Scarborough RT closed for at least 3 more weeks amid derailment investigation

Transit riders won't be able to ride the Scarborough RTfor at least another three weeks as the Toronto Transit Commissioncontinues to investigate what caused a train car to derail on Monday.

The "comprehensive investigation" into the July 24 derailment will take at least another three weeks to complete, the TTC said in a news release on Thursday.

Shuttle buses are replacingtrain service on the RT, also known as Line 3, fromKennedy to McCowan stations during that time.

A final decision about thereinstatement of train service will only be made after the review is complete, the transit agency said.

"I want to thank Scarborough residents for their patience as the TTC continues to investigate this very serious incident," Mayor Olivia Chow said in the release.

"The safety of the public transit system is everyone's top concern and the SRT service can only return when we know it is safe to do so."

Around6:45 p.m. on Monday, the rear car of a southbound SRT trainseparated from the rest of the train and derailed just south Ellesmere Station. Five of the 45 people onboard a Scarborough RTtrainMonday were suffered minor injuries.

TTC inspecting entire SRT fleet

TTC CEO Rick Leary said in the news release the agency has enlisted leading experts in the transportation industry to assist with the investigation.

"Safety is paramount to all we do and only once we know exactly what happened, can we make a decision about the future operations of this line," Leary said. "In the meantime, we are making contingency plans to ensure we are providing the people of Scarborough with frequent and reliable transit options."

While the line is closed for investigation, the TTC said it's alsoinspecting the entire SRT fleet and examiningthe infrastructure's structural integrity.

In an interview earlier this week, TTC spokesperson Stuart Green saidthe transit agency isconsideringshutting the line down permanently.That's because it's already scheduled to bedecommissioned in November and is set to be replaced by buses until the Scarborough Subway Extension is finished, likely in 2030 at the earliest.

Line 3 is a 6.4-kilometre rapid transit line with six stations that opened in 1985. Its trains have been in service 10 years past their design life, according to the TTC website.