The Line 3 Scarborough RT met an untimely end this past summer when a derailment took the route out of service months ahead of its planned permanent closure.

And though the line may never run again, its trains very well could, according to a new report from south of the border that signals a possible second lease on life for the RT's trains.

Line 3 was initially planned to shut down service this past November, though a July 24 derailment incident near Ellesmere Station halted service on the line as the TTC conducted an investigation that ultimately shuttered the line for good.

Almost five months after that fateful day, a potential new life for the RT's disused trains was discussed during a meeting of the Detroit Transportation Corporation's (DTC) board of directors.

Some fun news dropped at yesterday's DTC Board of Directors meeting.

You know how TTC Line 3 in Scarborough shut down? It's identical to the People Mover, so Detroit is planning to acquire most if not all of their surplus equipment - possibly including the trains!

— Corey (@coreyjrowe) December 14, 2023

The Detroit People Mover's 4.73-kilometre circuit around the city's downtown uses the same Intermediate Capacity Transit System technology as the Scarborough RT.

The system currently uses identical trains as the RT, produced by former Ontario Crown corporation, the Urban Transportation Development Corporation, which was later sold by the province to Bombardier and marketed to other cities around the world, like Detroit.

Bombardier has since sold off its train-manufacturing branch to Alstom, which no longer produces these trains. If Detroit wanted to purchase new vehicles for its People Mover, it would be facing a costly order for custom one-off trains.

The TTC reportedly reached out to Detroit officials, inviting the city to acquire surplus equipment from Line 3 due to its compatibility with the People Mover.

The Toronto Transit Commission had approached the Detroit Transportation Corporation on surplus assets. The TTC is decommissioning their Scarborough RT line.

In response to one Director's Q, price of brand new cars could be $8-12M, likely more due to need for customization.

— Bridget Scallen (@BridgetScallen) December 12, 2023

At the December 12 DTC meeting, the board was requested to enter into an agreement to purchase as much of TTC's materials as possible and authorize the purchase of up to $1 million in surplus parts for the system, with an aim to replace its 12 current rail cars with the disused Scarborough RT trains.

Detroit would fork over $1 million to the TTC per train, with an additional $1 million in shipping costs, compared with investing a projected $2 to $4 million per vehicle to bring Detroit's People Mover trains up to the condition of retired Line 3 trains.