Downtown Skytrain service resumes after disruption due to electrical problem

Vancouver's SkyTrain service has returned to normal after delays that ran through the evening rush hour and well into the night on Tuesday. 

SkyTrain service was shut down between Broadway and Waterfront stations beginning around 3 p.m. PT due to an electrical problem. TransLink Spokesperson Anne Drennan said preliminary findings indicated damage to power equipment on the train, although there was no understanding as to what may have sparked the issue. 

Drennan said earlier on Tuesday that SkyTrain passengers reported seeing a thick plume of smoke before the problems occurred. 

"There's nothing to indicate there was an actual fire, but there was definitely smoke that was seen up on the track area, which may have come from a problem train or something to do with an electrical problem on the track," said Drennan.

Drennan said 69 bus bridges were in place for passengers to get to and from affected areas during peak periods on Tuesday evening.

The Canada Line was not affected. 

Only one train was trapped between stations with passengers onboard, Drennan said, but was soon moved back so they could disembark. 

She said the problem was unfortunate, but not entirely preventable due in part to aging infrastructure.

"This does happen on major transit systems. We can only apologize and say that our engineers and electricians are working on the issue," said Drennan Tuesday.

"We ask that people try to stay as patient as possible. We get that it's very frustrating," 

Several commuters took to social media to express their frustration at SkyTrain delays, and at the overcrowding it caused on buses and on the Canada Line.