Streetcars continue to be affected by Toronto’s extreme cold

Streetcar riders experienced more hassles on Thursday morning due to the impact of the extreme cold on the TTC’s aging fleet.

In a tweet, TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said 25 streetcars were not operating with 25 buses running in their place on the 502, 503 and 511 routes.

However, he said most streetcars are expected to be back in service by the afternoon as the cold temperatures ease off.

“Streetcars are 30 years old and use air lines for brakes, doors, etc. Moisture build-up in the lines freezes, rendering them unusable,” Ross tweeted.

Ross noted that the new streetcars are running well.

On Wednesday, the TTC said riders could experience delays on its streetcar routes due to “weather-related equipment issues.” It said 25 of its streetcars were not working due to the cold and brought in buses to supplement service.

“The aging streetcar fleet and related equipment — over 30 years [old] in many cases — do not respond well to extreme cold,” the TTC said on its website.

“Moisture build-up in the pneumatic air lines that provide braking and door operation can freeze, causing a streetcar to be taken out of service.”

Much of southern Ontario, including Toronto and the GTA, was under an extreme cold warning by Environment Canada since Tuesday evening. It was lifted early on Thursday morning.

The extreme cold weather alert for Toronto will end at noon on Thursday, Toronto’s medical officer of health said.

Thursday’s forecast calls for mainly cloudy and windy conditions, with the temperature rising to a high of -8 C, 680News meteorologist Jill Taylor said. However, it will feel like -20 C with the wind.

Light snow is expected to start this evening, with around five centimetres in accumulation. The low will be -9 C with the windchill near -19 C.

The high for Friday is forecasted to be near -6 C.

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