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W. K. Lis

W. K. Lis

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From The Star:

February 13, 2009
Adrian Morrow
Staff Reporter

One teenage boy was taken to hospital with serious injuries and another escaped with minor injuries after a stranger allegedly pushed them onto the subway tracks at the Dufferin station this afternoon.

The two were on the eastbound platform when they were deliberately pushed in front of a train entering the station. Emergency workers were called to the scene around 4:50 p.m.

They found one teen with serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his lower body. He was taken away on a back board, but was conscious and alert.

A second teenage boy crawled under the platform to get out of the train's path. He suffered only minor injuries. Both are believed to be between 14 and 17 years old, said Toronto EMS.

At least one of the two was underneath the train, said Toronto Fire.

Police said earlier reports that he might lose his leg are not true, and that the boys' outlooks are good.

"It sounds like one is going to be moderate and the other is going to be minor," said Staff Sgt. John Dubreuil.

After the attack, witnesses followed an older man out of the station, said Dubreuil. A station collector collared the man and held him until police came to arrest him, the TTC said. He has been taken in for questioning.

Police are still trying to determine why the assailant pushed the two.

"(The boys) don't know him from Adam," said Dubreuil.

So far, no charges have been laid, but police don't believe there are any outstanding suspects.

The Bloor-Danforth subway line was shut down between Ossington and Keele stations, with shuttle buses ferrying passengers along the line. The subway re-opened shortly after 6 p.m.

Police are still on the scene investigating.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any other information is asked to call police at 416-808-1400.
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Passengers from the west cannot get downtown from the Keele station, without going through additional time-delaying transfers. There should be crossover tracks at Dundas West station, so that passengers can use the 504 King and 505 Dundas streetcars to get downtown. Ditto for passengers from downtown going west.​
 
I got caught in the aftermath during the evening commute, and unfortunately I don't have much kind words to say about practically everyone/every organization involved.

TTC: Would it hurt to a) do a sound check of all subway and station PA system b) haul at least ONE staff to direct where passengers should go for the shuttle bus and c) have some sort of internal intercom to keep every staff along affected stations abreast of arrangements?

Toronto Police: Would it hurt to a) have some sort of emergency road closure plan to ease the traffic flow for the said shuttle buses, b) deal with seniors who really needed the help (like one whom I literally had to write out instructions to since she could neither read nor hear?) instead of answering inane questions for healthy adults who can find out where to go for themselves - or otherwise standing there twiddling your thumb?

Riders: Would it hurt to a) NOT behave like animals, pushing and shoving your way on the bus? b) take off your f'ing backpack and c) not bitch about how you deserve better service when you have no f'ing clue as to how much everything actually cost other than your beloved mascara? d) I know it is really, really, really important to let your SO know about your current predicament, but can you please turn off your f'ing cell phone? This ain't an Oscar acceptance speech.

Drivers: Would it hurt to a) NOT honk?

That's all.

AoD
 
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So that's what happened today, I was coming from Kipling trying to get to Union when this happened. When I got out at Keele there was a huge crowd waiting for shuttle buses that I didn't even see. After ten minutes, I saw that it would be better use of my time to walk the four stations, and indeed I was right. NOT A SINGLE SHUTTLE BUS PASSED ME eastbound from Keele to Ossington. Amen to the crossover tracks at Dundas. While walking, I passed Dundas west and ectually thought of going on the streetcar, but eventually decided not to.

EDIT: I had to add, the eastbound service from Kipling to Keele was OMFG, 3 km/h!!! Why did all the trains go that slow??
And, on the intercom, they said there was a power failure, but I guess it does sound better than "Attention all passengers on the Bloor-Danforth Line, two people have been pushed onto the subway tracks at Dufferin station. As a result, there will be shuttle buses operating between Keele and Ossington. Thank you for taking the better way!
 
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jks:

And, on the intercom, they said there was a power failure, but I guess it does sound better than "Attention all passengers on the Bloor-Danforth Line, two people have been pushed onto the subway tracks at Dufferin station. As a result, there will be shuttle buses operating between Keele and Ossington. Thank you for taking the better way
Click to expand...

The moment they said power off I could have guessed it was a jumper. Funny the station TVs kept on insisting the stretch was closed due to "flooding" at Dufferin station, even after the line re-opened. Talk about useless info.

AoD
 
I personally think you can forget about shuttle buses ever being effective when a portion of the subway comes down. For at least two reasons.

