Line 3 running after shutdown due to snow and ice, but buses supplement service Social Sharing

The TTC says Line 3 in Scarborough is up and running on Wednesday after it was shut down due to snow and ice, but shuttle buses are currently supplementing train service.

Delays of up to 15 minutes are possible, according to the TTC.

Two out of five trains on the line suffered mechanical problems early Wednesday, prompting the TTC to add about 10 to 15 buses to the service, according to TTC spokesperson Stuart Green.

“On Line 3, we normally have five trains that are running during full service. Unfortunately, we have lost a couple this morning, so we are down to three trains. What we are doing to supplement service is using shuttle buses,” Green said.

Buses are expected to be running through the morning peak period and until the two trains can be put back into service.

The mechanical problems may not be due to weather, he said.

At about 4 p.m. on Monday, after the snowstorm had started, the TTC stopped service on Line 3 due to low visibility and drifting snow on the tracks.

“We left it offline all of yesterday. And then overnight, our crews went in and did some work to remove ice and snow buildup from that track, so we were able to get service out this morning at around 6 a.m.,” Green said.

Crews worked for hours to clear Line 3

Crews from the TTC’s McCowan Yard worked for eight to 10 hours on the line, with the help of a storm train, on Tuesday night.

In some spots, however, crews had to manually remove the snow and ice, he added.

Green said the TTC has storm trains and de-icing trains for extreme weather. Storm trains are primarily used in cases of major snow, while de-icing trains are used in cases of freezing rain. The de-icing train wasn’t used on Monday.

“Normally, if the service is running, the trains just naturally keep the line clear, but the snow was falling at a rate on Monday that they couldn’t keep up,” he said.

“When the weather stirs up like that on Line 3, in particular, it can give us a lot of problems.”

Line 3, which opened in March 1985, connects six stations, all of which are in Scarborough. The line is exposed to open air and many parts of it are elevated.