Union Station (TTC) Flooded

[Tuscani01]

Broken water main shuts Union station subway


Feb 11, 2009 11:25 PM
Alex Cooper
Staff reporter

Union subway station is closed and trains are not stopping at the station after a broken water main resulted in flooding.

"The amount of water is quite heavy," TTC spokesperson Brad Ross told CP24. "It is unsafe to use the station at this moment."

Police said the station was evacuated in an orderly fashion and will remain closed until the city works department can clear the water.

CTV News had some video footage and the flooding looks pretty bad. Shuttle buses are currently running between St. Andrew and King stations.

 

[Tuscani01]

Flooding forces evacuation of Toronto's Union Station

Updated Wed. Feb. 11 2009 11:25 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Union station was shut down late Wednesday after a water main break caused "extensive flooding," closing down one of Toronto's major transportation hubs, a TTC spokesperson said.

Though crews were on the scene working to stop the deluge of water, it wasn't clear if the station would reopen in time for the morning rush, said TTC representative Mike Detoma.

"We are bypassing Union Station in both directions as the result of extensive flooding," he told CTV.ca Wednesday night.

The water main burst at about 10:15 p.m. and the station was shut down when water began to flood into the platform level, said Detoma.

"That's going to make it a safety hazard for customers," he said, adding that trains will still pass through the station but will not stop.

Shortly after the evacuation, the TTC posted an advisory on their website telling customers that the subway would be "shut down from St. Andrew Station to King Station."

However, shuttle buses would be put into service for those stations, the advisory said.

 

[CDL.TO]

Hopefully it's not too bad.

Prague, 2002.

 

[urbanfan89]

Any bets this could have been prevented by proper maintenance?

 

[khris]

Any bets this could have been prevented by proper maintenance?

Aging infrastructure that needs to be maintained is probably the reason for it. Who knows.
Crazy though! I hope that the flooding isn't too bad, but it looks like it may be in the photo above.

Link to the video: http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip139196#clip139196

 

[whatever]

I'm in Union most mornings well before the morning rush, and recently I've noticed several fairly significant leaks on the concourse level. I think it was really just a matter of time before they had a big one that interfered with service

 

[Darren B]

I'm in Union most mornings well before the morning rush, and recently I've noticed several fairly significant leaks on the concourse level. I think it was really just a matter of time before they had a big one that interfered with service

It wasnt a leak, it was a break in a watermain or a backup of sewer water. Leaks are natural in subway stations.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Leaks are natural in subway stations.

you kidding? they'll send ya to jail for that!



p.s, water was pouring down the stairs onto a subway platform as a train came by. why didn't anyone hit the power cutoff switch? what would happen if water came into contact with the 3rd rail?

 

[Darren B]

you kidding? they'll send ya to jail for that!



p.s, water was pouring down the stairs onto a subway platform as a train came by. why didn't anyone hit the power cutoff switch? what would happen if water came into contact with the 3rd rail?

Maybe the water cleared up and went down the drains that are at track level.

I think its really funny when people freak out over leaks. Its underground for crying out loud. It costs the TTC 300 million a year to maintain its system right now as is. I for one dont want to pay more to see it any cleaner or any less leaky.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Maybe the water cleared up and went down the drains that are at track level.

I think its really funny when people freak out over leaks. Its underground for crying out loud. It costs the TTC 300 million a year to maintain its system right now as is. I for one dont want to pay more to see it any cleaner or any less leaky.

but what if the drains were to get clogged by debris and a passing train splashed water around? or if the third rail was submerged? my guess is that something would tripout and the power would go off, but still, just because i have circuit breakers installed, i'm not gonna throw the hairdryer in the bathtub with me in it.

 

[whatever]

It wasnt a leak, it was a break in a watermain or a backup of sewer water. Leaks are natural in subway stations.

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. I didn't mean that I had noticed leaks in the sense of water leaking in from outside through the building envelope, I meant I had noticed water pouring out of the drop ceiling in areas where the outside world would have had nothing to do with the water penetration. It was more like rusty, broken pipes, or faulty sprinklers, or things like that.

 

[Railization]

what would happen if water came into contact with the 3rd rail?

If you've looked at the tracks before, you might have noticed that there's a tiny trench centered between the two running tracks. This is used to control water. The third rail is always located on the far side from the platform (I wonder if this is standard, and if it is, how does Steeles West station get around it?), so if water from the platform leaks onto the tracks, it will hit that trench first and be directed to drains. The third rail is also at a higher elevation than the running rails, so the flooding has to be very substantial and submerge the running rails first before the third rail would end up submerged.

If it were to be submerged, power to the affected "block(s)" (a technical term for a defined section of track) would be cut.

 

[adma]

The post-flood manurey odour harmonized disconcertingly well with the cowgirl ads for Lifestyles Condoms dotting Union station...