Hydro vault fire turns off the juice for Toronto Transit

An electrical fire is being blamed for a major service outage on the TTC Tuesday morning.

Toronto Fire responded to a call around 4:00am of smoke pouring out an underground hydro vault in the Richmond and Victoria Area. Power to the area was turned off while crews worked to being the fire under control.

Service on the Yonge subway was shut down from St Andrew to Bloor stations just in time for the morning rush. Several street car lines were also disrupted, leaving commuters scrambling to board cramped shuttle buses. Some just gave up and walked.

No #TTC service from Bloor to St Andrew stations. Shuttle buses are operating. pic.twitter.com/KLTnbUbuUc

— The Ryersonian (@theryersonian) March 1, 2016

Line up of shuttle buses at #unionstation now #TTC @CBCToronto pic.twitter.com/uUa0RC9cxO

— Nadia (@nadia_toronto) March 1, 2016

Full transit service was restored shortly before 11:00am.

TTC representative Brad Ross confirmed the fire had originated in one of the transit company's vaults. Crews are still investigating the cause.

Not a good morning for #TTC Vault fire causing all sorts of issues. Check @TTCnotices #Toronto pic.twitter.com/Uy5jxf6xwF

— Tony Smyth (@LateNightCam) March 1, 2016

Large snowstorm to hit the GTA on Tuesday UPDATED

After a weekend of unseasonably mild weather, southern Ontario is about to get a harsh reminder that winter is still here.

A powerful Texas Low is expected to impact the region Tuesday evening, bringing with it colder temperatures and heavy snows.

The GTA can expect to receive 2-5cm Tuesday afternoon with an additional 10-20cm overnight heading into Wednesday morning. Freezing rain and ice pellets may also pose problems in areas along the Lower Great Lakes. Exact amounts will depend on how the storm tracks.

Environment Canada warns commuters to be prepared and alter their plans accordingly. A winter storm warning is currently in effect for most of southern Ontario. Watches are in effect for the Ottawa Valley.

This same storm is also causing issues down in the United States, bringing heavy snow and the potential for freezing ran across a large swath of the eastern seaboard from Chicago to the Carolinas.

Both Pearson and Billy Bishop report that flights are operating normally as of Monday morning. However, they remind travellers to check for delays before heading out.

When the Gardiner will be closed this spring, and other delights

Spring is only a month away, and we here in Toronto are getting ready to transition into everyone's favourite season. Construction season.

The City of Toronto has published their list of when the Gardiner and DVP will be closed this spring, both for maintenance and some major events.

"Providing the dates for these expressway closures in advance will help people make their travel plans," said Councillor Jaye Robinson, chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.

Weekend Road closures are as follows:

 • The Don Valley Parkway from the Gardiner Expressway to Highway 401 will be closed for spring maintenance activities from Friday, April 15 at 11 p.m. to Monday, April 18 at 5 a.m. A rain date of April 29 to May 1 has been set, in which case the DVP will re-open early to improve traffic conditions during the Goodlife Marathon, scheduled for May 1.

• The Gardiner Expressway between Carlaw Avenue and Highway 427 will be closed from Friday, May 13 at 11 p.m. to Monday, May 16 at 5 a.m. for spring maintenance activities. (Rain date: May 20 to 23, opening for Victoria Day on May 23.)

• The Gardiner Expressway will be closed from Carlaw Avenue to the Humber Bridge and the Don Valley Parkway will be closed from Highway 401 to the Gardiner Expressway on Sunday, June 5 from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. to accommodate the Ride for Heart event that day.

• The eastbound lanes of the Gardiner Expressway from the Humber Bridge to Carlaw Avenue and the northbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway from the Gardiner Expressway to Eglinton Avenue, including all ramps, will be closed on Sunday, July 10 from 2 a.m. to noon during the Toronto Triathlon Festival

Metrolinx to slash fares for underused UP Express

In a move which pretty much everyone predicted, Metrolinx is slashing ticket prices for its underutilized Union-Pearson Express.

The Globe and Mail reports that fares will be reduced from $27.50 per trip to just $12 for travel between Union Station and the airport. Riders with presto cards will see their ticket fall from $19 to $9.

Fares for travel between the line's three other stations have been reduced to $6.

The move comes after reports that ridership for the line has been slowly declining. The UP Express needs at least 7,000 passengers per day to break even, but only averages about 2,500.

The $456 million Union-Pearson Express was originally constructed as part of Toronto's bid for the 2015 Pan-Am games. Since opening last Summer, criticism has been mounting over the project's high fares and low utilization.

“To think that there are as few as six people [at a time] on a significant piece of infrastructure that cost taxpayers almost a half a billion dollars is really a shame,” said PC transport critic Michael Harris.

At the current regular price, the UP Express is the most expensive direct air-rail link in North America, with similar trains in other large cities averaging around $10.

The services attracted as many as 40,000 passengers over the Family Day long weekend, when Metrolinx was offering a free ride promotion. With the reduces fares, the province is hoping to repeat that before the line becomes another costly white elephant.

Photo by Craig James White via Wikipedia. Used under CC BY-SA 4.0 license. 

Wintry weather to hit Ontario on Wednesday

Commuters could be in for a messy drive on Wednesday as a winter storm bares down on southern Ontario.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement ahead of a major storm that is expected to affect the province Wednesday and into Thursday.

This storm is expected to bring heavy rain and snow for some areas, along with the possibility of freezing rain. Weather experts say amounts will largely depend on how this storm tracks.

The same system is also expected to impact Southern Quebec and New Brunswick later in the week.

Several US cities are already preparing, with up to 30cm of snow expected to hit areas north of Detroit, with lesser amounts for Chicago and Boston.

Those flying to the affected areas are advised to check their flight status before heading out.

Photo by Mhus via Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0 license. 

Nipigon Bridge partially reopened to traffic

To go anywhere in Canada, you just follow the only road... or not.

A section of the Trans-Canada Highway through Northern Ontario has partially reopened Monday morning after a bridge failure.

The newly constructed Nipigon River Bridge had been shut down on Sunday after it heaved as much as 60cm away from the embankment.

Engineers are investigating it as a mechanical failure.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca said the Province "will do everything they can do to restore the bridge quickly, while also making sure that the safety of the travelling public remains of paramount importance."

The Trans-Canada highway serves as a vital route to western Canada, and is the only road connecting the communities of Nipigon and Thunder Bay.

"It's not just us. It's all of Canada that has a problem right now," Nipigon mayor Richard Harvey told media.

Crews were able to open a single lane to traffic Monday morning, but say it may be days before everything returns to normal.

The cause of the failure is still under investigation, but locals are blaming strong winds and cold weather.

The Nipigon River Bridge is currently involved in a $106 million project to widen the road to four lanes. The portion of the bridge that failed had only just opened in November.

Source: CBC
Photo by @SayethShawna, via Twitter

Serious crash closes 401 in Milton

A serious collision has closed the eastbound 401 through Milton.

Around 5:30pm Monday evening, police responded to reports that a vehicle had slammed into the median and collided with a truck.

Ornge Air Ambulance has transported one patient to a Hamilton hospital with critical injuries.

Another person involved was also injured in the crash, but an Ornge spokesperson said they are less serious.

Drivers are advised to take the James Snow bypass to get around the closure.

More details as they come.