Toronto resident Chris Roberts says TTC service makes him want to buy a car.
He was caught in a section of the Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) subway that temporarily was halted Monday because of a fluid spill on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). He was forced out of the subway and onto a shuttle bus.
“I just want to save money and buy a car as soon as possible,” Roberts said.
The TTC board met on Thursday, May 16, including some councillors who sought answers days after the major disruption met with public outrage.
From faulty subways to traffic congestion, from bus delays to crime management, the TTC is scrambling to handle a slew of problems.
This week, hundreds of TTC commuters expressed their frustration with each other as they had to wait to get on the shuttle buses before services returned to normal on Line 2 between Broadview and St. George stations.
The service was shut down on Monday for nearly 12 hours after an overnight work car spilled fluid on the tracks, prompting the train operators to report slippery conditions.
On Thursday, the board discussed the initial assessment including disruption management and response, including the 13-year-old vehicle that caused the leak and identified the source of the spill as a hydrostatic hose.
In the discussion, the board revealed an initial assessment showed the clutch plate was damaged, along with the drive shaft and other mechanical components.
The board heard that damage to the hydrostatic drive hose because of mechanical failures and that investigation is continuing.
This week’s incident followed other recent problems on the busy east-west subway line.
Late last month a fire on a stretch of Line 2 led to subway services being shut down both ways between Kipling and Jane stations. The fire is believed to have started outside nearby Islington Station on April 26.
Roberts, a frequent TTC commuter, who works at a store on Bloor Street, said there’s always “something new” with the TTC and its services.
“I reached work late along with many of my colleagues. It’s an understandable excuse at this point,” he said.
Mayor Olivia Chow said earlier this week that every day members of her staff “cross their fingers to hope that they can get here on time and not experience another shutdown.”
Chow apologized for the shutdowns and acknowledged that getting to work on time was nearly “impossible” for those who depended on Line 2 on Monday.
Ahead of a meeting with her executive on Tuesday, she said people should keep taking the TTC.
"It is still the better way," Chow said, adding “we literally need more investment.”
Similar words were echoed at the board meeting with the members emphasizing the need for investment.
Line 2 recorded more than 40 hours worth of delays in March, a 26 per cent increase from February, according to the latest figures published by TTC. The line’s on-time performance was still at 90.4 per cent in the same month, slightly more than the 90 per cent performance target set by the TTC.
A planned disruption will shut down a portion of the Line 1 Yonge-University subway during the Victoria Day weekend. There will be no service between St. Clair and Shepphard stations station improvements and track work.
