TTC evacuation Toronto

Chaos breaks out on the TTC after train gets stuck in subway tunnel

Good luck getting anywhere within downtown Toronto right now —unless you're cool with walking in the rain, in which case the city's all yours.

Toronto's public transit system is all kinds of messed up heading into the Wednesday evening rush hour on account of a train getting stuck underground on a busy subway route.

The TTC first announced shortly before 1 p.m. that service had been halted on Line 1 between St. George and Bloor-Yonge stations (the entire "U" south of Bloor, essentially) due to a fire investigation.

Toronto Police confirmed around 2 p.m. that a train had become stuck in the subway tunnel between Union Station and St. Andrew Station and there was "some smoke in the area."

The TTC evacuated Union station and some 45 people were seen exiting a subway train that had been headed north as a result of the incident.

Not long after Line 1 stopped, the transit agency said that it would be sending out shuttle buses — though many passengers had a hard time finding any.

The TTC reiterated just after 3 p.m. that GO Transit vehicles would accept TTC fare as payment at Union, Danforth and Bloor due to the suspension.

As of 4 p.m., service remains suspended between Osgoode and Bloor on Line 1.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green says that the agency is investigating a "potentially electrical" track-level issue.

"Crews working to clear as quickly as possible, Shuttle buses are running, GO protocol East, West and North through Union Stn. Streetcars are also an option," he announced on Twitter.

Sympathetic as they may be to the plight of hard-working TTC employees, commuters are getting steamed.

And it's not only subway routes being affected. Bus and streetcar riders are also reporting delays on their regular routes as a result of the backlog.

Those who've chosen to jump into cars or hail cabs are struggling too as demand skyrockets past the already-high rainy day level norm.

Long story short: Public transit is messy, cars are ramming the roads downtown, and it's gross outside to boot.

Stay home if you can, or retreat to the PATH, where you can walk for at least a little while without getting any soakers.

Lead photo by

Ashley Uncia


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