How's this for a painful scenario? You do your best to time your arrival at the streetcar stop so as to reduce your wait time as much as possible in the frigid temperatures only to have the brake lines on your heated chariot freeze up and pull it out of service. Now you're in for a really cold wait.

This is something that Toronto commuters are dealing with today as extreme cold temperatures have put the hurt on the aging streetcar fleet. According to the Star, as many as 13 vehicles on the Queen Line suffered cold-related breakdowns this morning, and with temperatures expected to decrease (if slightly), that situation could get even worse during the evening commute.

These are the perils of a 30+ year old fleet. Driving across Dundas West this afternoon, I saw a new Bombardier streetcar out for testing near Bathurst St., which looked like a beacon of modernity in front of a struggling old CLRV in its wake. The TTC promises these newer vehicles will not suffer from the same ills in the extreme cold. For now, you'll have to dream of their arrival on additional routes as you shiver in wait of the next car.

Be sure to tune into @TTCnotices on Twitter to get the latest on the state of service on your route home. And note well: there will be added buses on the 502 and 503 routes due to a lack of streetcars on the 501.

Photo by John Tavares in the blogTO Flickr pool