Full subway service has been restored after signal problems on Line 1 caused significant delays for commuters on Thursday, the Toronto Transit Commission said.
Repairs were completed and service was returned to normal at around 1:30 p.m., the transit agency said.
The TTC said Line 1 passengers experienced delays of up 40 minutes on Thursday morning, though several riders responding to the TTC on Twitter said they experienced much longer disruptions.
TTC spokesman Brad Ross and Toronto Mayor John Tory apologized for the service disruption and said a new signal system that is currently being installed could prevent similar issues in the future.
Ross said the problem was caused by a “human error” that shouldn’t have occurred.
The removal of an unspecified piece of equipment from an equipment room near St. Patrick Station Wednesday night caused the signals within the tunnel to “fail safe” and hold on a red light, he explained.
“It’s like a red light that the trains cannot pass over without tripping and going into emergency stop,” he said, adding that the manual override required to get the trains moving slowly through the area ended up affecting the entire line.
In addition to the signal issues, Ross said 14 passenger assistance alarms were activated on Thursday morning.