GO Transit is once again reporting significant delays across its train network as the result of "developing safety incidents" near Guildwood and Kipling Stations — and just in time for the afternoon rush hour.
The Metrolinx-owned regional transit agency announced shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday that GO train service had been suspended to and from Union Station on both the Lakeshore East and Milton corridors.
This is in addition to the ongoing closure of GO's Lakeshore West line between Hamilton and Aldershot, where protestors first set up a rail blockade in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en First Nation on Monday night.
We are being sent back to Union station to take busses. All of downtown is going to be having to take busses out 😡😡😡#GoTrain #MiltonGo https://t.co/IQXIoNPUO0
— Chris McClure (@chrisjmcclure) February 25, 2020
Service along the Lakeshore East line had been restored as of 5:30 p.m., but train service between downtown Toronto and Milton remains suspended.
"Given the way our trains operate through our network, this situation has the potential to disrupt customers throughout our entire system," reads a service alert on GO Transit's website.
"Also, given the potential for system-wide delays, it is very likely Union Station will experience significant crowding during rush hour."
That it is.
Commuters awaiting status updates of their GO trains at Union Station. pic.twitter.com/820HdQGM3e
— Kelsey Wilson (@kelseyleewilson) February 25, 2020
"Union Station is an absolute disaster right now, with thousands stranded," wrote one commuter on Twitter around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. "Our governments can't continue to allow anarchist behaviour to affect the daily lives of many."
"F*cking bedlam at Union Station," wrote another. "All trains stopped."
Union Station right now is pandemonium. My kid is trapped down there with no way home to Hamilton. A$$holes. @metrolinx @C_Mulroney @fordnation WTAF?!? #GO #Union @GOtransitLW 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🆘🆘🆘🆘🆘🆘🚉🚉🚉 pic.twitter.com/OCH71lhG5n
— 👩🏻🦰JENNYJENNY🇨🇦♥️ (@savagecookie) February 25, 2020
"Madness at Union Station," wrote another person still.
"Service to Milton suspended but all other lines being affected. Nerves are frayed, the station is wall-to-wall people. Not a great commute home but such is life with GTA public transit thanks to Metrolinx."
Dense crowds inside Union Station, each person hoping to see their train, and some good news about a departure time, up on the big board. Multiple protests for the Wet’suwit’tin appeared this aft on EB and WB #GOtrain lines. @680NEWS @CityNews pic.twitter.com/8DF08L1cvB
— Mark Douglas (@Douglas680NEWS) February 25, 2020
Between this morning's rush hour shut down and the situation this evening, it's been a rough day for GO transit and its hundreds of thousands of daily riders.
Cancelled trains are being replaced in some cases by shuttle buses, according to Metrolinx, but they're not coming fast enough or often enough to meet the demand.
@GOtransit @GOtransitMI WE NEED SHUTTLE BUSSES NOW!!!!
— horizoncarrie 🇨🇦 ºoº (@horizoncarrie) February 25, 2020
As news spreads of this latest rail disruption, Twitter sleuths are looking between the lines of GO Transit's messaging for answers.
Many are interpreting the claim of a "safety incident" as evidence of another railway blockade.
Those people are at least partially correct: protesters carrying a large banner that reads "land back!" are currently gathered across the train tracks behind Lambton Arena near Dundas and Jane Streets.
Major delays for GO Transit users this evening https://t.co/XxiO2SDq4u
— Ryan Rocca (@Reporter_Ryan) February 25, 2020
No expected reopening times have been announced for the shut down portions of GO's Milton or Lakeshore West lines, but Metrolinx says it's working on a contingency plan to get everybody home.
"Safety is our top priority and central to everything we do," wrote the regional public transit agency in a statement.
"We're bringing in additional resources and are doing the absolute best we can given the situation. We know how inconvenient this is and we ask for everyone's patience."
by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO
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