Toronto faced major transit delays Thursday

The Yonge-Bloor station platform full of commuters waiting for the next train. Courtesy of Arnaldo Andres

Toronto commuters were in for a morning of TTC delays and chaos.

Beginning at 7:20 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, the TTC’s Line One subway service was delayed going southbound from Wilson to Museum stations.

Due to signal problems, the TTC announced it would put on shuttle buses running from Eglinton to Union stations during this delay.

With these delays, the subway stations were experiencing a lot of overcrowding.

People were also mad because delays have been occurring all week, not just Thursday.

Sam Dobsky, 23, a student at the University of Toronto, told Toronto Observer the TTC delays turned her usual 45 minute commute into two hours.

“When we were sitting between Lawrence West and Glencairn the conductor was saying it would take a long time and that there was potentially a bus that comes very infrequently,” she said, in a telephone interview. “I was not about to get on to a probably very packed bus, and cross over.”

Dobsky captured a photo of a perfectly placed TTC advertisement, during her two hour commute to school this morning, (Photo courtesy of Sam Dobsky)

“The irony was not lost on me,” said Dobsky, describing this TTC advertisement which she captured in her Twitter post.

Meanwhile at Bloor & Yonge Station from toronto

Pajan Kazemi posted this photo on Reddit.

“I think it’s just a compounding issue that stems from greater and bigger things than just the weather….,” Kazemi told the Toronto Observer. “The need for a relief line and all those different initiatives to improve transit in the city are probably the cause of this.”

The TTC’s capital plan being debated Thursday afternoon reveals that there is a $16.18 billion gap in funding for the existing subway system and stations over the next 15 years. The Ontario government has said it would only provide $160 million annually for subway maintenance if it takes ownership of TTC subways, leaving $920 million in unfunded annual capital costs for stations and the subway system.
According to the transit watchdog TTCRiders, if we don’t invest now, “service reliability and crowding will get worse,” said Shelagh Pizey-Allen, a spokesperson for TTCriders.
The TTC wasn’t the only cause of the rush hour delays.

According to Environment Canada, the roads across the city were slick after Wednesday’s rain.

The road conditions were causing major delays on most streets in Toronto.

The City of Toronto announced on its TO Winter Operations Twitter page that snowplows were back out in full force and will be clearing the roads until approximately 8 p.m.

A screen capture of the PlowTO map that shows how many snowplows are out and where they are. (Courtesy of City of Toronto)

According to the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), the current wait time for assistance was 40 minutes or longer.

They have been experiencing longer than normal call times and have limited car batteries for those who need it most.

CAA receives an average of 3,000 calls a day during the winter.

GO Transit also posted a freezing rain warning for passengers to be careful walking through all parking lots and platforms.

GO Transit sends out a freezing rain warning for its passengers.

GO Transit sends out a freezing rain warning for its passengers.  (Courtesy of GO Transit)

Officials from the Toronto District School Board have not commented on any travel issues affecting schools, and there are no bus cancellations.

Temperatures are going to drop to -9 C Thursday night, but it will feel like -18 C with the wind chill, according to Environment Canada.

Gerald Cheng, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said because temperatures are low it is causing pooling of water. He explained that if the slush isn’t cleared, it will turn into ice over the next few days.

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By: and
Posted: Jan 24 2019 1:40 pm
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