Review into Scarborough RT derailment raises questions about TTC maintenance, councillor says

A Toronto city councillor is raising concerns about whether the TTC engaged in enough preventative maintenance of the Scarborough Rapid Transit system before a train derailed in July 2023.

Coun. Josh Matlow, who represents Toronto-St. Paul's, said on Thursday his concerns stem from an independent review into the causes of the July 24, 2023 derailment that sent five people to hospital with minor injuries. Broken and loose bolts caused the derailment, which prompted the TTC to close the line permanently. 

The Nov. 30, 2023 review by Systra Canada, an engineering consulting firm based in Montreal, found that the number of TTC reports of defects of one part of the Scarborough RT dropped significantly in the past two years compared to the previous four years. 

Matlow, a TTC commissioner, said the review is "startling," raises more questions than answers, and makes him wonder if the Scarborough RT was kept safe up until the day it derailed. The review was posted to the TTC website in December, but Matlow said it should have been brought to the TTC board as an agenda item. It is slated to be discussed at the TTC's April board meeting.

"This report is a canary in a coal mine," Matlow told reporters at city hall. "The TTC needs to re-earn the trust of Torontonians because this report says that there wasn't the maintenance needed to ensure the SRT would be safe and functional until its very last day."

Matlow, who raised the issue when TTC CEO Rick Leary presented his report to a TTC board meeting on Thursday, said he is worried that the TTC may be struggling to keep up with heavy maintenance needs.

"It leads to, I think, a bigger question now, aside from the accountability on the SRT. Is our subway system being maintained as well as it should be?"

A TTC investigation, presented to a September board meeting, found that the cause of the Scarborough RT derailment was "failed reaction rail anchor bolts." The reaction rail anchor bolts, part of the RT's propulsion system, hold the power rails in place.

After the derailment, Systra Canada was asked by the TTC to investigate why there was a reduction in the number of reports about defects of the reaction rail of the Scarborough RT. Systra was also asked to review investigation reports by three external engineering firms that looked into the cause of the derailment.

In its report, Systra said early data presented to the firm shows that the reporting of defects of the reaction rail dropped over the last two years, 2022-2023, compared to the previous four years, 2018-2021. The TTC reported:

Systra says the reduction occurred during "data migration," when the TTC was moving to a new system of collecting data.

The report adds: "One of the effects of the closure of the line was the reduction of the capital project investments planned on the line, which is typical during such events. However, the various stakeholders interviewed confirmed that this had no impact on corrective maintenance.

"Furthermore, with the reduction of capital project investment, this also meant that the reaction rail was no longer maintained in a preventive way, leaving only the 72 hours track patrols to detect any potential issues."

The firm says a priority was placed on corrective maintenance of the Scarborough RT, adding it was carried out efficiently and on time.