Most UP Express train cars 'condemned' after thermal cracks found in brake discs: union
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 and confirmed by several sources, leaving Metrolinx with only four train cars in service for the rail link connecting Pearson International Airport to downtown Toronto.
“80 per cent of the fleet grounded, it’s certainly possible that those four units are impacted,” said Gregory Vaughan, General Chairman of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Division 660, which represents GO and UP Express train operators and maintenance staff.
Metrolinx, however, is adamant the trains – which remain in service – have passed all safety inspections.
The public transit agency first announced on Monday evening the UP Express would be down to 30-minute service on Tuesday “because of limited availability of equipment due to unexpected maintenance.”
On Friday, the Crown corporation indicated delays "due to an equipment issue" would be “until further notice.”
”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.”
Sources confirm to CTV News Toronto 14 of 18 train cars in the fleet were found to have thermal cracks in their brake discs. Two trains of two cars each remain in service, limiting operations to 30-minute intervals, and forcing a quick staff changeover to maintain schedule.
Vaughan says a health and safety meeting with Alstom—which maintains and services the trains under contract to Metrolinx, and is also the employer of the train operators and maintenance staff—was abruptly cancelled on Thursday.
The company, based in France, has not returned communications since, Vaughan told CTV News on Friday.
A formal correspondence was sent by the union, Vaughan said, “to provide documentation showing when the four units in operation were last inspected, and found to be free of the defects that led to the rest of the fleet being condemned.”
Alstom has not answered that request, he confirmed.
CTV News Toronto has reached out to Alstom for comment.
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 UP Express began operation in 2015.
The trains taken out of service have been described by the union and sources familiar with the situation as “condemned”—terminology Baokye-Yiadom says is unusual in this mechanical engineering field from his experience.
“Does it mean it’s under repairs, or is it just written off?” the engineer said.
Repairs are underway, Metrolinx confirmed.
“We are doing everything we can to get the affected trains safely back into service as soon as possible,” the Crown corporation told CTV News Toronto.
Thermal cracks result from fatigue after the discs are repeatedly heated—sometimes to above 700 degrees Celsius—and cooled during braking. It is a major cause of braking failure, said Boakye-Yiadom, as the system takes on more load attempting to halt momentum.
“As soon as you cause a very little crack initiation in the structure, know that subsequent loadings are going to cause these cracks to expand and grow,” he said. “And that’s where it gets dangerous.”
Metrolinx says all trains, which remained in service, have passed inspection since the thermal cracks were discovered last weekend. Yet, the four UP Express train cars that remain in service have not been heading to their usual yard at night, several sources say, where they are routinely inspected.
Instead, they are being yarded at a location near Lakeshore Boulevard East and Cherry Street.
“It’s a public safety concern,” a source told CTV News Toronto.
Vaughan agrees.
“I’m going to continue to press [for answers],” said Vaughan. “Not just for the safety of my people but the travelling public.”
“This is safety, we don’t negotiate, and we don’t mess around when it comes to safety.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ontario patients visiting emergency rooms out of fear being booted by family doctor
Ontario patients are now visiting emergency departments out of fear of being de-rostered from their doctor’s office – a loophole that results in hospitals dealing with non-urgent cases, and disrupts continuity of care paramount to family medicine, according to health-care experts.
Putin wants Ukraine ceasefire on current frontlines, Reuters sources say
Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognizes the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.
Outdated rules and mounting losses: Can anything be done to fix Canada Post?
Canada Post needs drastic measures to staunch the fiscal bleeding and revamp its operations after a tough decade, experts say.
American Airlines retreats after blaming a 9-year-old for not seeing a hidden camera in a lavatory
American Airlines has distanced itself from a court filing in which the carrier said a nine-year-old girl should have noticed there was a camera taped to the seat of an airplane lavatory.
What is 'slapped cheek disease' and should parents be concerned?
Despite its rough name, experts say most cases of 'slapped cheek disease' are mild and not a cause for concern.
Trillions of cicadas are emerging in the U.S. Here's what they sound like
Two broods of periodical cicadas are emerging in the United States simultaneously for the first time since 1803. Here is what their deafening buzz sounds like.
Ontario mother denied boarding flight with her family after ticket mistake
A dream vacation for an Ontario family quickly turned to frustration when a mother’s name on a ticket didn’t match the name on her passport, meaning she was left behind while her husband and two children flew to France.
Competition Bureau probes alleged anticompetitive conduct by Loblaws, Sobeys owners
Canada's Competition Bureau has launched investigations into the parent companies of grocery chains Loblaws and Sobeys for alleged anticompetitive conduct, court documents reveal, with Sobeys' owner calling the inquiry 'unlawful.'
A deep-dive into a failed 'Star Wars' hotel is going viral
In 2023, Disney closed a highly-publicized luxury hotel on the Walt Disney World property called 'Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.' Now, a year later, a four-hour-long YouTube deep-dive has resurfaced details about the concept and spread the niche piece of Disney lore to millions of viewers.