The TTC board is set to hold a scheduled meeting today as some councillors call for answers days after yet another major disruption to subway service on Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth).
Service on the busy subway line was disrupted for 12 hours Monday between St George and Broadview stations after a hydraulic oil leak from a work car caused slippery tracks.
Crowds of people were forced to wait on the surface for shuttle buses as the problem dragged on through the morning and afternoon rush periods.
The incident followed other recent problems on the busy east-west transit line, including a recent fire, which shut down service for days on a portion of the tracks in the cities west End.
Mayor Olivia Chow said earlier this week that every day members of her staff “cross their fingers to hope that they can get here on time and not experience another shutdown.”
She apologized for the shutdowns and acknowledged that getting to work on time Monday “was close to impossible” for those relying on Line 2.
“Keep taking the TTC. It is still the better way. We apologize for the shutdowns,” Chow said ahead of a meeting of her executive committee Tuesday. “We literally need more investment. And without that, it’s not as reliable as we want. But still it’s a very good system.”
While the mayor said more money is needed to make the system reliable, Coun. Josh Matlow, who sits on the TTC board, said in a post on X Thursday that he’s learned “concerning” details about the shutdown and vowed to ask tough questions at Thursday’s meeting.
“I’m learning more about the problems that led to chaos on Line 2 on Monday,” Matlow said. “The details are concerning. It’s just not acceptable that so many people’s lives are being disrupted by frequent subway delays & shutdowns. I’ll be asking tough questions at tomorrow’s TTC board meeting.”
According to the latest figures published by the TTC, Line 2 saw more than 40 hours worth of delays in March, a 26 per cent increase from the previous month. However the line’s on-time performance was still 90.4 per cent that month, just over the 90 per cent target set by the TTC.
TTC Chair Jamaal Myers is set to speak with reporters ahead of today’s TTC Board meeting.
Other items being considered by the board today include a five-year, 25-point action plan to improve the customer experience on the TTC.
