GO Transit rail service resumes following network outage; some delays expected

Questions remain about the root cause of a massive outage on CN Rail lines that delayed thousands of Toronto-area commuters during the evening rush hour.

Metrolinx says GO train service resumed while Via Rail and the UP Express also returned to their regular schedules on Wednesday morning, with some possible delays.

“We intend to run our full and regular train service,” reads a statement from Metrolinx. “However, there could still be some residual delays and modifications as we move our trains and crews back into place.”

A full list of service updates can be found here.

Service is continuing to recover with modifications and delays after today's CN outage.

We intend to run our regularly scheduled train service tomorrow, Wednesday October 4, however there could still be some delays and modifications as we work to move our trains and crews back…

— Metrolinx (@Metrolinx) October 4, 2023

Tuesday’s major outage left thousands of commuters stranded during the afternoon rush. Commuters and transit riders voiced their collective frustration once news of the outage became public, with many calling for refunds.

Metrolinx said the CN Rail system failure, which began around 1 p.m., had affected all its rail corridors. GO trains were held for hours at their nearest station – GO Transit said the trains weren’t moving because signals could not be given to them.

The rail link connecting the downtown core to Toronto’s Pearson airport also stalled, while more than 30 Via Rail arrivals and departures at Union Station were late – 11 by more than two hours, including busy routes to or from Montreal, Ottawa and Windsor, Ont. – according to data compiled by Greg Gormick, who heads On Track Consulting.

“All the railways have been increasingly relying on third-party communications systems as cost-cutting measures instead of maintaining their own networks, as they did in the past,” he said, though he did not suggest a contractor was to blame for the meltdown.

Gormick also pointed to “underinvestment in the railways’ physical plants and systems” due to what he called a dearth of public funding relative to road and air transit systems as a further concern.

At around 4:30 p.m. — three and a half hours after the problems began — GO Transit said “limited service” from downtown Toronto’s Union Station was resuming, with outbound trains every 30 minutes.

CN eventually put out a statement saying “that internet connectivity had been restored” to the network and that GO and VIA trains had resumed their normal movements.

The company is still investigating the cause of the outage, but say there are no signs that point to a cyberattack.

“CN will be working with GO to review the incident and put in place processes to avoid further disruptions,” it said.

With files from The Canadian Press