The largest-ever emergency exercise to take place at Toronto’s Union Station is set to happen late Saturday into Sunday.
The exercise will include 150 actors, some of whom will pretend to be seriously injured, professional makeup artists, and even staged smoke at track level.
Metrolinx said the exercise is being done in partnership with Toronto Paramedic Services.
“It is important to regularly test our emergency preparedness to ensure our staff and first-responders are ready in the event of any type of critical incident at Union Station,” Metrolinx VP of safety and security George Bell said in a statement.
Metrolinx said it has conducted emergency simulations in the past, including in September 2018 and April 2017 when responses to train derailments were analyzed.
During the upcoming exercise, all GO Transit operations are expected to continue as normal, though some sidewalks will be closed in the area.
Metrolinx said the public should not call 911 to ask questions about the simulation if they come across it.
In the event of an actual emergency, the exercise would be cancelled and first responders would be redirected, Metrolinx said.