ttc delay

The TTC was a total mess this weekend after subway stations shut down

It's been a rough few days for Toronto residents who rely on public transit to get around, thanks in part to the suspension of subway service along a major stretch of Line 1 for two entire days.

The TTC reminded customers late last week that there would be no subway service on Line 1 between St. Andrew and St. Clair West stations on Saturday, Nov. 7 or Sunday, Nov. 8, due to "track work."

Dupont, St Patrick and Osgoode stations were closed completely, while all other stations along the affected stretch of Line 1 remained open ony for PRESTO fare purchases and surface route connections.

Shuttle buses were deployed, as usual, to fill in the service gap — but they struggled to actually move through traffic when a protest broke out at Bloor and Spadina.

The transit commission announced just after 2:30 p.m. on Saturday that its Line 1 shuttle was experiencing "longer than normal delays to service near Queens Park due to police activity."

Two hours later, with the demonstration still active, a detour was put into place via Dupont Street.

It wasn't until after 8 p.m that regular service resumed on the Line 1 shuttle.

The fun didn't stop there, however. The very next morning, the TTC advised passengers that the public washrooms at its busiest station were out of commission due to flooding.

Multiple bus and streetcar routes also experienced delays (if not complete service stoppages) throughout the atypically warm (and thus very busy) mid-November weekend.

From subway suspensions for "police activity" and "security incidents" to streetcar holdups due to "mechanical problems," it was a messy weekend all around.

And with fewer routes operational, Toronto's overcrowding problem only intensified.

Shuttle buses, as usual, were no exception.

Fortunately, it was nice enough outdoors this weekend that many people could choose to walk or cycle the city instead.

With winter in our very near future, the same can't be said for long.

Lead photo by

@bett3r


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