GO Transit delays could continue Wednesday after major service disruption

GO Transit riders should expect some delays on Wednesday after a major service disruption that lasted for hours on Tuesday, Metrolinx says.

In an email late Tuesday, the provincial transit agency said: "Tomorrow, we intend to run our regularly scheduled train service, however there could still be some delays and modifications as we work to move our trains and crews back into place after today's CN outage."

Metrolinx added it plans to provide as much notice as possible to customers about possible schedule changes and encouraged riders to check its service updates page before travelling.

On Tuesday evening, GO train and UP Express service resumed slowly after being halted earlier in the day due to a network-wide Canadian National Railway (CN) system failure that affected all rail corridors.

In a message to its employees on Tuesday, CN said: "The outage was attributed to an internal system upgrade and affected CN's ability to connect to the internet."

GO Transit, for its part, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: "As we work with our rail partner to resume regular rail service tonight, we have modified the schedule and are running trains approximately every half hour. Further delays and modifications are expected."

For outbound trains from Union Station on Tuesday night, Metrolinx pointed people to GO Transit's website. For customers travelling into Union Station, Metrolinx said service will be less frequent but should be between 30 to 60 minutes.

Earlier, Metrolinx said: "Trains are very busy, so please consider travel alternatives or travelling later this evening if possible."

Commuters wait for updates on train availabilities at Toronto's Union Station after GO Transit and UP Express announced that trains are not running on the entire network due to a networkwide system failure on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

UP Express also said its train service has been "modified" because of the CN system failure. It said it would provide updates once it returns to regular service.

"UP Express trains are running every 30 minutes. We thank you for your patience," the service said on X.

CN apologizes, will review incident

CN's website also appeared to be offline for a period Tuesday afternoon, but was running again by 4 p.m. In a statement at about 8:15 p.m., CN said its internet connectivity has been restored.

"CN would like to apologize for the impact caused by this outage. While there continues to be no indication of a cyber security issue, the cause of the outage remains under investigation," the company said in the statement.

"During the outage, CN worked with GO to temporarily take over their train dispatching responsibilities," it added.

"This allowed for the partial resumption of GO and VIA services. GO Transit has now resumed dispatching their lines and they are working to resume their normal movements. CN will be working with GO to review the incident and put in place processes to avoid further disruptions."

A commuter checks his phone at Toronto's Union Station during the shutdown that affected GO Transit and Via Rail service on Tuesday. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

CN said its customer service portal is working and its own trains did not experience any delays. No data was affected, it said.

Earlier, CN said GO trains, Via trains in and out of Union station, both of which require an internet connection to CN's services, were affected. EXO trains out of Montreal and Amtrak Trains were not affected.

Via Rail says service to return to normal Wednesday

Via Rail said in its own post on X that trains entering or leaving Union Station would experience delays Tuesday, and asked passengers to visit its website for updates on their trips.

In an email at about 9:45 p.m., Via Rail said it learned in the afternoon that operations were resuming.

"As of 3:45 p.m. today we were informed by Metrolinx that trains would slowly start to gain access to the infrastructure and that operations could resume. At the time of the events, 6 VIA Rail trains were running late and delays have continued throughout the night due to rail traffic on the infrastructure," Via Rail said.

"Operations should resume as normal tomorrow morning."

Passenger's trip took 3 hours longer than expected

Aarij Anwer, a Muslim chaplain at Western University, said he and a friend got stuck twice while taking a Via train from London to Toronto on Tuesday — once in Oakville and then again in the Humber Bay Park East area in Toronto's west end.

The train left London at about 10:50 a.m. and was meant to arrive at Union station at 1:10 p.m. By the time it arrived, it was 4:20 p.m. — taking more than three hours longer than scheduled, he said.

As a result of the delays, the two missed meetings with Ontario MPPs and Premier Doug Ford.

"There are worse places to be stuck five hours. But we'd also rather get to our destination and go about our day," Anwer said in an interview on the train.

Aarij Anwer, a Muslim chaplain at Western University, says his Via Rail trip from London to Toronto took much longer than expected on Tuesday. (CBC)

Via Rail provided customers with water and snacks and issued generic announcements about the delays, he said. The train was also not at capacity, which meant it was comfortable but still frustrating, he added.

"I guess it could have been worse but also not what we expected," he said.

Anwer said he hoped he and his friend could still make an evening dinner and mixer in Toronto.

Shutdown led to surge pricing on ride-hailing apps

The railway shutdown also appeared to lead to surge pricing on ride-hailing apps like Uber Tuesday afternoon, as demand for alternate routes grew.

The TTC said it was working to add extra subway service on Lines 1 and 2 to help with the afternoon rush.

"We expect heavier-than-normal passenger loads and would advise customers to plan ahead in the event this issue persists," it said in a statement.

Pearson airport issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying it is "closely monitoring" the situation.

"There is currently no impact to our operations, but passengers may need to find an alternative way to get to the airport," the statement reads.

Yogesh Dahiya, a student, said the shutdown disrupted his schedule. Speaking to CBC News Tuesday afternoon, he said he had been waiting for an hour and half for a train at Bloor GO station and planned to wait another 15 minutes before taking an alternate route on the TTC.

"Being a student, I have to do a lot of work at home," he said. "It's all about time."

Dahiya said he works a part-time job and that managing his time between school, work and home is essential.

Transportation systems should be well prepared for delays and ensure customers have the information they need to plan different ways home.

"It's very, very difficult for us," he said.