I was heading out to Union Station when a coworker showed me an email saying that signal problems had temporarily shut down some GO Trains - just in time for rush hour.
This is what Transit Toronto said of the issue "A major disruption to all GO Train service is currently underway. As a result of problems affecting CN’s signals and radio communications, GO Transit has had no choice but to suspend all GO Train service at this time, affecting thousands of commuters heading home during the afternoon rush hour."
Hoping that the problem would be fixed I ventured out in the very light snow that had started earlier in the day. I went in the entrance off of Bay Street and noticed that there were a ton of people around the customer service area. They really weren't announcing any problem over the intercom, however the display boards showed a number of Wait and Cancelled status alerts. Not knowing if things were soon to be fixed or if I should look at alternative ways of getting home I just hung and explored.
Eventually trains started to come into Union and they announced each one over the loudspeakers. My train showed up about 30 minutes after it usually arrives. Lining up on mass on the platform, standing 6 or more deep, we waited for the train to stop and the doors to open and then the river of people poured into the two sets of door in each train car. All in all we left Union Station only 15 minutes past the official departure time so the delay was minimal. As a bonus the bus arrived at the last station just after we arrived.
PS You can check the status of GO Trains and Buses on their website here.
