Metrolinx says congestion made worse by strike at Union Station is cleared

A man walks past the entrance to Union Station in Toronto, April 20, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Yader Guzman

Metrolinx says congestion at Toronto's Union Station that was caused by mechanical issues but made worse by an electrical workers strike has been cleared.

Spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins says that a switch issue Thursday morning in the Union Station Rail Corridor had led to delays and some cancellations, but that by the afternoon services were running normally.

The mechanical issue hit as 95 workers with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers remain on strike after the union and Toronto Terminals Railway failed to reach an agreement by 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Aikins says the congestion was somewhat related to the strike as the labour disruption has made it more difficult to manage the rail corridor.

The striking workers are mainly responsible for signals and communication maintenance as well as train control on the Union Station rail corridor.

Aikins says the congestion led to some cancellations on the Lakeshore East and West routes as well as the Stouffville lines.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2022.