Remember Transit City? OneCity? SmartTrack? How about plans to extend the Scarborough RT to Malvern… or replace it with a light rail transit line? Remember the Sheppard East LRT? Or the “express”, one-stop subway?

With news that Scarborough residents face years of bus commutes between the end of service along the TTC’s Line 3 Scarborough and the opening of the future extension of its Line 2 Bloor - Danforth to Scarborough Centre and beyond, let’s review our archives to explore the recent transit history of Scarborough.

Route histories

• “A history of subways on Bloor and Queen Streets”, by James Bow, here.
• “The Scarborough rapid transit line”, by James Bow, here.
• “Network 2011 — To think of what could have been”, by James Bow, here.
• “The Scarborough rapid transit extension (1990s proposal), by James Bow, here.

News

2005 to 2010

• June 25, 2005: “Editorial: Time to replace the Scarborough RT”, by James Bow, here.
• July 27, 2005: “Commissioners mull Scarborough RT’s future”, by James Bow, here.
• October 9, 2005: “Scarborough residents, councillors push for Bloor - Danforth extension to replace RT”, by James Bow, here.
• November 12, 2005: “Scarborough or York? That is the question”, by James Bow, here.
• November 25, 2005: TTC considers LRTs for Kingston Road, Eglinton East”, by James Bow, here.
• April 24, 2006: “Three choices for Scarborough”, by James Bow, here.
• August 23, 2006: “Scarborough councillors see the LRT light”, by Matt Blackett, here.
• March 16, 2007: “Welcome to Transit City”, by Matt Blackett, here.
• June 15, 2007: “McGuinty announces major transportation plan”, by James Bow, here.
• March 28, 2008: “Provincial budget helps fund transit”, here.
• April 7, 2008: “Extending the Scarborough RT: Open house, April 15”, here.
• April 7, 2008: “Transit City begins: Sheppard East LRT open houses, April 15, 17”, here.
• July 16, 2008: “Transit City continues: Scarborough - Malvern LRT open houses, July 23 and 24”, here.
• September 23, 2008: “The Big Move: Metrolinx launches Regional Transportation Plan”, here.
• April 2, 2009: “Ontario government supports six rapid-transit projects”, here.
• April 30, 2009: “Streetcars??? What streetcars? Who said anything about streetcars?”, here.
• May 15, 2009: “McGuinty, Harper announce more funding for transit”, by James Bow, here.
• July 24, 2009: “Metrolinx to own and control new transit projects?”, here.
• September 24, 2009: “We predict… something’s happening on Sheppard East”, here.
• October 28, 2009: “Transit City begins: GO closes part of Agincourt Station parking lot for Sheppard East LRT construction”, here.
• December 23, 2009: “Transit City begins: Officials launch construction of Sheppard East LRT”, here.
• March 26, 2010: “Less money for transit projects in Ontario budget”, here.
• May 1, 2010: “Will the province ‘Save Transit City’, after all?”, here.
• May 5, 2010: “Shorter Transit City lines with fewer stops?”, here.
• May 17, 2010: “‘5 in 10’: Metrolinx proposes building five priority projects in ten years”, here.
• May 19, 2010: “Metrolinx approves the ‘5 in 10’ plan, revising Transit City and Viva projects”, here.
• June 14, 2010: “Metrolinx signs contract with Bombardier to buy as many as 300 light rail vehicles”, here.
• June 14, 2010: “Province approves ‘5 in 10’ plan to build five transit projects in ten years”, here.
• October 11, 2010: “City buying rights to land for Sheppard East LRT project”, here.
• October 22, 2010: “Ontario approves extending Scarborough RT”, here.
• December 1, 2010: “‘Transit City’s over,’ says Mayor Ford,” here.

