Group calls for probe into TTC’s handling of derailment
Advocates want assessment on whether rail line was properly maintained
A transit advocacy group is asking Toronto’s auditor general to investigate the TTC’s handling of the Scarborough RT derailment, citing a potential “breach of public trust.”
The request by TTCriders follows a series of consultant reports that raised alarms about the state of the RT before the incident.
The membership-based transit advocacy organization wrote to auditor Tara Anderson on Tuesday asking her to assess whether the TTC properly maintained the aging RT before it derailed, and whether the transit agency was transparent with the public about the accident, according to a document shared with the Star.
“Leaving these questions unanswered risks eroding public trust in maintenance and decision-making processes and organizational transparency at the TTC,” according to the letter by TTCriders.
“A derailment should never have happened,” said Shelagh Pizey-Allen, the group’s executive director.
The auditor general’s office is an independent body that holds city council and city administrators accountable and assesses how public funds are being used. It fields requests from the public through its fraud and waste hotline. “Breach of public trust” is one type of allegation that falls under the auditor’s purview.
In an email to the Star, the auditor general’s office said it does not currently have an audit project related to the handling of the Scarborough RT and cannot comment on any complaints it has or has not received.
On July 24, 2023, the Scarborough RT derailed, sending five people to hospital and permanently shutting the transit line five months ahead of schedule. An independent review determined that failed reaction rail anchor bolts, which are meant to secure the RT’s propulsion system in place, caused the accident.
But external consultant reports raised questions about the state of the RT before the crash. One review by Systra Canada posted in November found in the period before the RT derailed, there was a marked decline in reported defects on the reaction rail, from more than 125 defects annually between 2018 and 2021, to 14 in 2022 and 16 in part of 2023.
The Systra report also cited a “reduction in preventative maintenance” after the RT’s closure date was announced as one of the key elements contributing to the derailment. Another potential factor was the change in the RT’s planned closure, from November 2022 to November 2023, the report said.
A separate consultant report in early 2023, before the accident, found issues with the way the TTC prioritizes maintenance work.
“Safety of our customers and our employees is the TTC’s paramount concern. We will only ever run service when it is safe to do so,” TTC spokesperson Stuart Green told the Star.
The TTC board plans to discuss the consultant reports on the RT derailment at the April 11 meeting, Green said.
TTCriders is also asking the auditor general to investigate an apparent lack of transparency by the transit agency. While consultants were available at a September board meeting to answer questions about the RT derailment, their full reports were not made available to commissioners prior. The reports were later published to the TTC’s website but were not formally reported to the board.