UPX glitch strands two trains on tracks

Broken switch caused one-hour suspension of service on air-rail link

Riders on the Union Pearson Express had their travel plans interrupted Thursday afternoon when a broken switch disrupted service on the air-rail link for more than an hour, stranding about120 passengers on two stalled trains.

Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency that operates the UPX, said a switch between Pearson airport and Weston station failed at about 1:15 p.m. Two trains, one headed for Pearson and the other bound for Union, were unable to proceed while crews worked to fix the problem. Many more passengers were unable to board, as service along the whole line was temporarily suspended.

The Pearson-bound train, which was carrying 66 people, was eventually able to reverse to Weston and unload its passengers. The other train, which had just left the airport, was carrying 57 passengers. Nora Loreto, who was on the Union-bound train, estimated it was stuck on the tracks for close to 90 minutes. She said passengers weren’t given much information about the cause of the delay or when it would end.

“It was really annoying. Obviously the staff didn’t know what was going on either,” she said.

Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Ma- rie Aikins said the UPX, which opened in 2015 and is Metrolinx’s newest service, has an “outstanding” on-time performance of 98 per cent. But she conceded that any delays that do occur are particularly stressful for airport travellers.

“People get used to being delayed on transit services generally, but it’s a much more heightened concern when they’re trying to catch a flight. That’s something we’re always conscious of,” she said.

To cope with the delay, Metrolinx deployed about a dozen buses to ferry people from Union Station to the airport. The agency also ordered cabs for about 30 people who were most at risk of missing flights.

As is always the case during delays to Metrolinx service, passengers were allowed to board any nearby TTC service free of charge.

Aikins said she wasn’t aware of anyone missing their plane as a result of the delay, but at least one person was forced to rebook on a later flight.

Metrolinx will occasionally reimburse passengers’ rebooking fees if they’re incurred as a result of a UPX delay, but Aikins stressed that each claim is dealt with on a case-by-case basis and it’s up to travellers to give themselves enough time to catch their flights.

“If you get on the UP train and your plane is leaving in an hour, that is just not enough time,” she said.

According to Aikins, the switch was fixed by about 2 p.m., but it took more than 30 minutes for Metrolinx to clear the delays.