CTV News reported that the main subway line was shut down Tuesday morning and there was still no service on another line. Street car service was also partially knocked out or diverted.
The shutdown came as Ontario residents braced themselves for a late winter storm expected to develop over Ontario today and tomorrow. Up to 12 inches of snow are expected to fall on the region.
The Toronto Transit Commission reported sending in 130 buses to help people get to work and school Tuesday. The fire has now been extinguished and transit workers are trying to get power fully restored.
“We’ve flooded the place with staff because obviously we want to minimize the impact on our customers, both on the subway and on the streetcars,” transit official Andy Byford told the Toronto Star.
The subway and street car systems work independently but the fire took out a hydro box holding cables powering both systems.
“Normally one wouldn’t affect the other,” Byford said.
The fire broke out at 50 Richmond Street East at about 1 a.m.
