Toronto Transit Commission - Incidents

Incidents

Although it is a generally safe system, the TTC has experienced several major accidents and incidents since 1954:

• On 27 March 1963, a six-car subway train was completely destroyed by fire. This occurred on a spare track near Union station, after the few remaining passengers were evacuated.
• On Friday 12 December 1975, a TTC bus travelling east on St. Clair collided with an westbound GO Transit train at the level crossing just west of Midland. Nine people were killed and 20 others injured. This was the worst accident in terms of loss of life in the history of the TTC and GO Transit systems. The level crossing was replaced by an overpass a few years later.
• On 15 October 1976, an arson destroyed a train and caused significant damage to Christie station. There is evidence today with the odd-coloured trim tiles on the station walls on the centre of the platforms. A section of the line was closed for two days.
• On 11 August 1995, the Russell Hill subway accident resulted in the deaths of 3 passengers and injuries to 30 others. There were an additional 100 passengers who filed injury-related claims from the accident.
• In late 1995, TTC employee Jimmy Trajceski was killed during a robbery at Victoria Park station. Adrian Kinkead was arrested 4 months later for the crime and was found to be responsible for two other murders. He was convicted of all three crimes and sentenced to life in prison.
• On 27 September 1997, 23-year-old Charlene Minkowski was killed when she was pushed in front of a southbound train at Dundas Station. Herbert Cheong, a diagnosed schizophrenic, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
• Between 2 and 4 January 1999, an exceptionally large snowstorm paralyzed parts of Central Ontario and the Eastern United States. As a result, the city and the transit system ground to a halt. In the following days, major interruptions and delays were incurred and policies to handle snow at the Commission were changed.
• On 8 December 2000, a garbage train caught fire while en route through Old Mill station. The train was completely destroyed and the station remained closed for two days. Since the incident, the TTC has stopped the practice of using garbage trains and maintains a fleet of surface garbage trucks to collect refuse.
• On 14 August 2003, at around 4:15 p.m. EDT, the Northeast Blackout affected parts of Canada and the northeastern United States. The city of Toronto, like many other cities involved, effectively ground to a halt. Subway service was suspended and 18 trains sat stuck in tunnels between stations, unable to move with no power. (All other trains were able to coast without power to the nearest station to be evacuated). Streetcars remained stationary where they were, and buses fought to get through gridlocked traffic, hampered by the lack of traffic signals. The subway did not reopen until August 18. This was the longest complete interruption in subway service in the history of the TTC. The incident led to an extensive review of TTC emergency procedures.
• On 23 April 2007, a TTC asbestos removal crew employee, Tony Almeida, was killed and several others were injured at the end of a night shift when the work car they were operating snagged on some cabling and dislodged a work platform. The TTC was fined $250,000 for violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It was later found that Almeida was under the influence of cannabis.
• On 30 August 2011, a woman was killed when a TTC bus rear-ended a flatbed truck carrying a crane at around 2:30pm. At least 13 other people were injured in the crash. The bus driver has been charged with criminal negligence causing death and possession of cannabis, as the drug was found in his belongings at the time of the accident.
• On 22 July 2012, two people were injured when a bus crashed into a building on Queen St. West at Peter Street. The bus hit a car and then a cab before slamming into a building.
• On 14 September 2012, before the start of service TTC employee, Peter Pavlovski was killed and another TTC employee was seriously injured after being struck by a subway maintenance train north of Yorkdale Station. Subway service was affected for the morning rush hour during the investigation due to the fact the incident left many trains stranded in the Wilson Subway Yard.