SkyTrain switch glitch hits Expo and Millennium line commuters
CBC News | Posted: October 1, 2014 1:32 AM | Last Updated: October 1, 2014
Switch problem near Metrotown, Joyce and Royal Oak stations surfaced at around 6:10 pm PT
Commuters using SkyTrain's Expo and Millennium lines experienced system-wide delays for over 3.5 hours Tuesday afternoon and evening due to "a software problem that impacts switches" in the area of the Metrotown and Joyce stations.
The problem began just after 6 p.m. PT, hitting the busy tail end of the rush hour.
TransLink initially tweeted that a switch problem in the area between Joyce, Metrotown and Royal Oak stations was responsible for the stall in SkyTrain service. It clarified in a later tweet that the glitch was software-related.
Because of the switch problem, SkyTrain service between Nanaimo and Edmonds stations was halted and a system-wide hold was put on other trains.
Bus bridge between Joyce and Edmonds
As of 6:45 p.m. PT, SkyTrain attendants reported that trains were operating between Waterfront and Nanaimo, with buses then taking passengers as far as Joyce.
The Millennium line trains were being reconfigured to operate between VCC and Edmonds stations, and trains were also running from Edmonds to King George station in Surrey.
TransLink said it was in the process of setting up a bus bridge to take passengers between Joyce and Edmonds stations. It later announced that shuttle trains would transport passengers between Nanaimo Station and Joyce.
TransLink said at 6:46 p.m. PT that it didn't know how long the delays would last. As of 8:20 p.m. PT, the situation had not changed, and photos shared on social media showed stations packed with stranded travellers.
The switch problem wasn't resolved until around 9:40 p.m. PT and at 9:47 p.m. PT TransLink tweeted that normal service would be resuming on the Expo and Millennium SkyTrain lines.
4th major incident since mid-July
Tuesday's partial track shutdown is the fourth major SkyTrain problem to hit during busy commute times since mid-summer.
Earlier this month, a "problem train" near Scott Road Station caused system delays during a Friday afternoon rush hour.
In that incident, TransLink blamed the extended delay on having to deal with riders who pushed open doors and exited into the track areas.
In July, two system-wide SkyTrain shutdowns within five days of each other left thousands of commuters fuming after they were given no information when communications systems failed.
The first shutdown, on July 17, was due to a computer glitch. The second shutdown, on July 21, was due to a power outage caused by an electrician working on a panel.
After those two massively disruptive service outages, TransLink hired the former head of Toronto's GO Transit system to conduct an external review into the shutdowns and into how communications were handled during those incidents.