While Metrolinx officials say GO Transit crews have mostly fixed tracks damaged during an earlier derailment, ongoing signal work means reduced train service will continue on Thursday.
According to a Wednesday morning statement issued by the provincial transportation agency, GO Transit personnel are still on site working just west of Union Station.
“The majority of the necessary track repairs are completed with (the) remaining work related to the signal system, which sustained significant damage,” the statement said.
“Those repairs will take longer to complete, and at this stage we expect the impacts to extend into tomorrow (Thursday).”
The statement said delays were reported during Wednesday morning’s commute due to high passenger volumes and reduced schedules, but “service has been steady,” and additional trips were added on the Lakeshore East, Lakeshore West and Milton GO Transit train lines.
It’s unclear if additional service will be put in place on Wednesday.
It was just after 8:15 a.m. on Monday when Metrolinx staff confirmed a rear passenger car of a Kitchener-bound GO Transit train derailed. They said the train was moving at low speed when it “experienced an issue that caused the rear of the train to come off the track and make contact with a track switch.” The train was removed from the affected area on Tuesday.
There were no reports of injuries during the incident.
An investigation into the cause of the derailment, officials said, is ongoing.
CityNews asked Metrolinx officials for an on-camera interview to discuss the ongoing situation, but a response wasn’t received as of Wednesday afternoon. Since Monday, updates were only issued by written statements.
Anne Marie Aikins, a crisis communications expert with Curious Public who served as a Metrolinx spokesperson three years ago, said she doesn’t have behind-the-scenes information on the current situation, but said prompt, transparent and frequent communication is key during major incidents.
“You speak to people where they are: whether it’s right in Union Station, whether it’s on social media, whether it’s through the media, you have to be really willing to face the music when these kind of really super disruptive incidents happen,” she told CityNews Wednesday afternoon.
“It looks like it’s being managed so customers can still get where they need to go, but that takes a lot of orchestrating.”
Here’s how GO Transit and UP Express trains are currently operating
As of Wednesday morning, here are the current GO Transit and UP Express train intervals in place:
- Barrie line: 30-minute morning and afternoon peak service
- Kitchener line: 30-minute morning and afternoon peak service, 60-minute off-peak service
- Lakeshore East line: 15-to-30-minute morning and afternoon peak service, 60-minute off-peak service
- Lakeshore West line: 15-to-30-minute morning and afternoon peak service, 60-minute off-peak service
- Milton line: 30-minute morning and afternoon peak service
- Richmond Hill line: 60-minute morning and afternoon peak service
- Stouffville line: 30-minute morning and afternoon peak service
- UP Express: Normal 15-minute service
Click here for the latest information from GO Transit.
A statement issued by Metrolinx said GO Transit staff have done a ‘majority of the necessary track repairs’ after a derailment on Monday. Local
While Metrolinx officials say GO Transit crews have mostly fixed tracks damaged during an earlier derailment, ongoing signal work means reduced train service will continue on Thursday.
According to a Wednesday morning statement issued by the provincial transportation agency, GO Transit personnel are still on site working just west of Union Station.
“The majority of the necessary track repairs are completed with (the) remaining work related to the signal system, which sustained significant damage,” the statement said.
“Those repairs will take longer to complete, and at this stage we expect the impacts to extend into tomorrow (Thursday).”
The statement said delays were reported during Wednesday morning’s commute due to high passenger volumes and reduced schedules, but “service has been steady,” and additional trips were added on the Lakeshore East, Lakeshore West and Milton GO Transit train lines.
It’s unclear if additional service will be put in place on Wednesday.
It was just after 8:15 a.m. on Monday when Metrolinx staff confirmed a rear passenger car of a Kitchener-bound GO Transit train derailed. They said the train was moving at low speed when it “experienced an issue that caused the rear of the train to come off the track and make contact with a track switch.” The train was removed from the affected area on Tuesday.
There were no reports of injuries during the incident.
An investigation into the cause of the derailment, officials said, is ongoing.
CityNews asked Metrolinx officials for an on-camera interview to discuss the ongoing situation, but a response wasn’t received as of Wednesday afternoon. Since Monday, updates were only issued by written statements.
Anne Marie Aikins, a crisis communications expert with Curious Public who served as a Metrolinx spokesperson three years ago, said she doesn’t have behind-the-scenes information on the current situation, but said prompt, transparent and frequent communication is key during major incidents.
“You speak to people where they are: whether it’s right in Union Station, whether it’s on social media, whether it’s through the media, you have to be really willing to face the music when these kind of really super disruptive incidents happen,” she told CityNews Wednesday afternoon.
“It looks like it’s being managed so customers can still get where they need to go, but that takes a lot of orchestrating.”
Here’s how GO Transit and UP Express trains are currently operating
As of Wednesday morning, here are the current GO Transit and UP Express train intervals in place:
- Barrie line: 30-minute morning and afternoon peak service
- Kitchener line: 30-minute morning and afternoon peak service, 60-minute off-peak service
- Lakeshore East line: 15-to-30-minute morning and afternoon peak service, 60-minute off-peak service
- Lakeshore West line: 15-to-30-minute morning and afternoon peak service, 60-minute off-peak service
- Milton line: 30-minute morning and afternoon peak service
- Richmond Hill line: 60-minute morning and afternoon peak service
- Stouffville line: 30-minute morning and afternoon peak service
- UP Express: Normal 15-minute service
Click here for the latest information from GO Transit.