedy Station–Scarborough Express | ||
| 904 | Sheppard–Kennedy Express | ||
| 938 | Highland Creek Express | ||
| 939 | Finch Express | ||
| 14 | 21C | Brimley | Southbound to Kennedy Station |
| 43B | Kennedy | Southbound to Kennedy Station via Progress Avenue | |
| 15 | 9 | Bellamy | Southbound to Warden Station |
| 130A | Middlefield | Northbound to Steeles Avenue East | |
| 130B | Northbound to Steeles Avenue East via Maybrook Drive (Rush hour service) | ||
| 16 | 16 | McCowan | Southbound to Warden Station |
| Wheel-Trans | |||
| 17 | 996 | Wilson Express | Westbound to Humber College |
| 18 | 132 | Milner | Northbound to McLevin Avenue and Hupfield Trail |
| 169A | Huntingwood | Westbound to Don Mills Station via Van Horne Avenue | |
| 169A | Westbound to Don Mills Station (Rush hour service) | ||
| 19 | 21C | Brimley | Northbound to Steeles Avenue East |
Other operators
editGO Transit and intercity bus services
editScarborough Centre station was also home to the Scarborough Centre Bus Terminal, which was located directly east of the TTC bus platform. Until it closed, the former bus terminal was served by GO Transit and interurban buses, which now stop at various on-street locations near Scarborough Centre station.[11]: 00:21:00–00:32:30
Durham Regional Transit
editSince September 2023, Durham Region Transit (DRT) route 920 buses serve the TTC Scarborough Centre bus terminal. With the introduction of Ontario's One Fare Program, a GTHA-wide fare integration program introduced on February 26, 2024, customers paying by Presto, credit or debit card are able to transfer between TTC and DRT buses without incurring an additional fare. As the station is located inside the TTC's fare-paid zone and as free card transfers need to be recorded for the province to reimburse participating transit agencies as well as to enforce double fares for customers ineligible for free transfers, passengers heading towards Durham Region board the DRT buses inside the TTC bus terminal, while those heading towards Scarborough Centre alight at nearby on-street stops outside of the station. The DRT buses previously terminated at McCowan station.[12][13][14]
References
edit- ^ "Subway ridership, 2019" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
This table shows the typical number of customer-trips made on each subway on an average weekday and the typical number of customers travelling to and from each station platform on an average weekday.
- ^ a b c d "Search begins for teams interested in building Scarborough Subway Extension stations". Metrolinx. September 17, 2021. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ "Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown Presentation Update - Community Meeting (York Civic Centre)" Archived July 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine June 30, 2011
- ^ "Eglinton LRT ready to launch" Archived October 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine By Tess Kalinowski, Toronto Star. June 29, 2011
- ^ "Province To Extend Bloor-Danforth Subway Line". MTO. September 4, 2013. Archived from the original on September 9, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- ^ "Tory's new Scarbourough Transit plan: One subway stop, 17 LRT stops". Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ Jennifer Pagliaro (July 6, 2018). "Design changes to Scarborough subway come with unknown costs". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c Spurr, Ben; Pagliaro, Jennifer (February 4, 2021). "TTC recommends seven years of shuttle buses on Scarborough RT ahead of 2030 subway opening". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Reporter, Lex Harvey Transportation (August 24, 2023). "TTC ends Scarborough RT service permanently". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "Line 3 Bus Replacement Study Update" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. September 15, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 19, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ a b Scarborough Centre GO Bus Platform Relocation - LIVE Event. Metrolinx. October 27, 2021. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ "September 7, 2021 service updates". Durham Region Transit. August 19, 2021. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ "September 5, 2023 service updates". Durham Region Transit. August 16, 2023. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ "Ontario's One Fare Program".
External links
edit
Media related to Scarborough Centre station at Wikimedia Commons- Official station page
