All UP Express trains taken out of service after cracks found in brake discs
The UP Express airport link is out of service entirely and replaced by Express GO bus service until further notice, a day after it was discovered nearly 80 percent of the fleet had been found to have thermal cracks in brake discs.
The line-wide disruption is due to “unexpected equipment maintenance,” Metrolinx said in a release issued Saturday.
“We are providing an express bus service to Pearson Airport,” the statement reads. “Station Ambassadors are on site to assist.”
Express buses were picking up and dropping off riders on Station Street, and running every 20 mins in both directions on Saturday.
On Friday, most of the fleet servicing the UP Express has been removed from operation after thermal cracks were discovered in the vehicle brake discs, according to the maintenance and operators’ union, leaving Metrolinx with only four train cars in service for the rail link connecting Pearson International Airport to downtown Toronto.
At the time, Metrolinx was adamant the four remaining trains had all passed safety inspections. By 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, they had also been pulled from service.
”Over the course of regular inspections this past weekend, our team discovered hairline cracks in the brake discs on some of our UP Express trains,” Metrolinx said in an emailed statement.
“In the interest of safety, we immediately removed the affected trains from service and proactively inspected the rest of our fleet.”
The general chair of the union representing train operators and maintenance staff tells CTV News the list of questions keep growing, while the assurances to the union have been non-existent that the trains which had been in operation until today had passed inspection.
“There is some relief in terms of the reassurance that everything has been inspected and validated and in good condition,” Gregory Vaughan, General Chairman of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Division 660. “I would feel a lot more relief if we were able to get a copy of the documents that demonstrate that—certified records that show what was found, or not found as the case may be.”
CTV News has reached out for comment to Alstom, which operates and services the trains under contract to Metrolinx and employs the train operators and maintenance staff.
Metrolinx did not answer questions about the condition of the train cars that had remained in operation until service was cancelled for the entire rail link on Saturday.
The statement on Saturday afternoon said the service had been suspended “due to a technical issue” and not unexpected maintenance, unlike what the Crown corporation told customers in an advisory.
Brake discs are a form of braking system that have been in wide use in motor vehicles, trains, and aircraft for decades, since their invention in the 1890s.
Their life expectancy depends on the materials used, and are routinely serviced and replaced, said mechanical engineer Solomon Boakye-Yiadom, an assistant professor in the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University.
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) said it is increasing service to Pearson International Airport for this weekend, specifically its 900 Airport Express bus route, “to provide customers with additional options.”
Buses will operate between Kipling Station and the airport every eight minutes or less, the TTC said.
The 900 Airport Express bus only stops at Kipling Station, Dundas Street West and Acorn Avenue, Dundas Street West and East Mall Crescent, Jetliner Road at Airport Road, Terminal 1 and Terminal 3.
In addition, the TTC said it is also increasing service on the 52A Lawrence West with buses travelling between the airport and Lawrence West subway station.
“These service increases will be in place until end-of-day on Sun. Feb 12. The TTC will continue to monitor passenger volume to determine if airport service will be increased into next week,” the transit agency said in a statement.
The UP Express began operation in 2015.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lanny McDonald and a few old Flames take the Stanley Cup on a surprise visit to the man who saved his life
The Stanley Cup was passing through town Friday, and Lanny Legend took it upon himself to take it for a surprise visit.
Bathroom break nearly derails $22 million project at city council meeting
A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.
Chad Daybell sentenced to death for killing wife and girlfriend’s two children in jury decision
Jurors resumed deliberations Saturday on whether a man should be sentenced to death after being convicted days earlier of the murders of his wife and his girlfriend’s two youngest children in Idaho.
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
Father who killed one-year-old son with axe may be allowed to travel in southwestern Ontario
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
'It feels like freedom': Why some Albertans like going nude in nature
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
China lands spacecraft on the moon amid growing space rivalry with U.S.
A Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.
Pedestrian dies after being hit by train in Brockville, Ont.
Brockville Police says a pedestrian has died following a collision with a train that was heading to Toronto.