2011 to 2015

• January 20, 2011: “Poll shows Torontonians support light rail — if it’s underground,”, here.
• February 16, 2011: “City to seek private finances to build subways?”, here.
• March 31, 2011: “Sheppard subway, Eglinton LRT to operate by 2020, as province, city reach deal,”, here.
• January 12, 2012: “On-line campaign asks riders to ‘Save Transit City’,” here.
• January 12, 2012: “CodeRedTO organizers look for compromise on transit plans”, here.
• January 25, 2012: “A new transit plan for Toronto?”, here.
• February 1, 2012: “Ford allies move to block debate on Eglinton LRT”, by James Bow, here.
• February 6, 2012: “Special Toronto City Council meeting February 8 to discuss transit plans”, here.
• February 6, 2012: “Grassroots organizations encourage Torontonians to take part in transit decision-making process”, here.
• February 7, 2012: “Mayor Ford asks Torontonians to support his transit plan”, here.
• February 8, 2012: “‘Transit City’s not over’, City Council says”, here.
• March 2, 2012: “‘Madrid, Paris, NYC and London… have subway networks’ (and three of them also have LRTs)”, here.
• March 16, 2012: “‘Expert panel’ recommends light rail, not subway, for Sheppard Avenue East”, here.
• March 22, 2012: “It’s LRT… City Council approves light rail transit for Sheppard”, here.
• April 25, 2012: “Metrolinx approves construction schedule for building four Toronto light rail transit lines”, here.
• June 27, 2012: “TTC chair, commissioner unveil $30B ‘One City’ transit plan”, here.
• October 29, 2012: “More subways for Scarborough? TTC investigates (again)”, here.
• November 28, 2018: “TTC, Metrolinx formalize LRT construction and PRESTO rollout agreement”, by James Bow, here.
• April 28, 2013: “Sheppard East LRT ‘on hold’?”, here.
• December 13, 2013: “Metrolinx needs ‘major course correction’ for ‘The Big Move’, report says”, here.
• January 18, 2015: “‘Scarborough Subway’: Public meetings, January 31, February 2”, here.
• February 10, 2015: “Public transit dominates agenda for Toronto City Council this week”, here.
• February 14, 2015: “SmartTrack moves smartly ahead, as City Council agrees to study the plan”, here.
• February 14, 2015: “What is SmartTrack?”, here.
• February 15, 2015: “Metrolinx to build a second track on Stouffville GO rail corridor”, here.
• March 7, 2015: “Heading down the track: the Scarborough Subway”, here.
• March 13, 2015: “Metrolinx continues to progress toward regional express rail services”, here.
• April 23, 2015: Ontario vows to build more transit with 2015 budget”, here.
• April 28, 2015: “Sheppard East LRT ‘on hold’?”, here.
• June 19, 2015: Federal government will support SmartTrack”, here.

2016 to 2020

• January 21, 2016: “Transit City? Not ‘over’, after all”, here.
• January 21, 2016: SmartTrack: 300,000 passengers in 2031?”, here.
• March 8, 2016: “What will rapid transit in Toronto look like in 15 years?”, here.
• March 9, 2016: “Integrating SmartTrack into GO’s regional express rail”, here.
• June 22, 2016: “New GO stations in East Toronto support regional express rail, SmartTrack plans”, here.
• July 1, 2016: Metrolinx board of directors approves 12 new GO stations”, here.
• July 11, 2016: Metrolinx continues to expand GO’s Stouffville rail corridor”, here.
• July 18, 2016: “City Council approves 15-year transit plan, other Toronto transit proposals”, here.
• August 24, 2016: “Government of Canada to fund Toronto transit projects”, here.
• November 9, 2016: “Toronto to share costs for SmartTrack, other transit proposals”, here.
• May 15, 2016: “Where shall we build new GO stations?”, here.
• February 3, 2017: “City of Toronto report reveals more details of ‘Scarborough Subway’ project”, here.
• March 30, 2017: “Toronto City Council approves next steps for ‘Scarborough Subway’”, here.
• April 13, 2019: “Premier Doug Ford announces $28.5 billion transit plan for Toronto”, here.
• October 21, 2019: “Ontario withdraws plans to upload subway; Toronto agrees to support Ontario Line”, here.
• February 23, 2020: “Ontario, Toronto formally sign agreement to advance transit projects”, here.
• March 10, 2020: “Infrastructure Ontario, Metrolinx issue qualifications for proposals for two projects”, here.
• March 16, 2020: “Metrolinx releases business case for ‘Scarborough subway extension’”, here.
• August 5, 2020: “Infrastructure Ontario, Metrolinx shortlist tunneling teams for two priority projects”, here.