Scarborough Centre

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Text by James Bow

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Scarborough Centre is a station on the Scarborough RT, one stop west of McCowan and, after Kennedy, the second most used station on the line. It opened with the rest of the Scarborough RT on March 24, 1985 and shares the steel-and-glass architectural style of other stations on the line, save for Kennedy. The station serves the Scarborough Town Centre and the Scarborough Civic Centre, the former site of Scarborough City Hall, and currently the site of one of its major public libraries and civic offices.

Scarborough RT Trains pull through Scarborough Centre station and serve side platforms. There is a large mezzanine level running the length of the station where passengers access turnstiles leading them to the Scarborough Centre Mall and civic offices, and a third level occupied by a major TTC bus terminal on the west side, and a regional transit bus terminal serving GO Transit buses and some intercity buses heading east of Toronto on the east side. The regional transit centre is outside the TTC fare zone and is accessed by a stairwell leading from the mezzanine level (outside the TTC exit) and from an automatic fare entrance at the east end of the TTC’s bus terminal.

The automatic fare entrance features an old TTC collector’s booth, which does not appear to have ever been used. The glass has been covered over, and passengers must use automatic turnstiles in order to enter the TTC fare-paid area. The collector’s booth may have been the legacy of earlier plans to make this level the main exit from the station, requiring passengers to cross the roadway to enter the Scarborough Town Centre mall. This entrance became redundant with the construction of the footbridge one level above providing direct access to the mall and civic offices.

Scarborough Centre station is used 26,470 riders on an average weekday (as of 2014), many arriving from the numerous feeder bus services and using the Scarborough RT as a shuttle to the Bloor-Danforth subway at Kennedy.

Service Notes (as of date before Scarborough RT Shutdown, July 23, 2023):

Off-Site Resources:
Line: 3 SCARBOROUGH RT
Address: 290 Borough Drive
Opened: March 24, 1985
Average Weekday Ridership: 26,470 (2014); 29,610 (2013)
Hours of Operation:
First Train to Kennedy: 5:47 a.m. weekdays, 5:51 a.m. Saturdays/holidays, 7:49 a.m. Sundays.
Last Train to Kennedy: 1:19 a.m. every day.
First Train to McCowan: 6:10 a.m. weekdays, 6:13 a.m. Saturdays/holidays, 8:21 a.m. Sundays.
Last Train to McCowan: 1:41 a.m. every day
Entrances: Town Centre Entrance, accessible (located on a walkway between the Scarborough Town Centre and the Scarborough Civic Centre.)
Brian Henderson Way, accessible, but automatic - token and Metropass only (located on a walkway between 60 and 80 Brian Harrison Way)
GO Bus Terminal, non-accessible, automatic - token and Metropass only (located at the west end of the Scarborough Centre GO Bus terminal. No direct entrance from the street. Note that the GO Bus terminal is not an accessible stop for GO buses).
Elevators (click here for maintenance schedule): Two:
- from bus terminal serving mezzanine level and westbound platform
- from bus terminal serving mezzanine and eastbound platform.
Escalators (click here for maintenance schedule): Six:
- westside mezzanine to RT platforms (2), up at all times
- eastside mezzanine to RT platforms (2), down at all times
- westside bus platform to mezzanine, down at all times
- eastside bus platform to mezzanine, up at all times
Wheelchair Accessible Since: June 9, 2000
Parking: None (surrounding parking is for mall and civic-centre use only)
No in-station washrooms
Token and pass vending machines
Two side platforms

Inter-Regional Connections

GO Transit/Metrolinx
Greyhound

TTC Surface Route Connections:

Historic TTC Surface Route Connections:

Scarborough Centre Station Image Archive

	The layout of the bus terminal for Scarborough Centre station, as originally assigned on March 22, 1985. Map by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos.
	The bus platform level (looking east - the mall is on the left). A confusing mass of conduits, concrete and the phone booth in the middle on April 30, 1985. Photo courtesy of the TTC via the City of Toronto Archives.
	A view of the Scarborough Centre bus platform level, with pedestrian link to the mall on April 18, 1985. Note the original bus platform arrangements viewed from east such as the 134 TAPSCOTT, 129 McCOWAN NORTH, 16 McCOWAN and 133 NEILSON. Photo courtesy of the Toronto Transit Commission, via City of Toronto Archives.
	A view of the Scarborough Centre GO Bus terminal automatic TTC entrance, showing the blocked-off collectors' booth. This photo was taken on July 4, 2014 by James Bow.
	A view of one of the Scarborough Centre GO Bus Terminal platforms, as seen from the TTC platforms looking east, taken by James Bow on July 4, 2014.
	Passengers wait on the platform of Scarborough Centre station. This photograph was taken by Richard White on September 17, 2014.
	Passengers wait for their buses at the bus terminal level of Scarborough Centre station. This photograph was taken by Richard White on September 17, 2014.
	Scarborough Centre's long mezzanine level, looking towards the automatic entrance at the west end of the station. This photograph was taken by Richard White on September 17, 2014.
	The automatic entrance to Scarborough Centre station, at the west end of the Mezzanine level. This photograph was taken by Richard White on September 17, 2014.
	A view of the entrance main entrance to Scarborough Centre station, looking northwest towards the mall. This photo was taken during the summer of 2015 by Damian Baranowski.
	A view of the mezzanine level of Scarborough Centre station, looking west towards the secondary exit. This shot was taken by Damian Baranowski during the summer of 2015.
	A view of the fading plaque dedicating the opening of the Scarborough RT, seen at the Mezzanine level of Scarborough Centre station. This photo was taken by Damian Baranowski during the summer of 2015.
	Two ICTS trains arrive at Scarborough Centre station on the afternoon of January 19, 2017. Photo by James Bow.
	A panorama shot of the Regional Bus Terminal entrance from the TTC bus terminal, taken on the afternoon of April 11, 2017. Photo by James Bow.