WATCH: A shutdown on the SkyTrain caused havoc for commuters on Tuesday.
Technical issues caused a shutdown of Expo Line and Millennium Line trains between Waterfront and Royal Oak stations Tuesday afternoon, causing havoc for commuters.
The shutdown came on the heels of another Expo Line issue on May 20 and a freak accident that closed the line on May 22. The back-to-back breakdowns prompted TransLink to reimburse riders for their fares on those days.
READ MORE: TransLink wants to reimburse customers following SkyTrain shutdown in May
TransLink tweeted that trains were up and running just before 7 p.m.
Transit Police spokesperson Anne Drennan said the delay was caused by a “technical issue” involving 19 trains.
“The trains do something called ‘timing out,’ which means they lose communication with the control centre,” said Drennan. “So basically they can’t talk to one another so the control centre can’t get the trains to operate or move in a particular direction.
“They have to then manually hook up all of the trains again onto the system before the system can operate.”
Drennan adds that the delay was lengthened by passengers who decided to “break out” of trains and onto the guideway.
“That probably cost us another half-hour,” said Drennan.
Bus bridges or shuttles were put in place between the Edmonds and Waterfront stations.
Drennan said it’s “too soon to say” if TransLink will reimburse customers for Tuesday’s shutdown.
Commuters were feeling the heat with one passenger, who was pregnant, needing medical attention.
-with files from Randene Neill and Jon Azpiri
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