Some TTC streetcars out of service due to cold weather

WATCH ABOVE: Marianne Dimain explains why some of the aging TTC streetcars struggle in frigid temperatures. 

TORONTO – Extra buses will be replacing 13 streetcars on the 502 and 503 routes during the afternoon rush Thursday as the cold weather again forces aging streetcars off the tracks.

Twenty-five TTC streetcars were pulled out of service Thursday morning due to equipment issues as a result of the cold weather.

Augmented bus service is being rolled out on the 502 Downtowner, 503 Kingston and 511 Bathurst routes.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross says moisture build-up in the streetcar air lines causes doors and brakes to freeze during the extreme cold.

Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David McKeown, said in a media release that he has ended the city’s Extreme Cold Weather Alert.