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
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
Jury begins deliberating in Trump's hush money case, weighing verdict in first criminal trial of a former U.S. president
Jurors in Donald Trump's hush money trial begin deliberations Wednesday after receiving instructions from the judge on the law and the factors they may consider as they strive to reach a verdict in the first criminal case against a former American president.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
Canada announces $11B for military aircraft training
Canada has announced an $11.2-billion contract to improve training platforms for the military, including the purchase of 70 training aircraft for the Future Aircrew Training program.
CNN exclusive: A federal grand jury may soon hear from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' accusers
Federal investigators are preparing to bring accusers of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs before a federal grand jury, two sources familiar with the probe tell CNN — signaling the U.S. Justice Department is moving toward potentially seeking an indictment of Combs.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.