Elevators at 10 TTC stations vandalized in suspected ‘coordinated effort’

Toronto Transit Commission staff say several elevators across the subway system could be out of service for up to a month after it’s believed someone vandalized glass panels at the sides of each of the devices.

“This last night appeared to be a coordinated effort to damage elevators throughout the system … because of the nature of the damage and the way in which they are damaged, and that’s why we suspect it’s the same person,” TTC spokesperson Stuart Green told CityNews Wednesday morning.

Green said the damages were reported to agency staff between 4 and 7 p.m. on Tuesday. He said the incidents didn’t necessarily happen between those times and that by around 7 p.m. a pattern became evident.

Details of the damages were shared Wednesday morning. Green said TTC staff downloaded surveillance video at multiple stations, which is being reviewed and could be handed over to Toronto police. It wasn’t clear if one or more persons were responsible.

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He said efforts are underway to work with Wheel-Trans and the agency’s Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit in order to respond to the incidents.

Green said the affected elevators could be down for two to four weeks since the glass panels are customized, noting the pieces aren’t “off-the-shelf solutions.”

Here are the affected elevators and subway stations:

Bayview: Northeast entrance not accessible, but the second entrance/exit is still accessible though
Broadview: The station is currently inaccessible
Chester: Westbound platform is inaccessible, but the eastbound platform can still be accessed
Davisville: Southbound platform is inaccessible, but the northbound platform can still be accessed
Jane: Westbound platform is inaccessible, but the eastbound platform can still be accessed
Keele: Westbound platform is inaccessible, but the eastbound platform can still be accessed
Pape: The station is currently inaccessible
Queen: The station is currently inaccessible
Spadina: The elevator servicing the subway level is out of service, but the elevator servicing the streetcar level is still accessible
Sheppard: One of the elevators is out of service, but the station is still accessible.

Last night, elevators at 10 #TTC stations were vandalized. This will impact accessibility at these stations for 2-4 wks as we await parts to fix.
Video downloaded and we'll prosecute if culprit found.
Alerts being posted & Wheel-Trans customers being advised.
Summary below… pic.twitter.com/g2ExWHzQ4B

— TTC Media Relations ???????????????? (@TTCNewsroom) December 22, 2021