Switch problem causes another major stoppage on SkyTrain
Posted October 1, 2014 6:14 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – There was another serious problem with SkyTrain yesterday, the fourth in three months.
A switch malfunction near Metrotown Station around 6 p.m. which caused system-wide delays on Expo and Millennium Lines.
For several hours, Millennium Line trains were only running from Columbia Station and VCC Clark Station.
Expo Line trains were running from Waterfront Station to Nanaimo Station and from Edmonds Station to King George Station.
Platforms were packed as passengers were asked to use bus bridges.
Meantime, an external review is underway of these SkyTrain shutdowns.
TransLink is said to be paying the former head of Toronto’s GO transit system $1,200 a day to evaluate the system. A final report is expected by the end of October. TransLink has already conducted an internal review.
Passengers say they are frustrated with TransLink’s service
At Commercial Broadway Station, News1130 spoke with Cody who was watching hundreds of people trying to push their way into the trains.
He questioned the safety of the situation as he says the passengers on the platforms were” packed like sardines.” He wasn’t happy about his extra-long commute home. “I’m feeling pretty frustrated. I mean, I can understand how the Sky Train has a lot of complicated systems to operate and it has to deal with a lot of problems, but at the same time when we spend this much money on a system for our city, and it’s a major transit route, we should be able to put more resources in it than this.”
Miguel was trying to get to Metrotown Station which was the centre of the problem was angry. “Nine times out of ten, nine days out of ten, it works perfectly. It’s on cases like this, they need to up their communication, and up there warnings, and their protocols.
Shavani says it took her twice as long to get from Surrey to Vancouver. She is also not pleased with things were handled as far as letting passengers know what was going on and where to go. “It’s incredibly frustrating and as you can see there’s so many people here that are equally as frustrated. People just want to get home. It’s really nobody’s asking for anything complicated. Just timely proper service and not only is it not timely they don’t even have enough people to support us.”