1. These buses aren't on standby. The TTC has very few spares to spare. So, when shuttle buses are called for, they are taken off of established routes. It takes time for those buses to reach the affected areas.
2. Simple mathematics. A typical subway during rush hour is expected to carry at least 1,000 passengers and can, at crush loads, carry as many as 1900 passengers. One of these trains arrives at a station every two minutes or so. By comparison, a bus filled to the gills can only take away 100 passengers. Assuming that everything is working well, you'd need at least ten buses to pull away from a station every two minutes in order to keep up with the crowds. That's not going to happen.

If I encounter a delay that has caused the subway to split into sections and call in shuttle buses, I've found it more effective to simply wait on the subway platform for the problem to clear. Most of these delays last no more than thirty minutes, and quite often by then, the shuttle buses are only just arriving in earnest. It'll be a sea of humanity in the bus terminal area, so your best bet is to wait by the subway platform, which is designed to move large numbers of people quickly. When the problems clear, you'll be one of the first to board the resuming trains, often even before people start coming back from the bus terminal area to the subway platform.

Failing that, I'd call ahead to my appointment and tell them that I'd be late, go to a coffee shop somewhere and wait out the disruption. Or I'd look for alternates. Those of you who decided to walk the gap did a very good thing. Not only did you save yourself the trouble of experiencing the crush loads of the shuttle buses, you yourself saved a spot on one of those buses for someone else who might have needed it more.

I'd also consider alternate parallel routes. This is easier to do with the Yonge and Spadina subways than Bloor-Danforth, of course. With the former, you just catch a crosstown bus and transfer at the corresponding subway stop; your delay is minimal. With Bloor, you're looking at a trek to one of a number of parallel crosstown services, some of which didn't clear the blockage. We really do need to put crossovers at Dundas West so that King and Dundas become decent alternates. Failing that, 506 Carlton and 80 Queensway might have done in a pinch, or using 26 Dupont. St. Clair is another possibility, but it's not ready yet.

Ultimately, what you need most during one of these events is patience. The day is simply NOT going to go your way, and you have to accept that, because what else can you do? Once done, the slings and arrows that you'll experience won't sting so badly. Tomorrow will be a better day.

...James
 
Railization said:
There's no argument for ATO/ATC on Bloor-Danforth in the foreseeable future if the DRL is built.
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It will be needed for platform doors. They seem like a frill to the decision makers, but these incidents result in frustration and stress for riders and a waste of police and TTC resources. A driver who witnesses a suicide has to take time off to deal with the horrific event, which is paid time of course. Bring on ATC and the doors.
 
james:

Walking is pretty much the only sensible option - and I would done it earlier than I did if I didn't had to make sure someone dealt with that old lady - who was visibly frazzled by the experience.

AoD
 
W. K. Lis said:
There should be crossover tracks at Dundas West station, so that passengers can use the 504 King and 505 Dundas streetcars to get downtown. Ditto for passengers from downtown going west.[/INDENT]
Click to expand...

These are not easily implemented at Dundas West. On the west side, it's sloped and curved, which makes it a poor candidate for cross-overs.

On the east side, you're dealing with bored tunnels and wider-spaced track centers. This is very difficult to alter without closing down the system for months (because of the circular tunnel liners. Squared (cut-and-cover) tunnels are much easier to work with, but Dundas West was tunnelled under the railways, not cut-and-cover).

Adding crossovers at Dundas West is simply not an option. It isn't realistic.

If it's really a huge concern for you, I'd suggest promoting a "wide loop" by a single-track extension from the current 505 (south) track from Dundas West loop via a switch to take it straight west through a parking lot and across the south-most track in Vincent Yard, to just inside the Keele parking lot on the west side of Indian Rd., and then single-track east along Edna Ave. where it connects to the existing loop just before Dundas St. W. This allows an easy extension of the 504/505 services to Keele, where a crossover conveniently already exists. This is much cheaper (no underground work), and far less disruptive (no service suspensions for construction).
 
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junctionist said:
It will be needed for platform doors. They seem like a frill to the decision makers, but these incidents result in frustration and stress for riders and a waste of police and TTC resources. A driver who witnesses a suicide has to take time off to deal with the horrific event, which is paid time of course. Bring on ATC and the doors.
Click to expand...

It's a frill. People being deliberately pushed onto subway tracks is extremely rare (and thank heavens for that). Where there's a will, there's a way. Somebody will always find some way to throw someone in front of a train. Ellis Portal comes to mind (just north of Bloor station). It's a useless expense because people will just find another way to accomplish the same thing.
 
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