TTC asks for patience as commuters face signal problems again
Posted November 12, 2014 5:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Commuters once again faced subway delays Wednesday morning on Line 1 (Yonge-University-Spadina) due to signal problems.
The issue happened at Lawrence Station around 7 a.m. and caused a three-hour slowdown on the southbound track from Sheppard to Eglinton stations.
This is the third time in three weeks that signal problems have caused subway delays.
TTC spokesperson Brad Ross asks for patience as the crews continue to work on switching over to the new signal system.
“We ask people for their understanding and patience because we recognize that there are issues and that’s why we’re doing the work we’re doing,” he said. “It’s far more common today than it was three years ago, there’s no doubt about it, but it’s an aging system.”
Currently the TTC is trying to replace all of the the old signals, some of which are around 60 years old, with a computer-based system. The project is expected to be fully operational in about five years.
Ross said because the two systems can’t be integrated during this process, crews continue to work to maintain the aging signal system.
“We do everything in our power to ensure that we don’t have mornings like today, we don’t have mornings like last week. We don’t have PA announcements that are talking about signal issues in a particular location,” Ross explained. “From time to time, unfortunately, over the next five years, yes there are going to be some challenges that we’re all going to face.”
The signal system has been replaced on portions of Line 1 from St. George to Union to Bloor stations.
However, the signal work from St. George to Downsview stations has not been completed, but the TTC said it is working on it.
