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We welcome input from community members, researchers, and stakeholders interested in the future of the SRT corridor. Reach out to us to connect, collaborate, or learn more about our work Email: info@reimaginingsrt.ca
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Add your name as an organization to demonstrate support and be part of a growing movement aiming to repurpose and reimagine the future of the SRT corridor. Click on this form.
Frequently Asked Questions
The decommissioning of the Scarborough Rapid Transit (SRT) creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform part of Scarborough’s existing transit infrastructure and corridor into a new community asset.
Rather than treating the former SRT only as infrastructure to be removed, adaptive reuse means exploring how some of the existing guideway, stations, right-of-way and surrounding lands could be retained and given new purposes.
Potential uses could include:
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A linear park and walking and cycling corridor
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New active-transportation connections between neighbourhoods
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Public spaces, parks and landscaping
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Community and cultural spaces
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Public art, murals and commemoration of the SRT
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Local events and other community activations
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Connections to existing and future transit
The SRT served Scarborough for approximately 40 years before rail service ended in August 2023. Its corridor helped shape the growth of Scarborough Centre and connected residents to employment, education, shopping and other destinations.
The corridor is also a significant piece of existing infrastructure and land. Approximately three-quarters of the SRT corridor's linear alignment is owned by the City of Toronto, with the remainder owned by other parties.
This makes the future of the corridor an important city-building question: What should Scarborough inherit from the SRT, and how can that legacy serve residents for generations to come?
No. City Council has repeatedly directed staff to investigate adaptive reuse and future uses of the SRT, but no final decision has been made to retain and repurpose the entire elevated structure.
In December 2024, Council endorsed in principle the substantial removal of SRT infrastructure that is no longer required for transit operations. At the same time, Council specifically directed staff to identify whether portions of the elevated infrastructure could remain for future uses and to develop a future-use analysis for the corridor.
In other words, removal of infrastructure that is no longer required for transit and exploration of future uses are happening together. The current process will help determine what should ultimately remain, what should be removed and what the corridor could become.
Council has considered the future of the SRT several times over more than a decade.
2013: First direction to explore a linear park
In October 2013, City Council directed the City Manager to report on the feasibility of maintaining the abandoned SRT line and converting it into a public park similar to New York City's High Line once the SRT was decommissioned.
This was an early formal recognition that the former transit corridor could have a future beyond transit.
2022: Adaptive reuse as a linear park and active-transportation corridor
In February 2022, Council adopted a motion requesting that CreateTO, in consultation with the TTC and City divisions, explore the potential adaptive reuse of the elevated SRT track as a new linear park and active-transportation corridor, including potential funding options.
This established adaptive reuse as a specific policy objective rather than simply an idea for future consideration.
2024: Council reaffirmed the adaptive-reuse goal
In March 2024, Council adopted a motion affirming the goals of the 2013 and 2022 decisions.
Council asked staff to undertake a preliminary assessment of adaptive reuse of SRT right-of-way and station assets and to explore:
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A new linear park and active-transportation corridor
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High-capacity mobility solutions
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Commercial and housing opportunities along or adjacent to the corridor
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Partnerships with Metrolinx
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Design and community-engagement opportunities
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Potential funding sources, including the Canada Infrastructure Bank
Council also called for engagement with academia, design professionals and local communities.
To date, the Reimagining the Scarborough RT Coalition has met with and confirmed support from five Scarborough City Councillors including:
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Councillor Jamaal Myers
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Deputy Mayor Paul Ainslie
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Councillor Neethan Shan
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Councillor Parthi Kandavel
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Councillor Nick Mantas
December 2024: Council launched the next stage
In December 2024, Council considered the City's assessment of adaptive reuse and next steps. Council endorsed in principle the substantial removal of infrastructure no longer required for transit, while directing staff to identify portions of the elevated infrastructure that could remain for future uses.
Council also directed staff to develop a future-use analysis that considers local Scarborough needs and opportunities for transit, active mobility, trails, parks, privately owned publicly accessible spaces, cultural installations and commemoration of the SRT as part of a connected corridor.
The City of Toronto is now undertaking the Scarborough Rapid Transit (SRT) Future Use Initiative. Read more about the study here
The initiative focuses on the east-west portion of the former SRT corridor between Ellesmere Station and approximately 100 metres east of McCowan Station.
The City describes the initiative as a process to understand existing conditions and develop options for the future of this part of the corridor.
As of August 2026, the initiative is in Phase 1.
The City says Phase 1 has three primary components:
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Legal and ownership review — understanding who owns the corridor lands and what legal agreements or obligations affect them.
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Technical evaluation — examining the condition of the existing infrastructure, including its structural condition and the costs and implications of maintaining or removing it.
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Future-use strategy — preparing a process for developing and evaluating potential future-use options, including public engagement.
The City has hired consultants to conduct the technical evaluation. Engineers are inspecting the tunnel, elevated guideway and stations, while heritage consultants are assessing existing conditions and the corridor's potential heritage value.
