TTC Delay Raises Issues with Intercom System

Early Monday morning, the Toronto Transit Commission discovered a cracked rail at King Station during the height of rush hour, prompting all trains on the TTC's Yonge line to be held up and delayed while the rail was fixed. The delay eventually lasted around 1 1/2 hours, leaving many commuters stuck in the subway tunnels.

Now in these situations, the TTC will inform commuters of the delay via the intercom system in all trains. But today's delay caused many commuters to be unsatisfied with the intercom system. When the person came on the system to announce the cause and estimated time of the delay, many people heard only static and garbled words. When the announcement was finished, most were still unsure of the cause and estimated time the delay would take. A TTC spokesperson said that in situations like this, they try and put safety as their top priority, putting communication in the backseat. But the spokesperson did acknowledge that the speaker system is poor and that they are working on an update. I have noticed this problem with the speakers many times while riding the TTC, and am very glad that a major news piece has addressed the issue.

The TTC is currently working with different companies to have a new speaker system implemented. They are also working with media companies to make delay announcements on platform screens larger, and also to put screens like the ones on platforms outside of stations, so people will know of delays before paying fares. The TTC runs on a very tight budget, however, so don't expect these upgrades to happen anytime soon.

http://www.thestar.com/news/ttc/article/938418--why-today-s-ttc-delay-was-a-mystery-to-many-riders