ttc problems

Toronto subway riders furious after TTC problems add hours to commute

Another day, another hellacious public transit experience for tens of thousands of Toronto commuters (who, by the way, don't appreciate being mass-scolded for fare evasion at every turn.)

Rumblings of yet another unplanned TTC subway shutdown started swirling on Tuesday evening around 6:30 p.m. as customers took to Twitter with complaints of longer-than-usual wait times.

The transit commission acknowledged that something was up with the subway system around 7:15 p.m. in a service alert.

"Delays of up to 15 minutes northbound from Bloor-Yonge to Eglinton while we fix a track problem," read the alert, which came just minutes before the announcement that Line 4 Sheppard had been shut down completely due to "train communication issues."

Service had resumed on the Sheppard line after about half an hour, but the issues with Line 1 only seemed to grow worse.

By 7:45 p.m., the TTC had expanded it's slow zone on Line 1 all the way from King to Davisville Stations in order to "fix a track problem."

Passengers, some of whom had been waiting for more than an hour at that point, started taking up issue with the TTC's claim that it was experiencing "delays of up to 15 minutes."

"15 min??? It’s been an exactly one hour from Queen to Eglinton so far, these delays turns to our daily routine!" wrote one customer in response to the TTC's Twitter account. "You shouldn't ask for fare when you can't provide an adequate service!"

"It's been 1 hour, 15 minutes from Union to Davisville," wrote another. "Why not disclose accurate information?"

By the time TTC Notices admitted that the system was experiencing "major delays," the problem had become quite obvious.

"So far, it's taken one hour for me to commute from Queen to Davisville station on TTC Line 1. About the same as if I were to have walked!" noted one affected passenger around 8:30 p.m.

"Nothing makes me want to job search in my area like having to take the TTC to work," wrote another on Twitter. "Two hours to get home whyyyyy."

It wasn't just the long commute that had people fuming either, but the way the TTC handled it.

"I've been asked to get off two trains at Bloor-Yonge station, and unable to get one other passing trains due to overcrowding (and one door closing on my face when there was still plenty of room)," wrote one customer.

"These kind of additional issues have caused this 15 min to be a very long 40 minutes."

Around 9 p.m., the TTC announced that major delays were being caused by a signal problem between Finch and Wellesley.

When all was said and done, the Line 1 mess lasted at least three hours.

Commuters who were caught up in the fray were once again left to wonder what it is they're paying for, and why fares are set to go up again next month.

The presence of ads decrying people who don't pay for rides on transit — motivated by the TTC's much-publicized fare evasion problem — served as icing on the cake for passenger who had paid their $3.25 to ride the subway but couldn't last night.

"A special f*ck you to [the TTC] and John Tory, who clearly ignore the needs of this city’s overtaxed, underserved citizens," wrote one angry commuter on Tuesday night.

"Yet again, public transit has me walking because this pathetic two-line subway can't work. Every week, it's some bullshit signal issue."

Lead photo by

@yuushalinsky


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