No. The current technical evaluation is primarily about understanding the existing condition of the infrastructure. It is not itself a design exercise for the future corridor.
The City says the condition assessment is necessary to understand structural integrity and the costs of maintaining or removing the existing infrastructure. Future uses will be considered in subsequent phases once existing conditions are better understood.
That means there is still an important opportunity for community members to help shape the conversation about what comes next.
The current City initiative focuses on the east-west segment between Ellesmere Station and approximately 100 metres east of McCowan Station.
The TTC's assessment found that this portion is no longer required for ongoing transit operations, while infrastructure associated with the portion between Kennedy and Ellesmere is being converted for bus operations in the interim until the Scarborough Subway is completed.
The City has therefore identified the east-west segment as the area where future uses can be considered, subject to technical, legal, financial and planning considerations.
City Council and City planning documents have identified a broad range of possibilities.
These include:
Mobility
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Walking and cycling routes
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Active-transportation connections
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Connections to transit and surrounding neighbourhoods
Parks and public space
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Linear parks
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Publicly accessible open spaces
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Landscaping and public-realm improvements
Culture and history
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Public art
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Murals and plaques
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Commemoration of the SRT and its role in Scarborough's history
Community activity
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Markets
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Local events
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Other forms of public activation
City-building
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Opportunities associated with housing and development
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Connections to surrounding developments
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New ways of moving people and potentially goods along the corridor
The recently approved Scarborough Centre planning framework also recognizes potential future opportunities along the former SRT corridor, including pedestrian and active-transportation pathways, public-realm improvements, commemoration and local events. It encourages retention of a continuous and connected corridor where feasible.
A High Line-style approach is one precedent that has been discussed, but the future SRT does not have to replicate New York's High Line.
The 2013 Council motion explicitly referenced the High Line as an example of converting former infrastructure into a public park. The 2024 motion similarly identified the High Line, Atlanta's Belt Line and other projects as examples that could inform exploration of adaptive reuse.
Scarborough has its own geography, communities, transportation needs and priorities. A successful project should be designed around Scarborough's needs, rather than simply copying another city's project.
The City has said that community engagement is expected in Phase 2, following a future report to Council with the results of the technical evaluation.
The City's current page states that Phase 1 is underway in 2026 and that the City looks forward to engaging the community in Phase 2 after the technical results have been reported to Council.
This makes community awareness and advocacy especially important now. The technical work will establish constraints, but community participation can help shape the vision for what should happen within those constraints.
Because the future of the corridor is still being shaped.
City Council has already recognized opportunities for parks, active transportation, public space, cultural uses, mobility and city-building. But these possibilities will need community support, political leadership, funding and detailed planning to become reality.
The SRT corridor is a long-term public asset. Decisions made during this process could determine how Scarborough's communities connect and grow for decades.
Community members can help make sure that future decisions reflect Scarborough's needs and aspirations.
The Repurposing the SRT coalition believes that the former SRT corridor should be treated as an opportunity, not simply a demolition project.
We support a community-led conversation about how existing infrastructure and corridor lands can be transformed into a connected public asset that delivers lasting benefits for Scarborough.
That means advocating for:
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Meaningful community participation
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A connected corridor rather than disconnected projects
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Walking, cycling and accessible mobility
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Parks and public spaces
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Community and cultural uses
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Recognition of the SRT's history
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Innovative approaches to retaining and adapting existing infrastructure where feasible
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Partnerships and funding that make ambitious reuse possible
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Planning that responds to the needs of existing Scarborough communities
There are several ways to get involved:
Stay informed. Follow the City's Future Use Initiative and watch for announcements about Phase 2 engagement.
Talk to your neighbours. The future of the SRT should be a community-wide conversation.
Share your ideas. Think about what is missing in your neighbourhood and how a connected SRT corridor could help address those needs.
Engage with City Council. Councillors will ultimately make decisions about the future of the corridor. Community voices can help ensure those decisions reflect local priorities.
Support the coalition. Join the Repurposing the SRT campaign and help build a strong community vision for the corridor.
The City of Toronto's official Scarborough Rapid Transit (SRT) Future Use Initiative page provides updates on the current technical work, study area, future engagement and reports.
Scarborough Rapid Transit (SRT) Future Use Initiative – City of Toronto
The relevant Council decisions are also publicly available, including the 2013 adaptive-reuse direction, the 2022 linear-park motion, the 2024 adaptive-reuse motion and the December 2024 decision establishing the current pathway toward future-use planning.
The future of the SRT has not been decided.
City Council has already recognized the potential for adaptive reuse and directed staff to investigate it. The City is now undertaking technical and legal work that will inform the next phase of planning.
The opportunity before Scarborough is to turn a former transit corridor into something that continues to connect people through mobility, parks, public space, culture, economic development, community activity and thoughtful city-building.
The question is not only what happens to the old SRT. It's what Scarborough can build from it next.
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