So, I was indirectly impacted by the huge, rush-hour foul up of Line 2.
I wasn't traveling within the subway shutdown area, but from the east to Broadview.
So, for the moment, lets set aside the specifics of what caused the delay.
The manner in which it was handled was again, embarrassing and problematic.
Items to consider in this regard.
1) Shuttle buses are always a challenge, and almost always inadequate to replace subway service, especially at rush hour. But a couple of brief observations had me seeing one single {non-artic) shuttle bus every 2M.
That replaces less than 1/10th the capacity of a single train. Profoundly inadequate, and this remained the case more than 2 hours in....
2) Police/transit, as per usual did nothing to prohibit parking on Danforth in key spots that would allow the bus operation to run more quickly, and to create a more efficient turnaround for the buses. I recognize how mean it would be to tow large numbers of drivers in the circumstance, but this should be a friendly tow to the nearest possible spots, at no cost.
3) The turnaround time for trains at Broadview is dreadful. It was so slow it caused trains to be stopped east of Coxwell due to 'traffic' in the tunnels ahead. This indicates a turn time greater than 4M, and I think it might be closer to 7M.
There is obviously something wrong with the way the signals and track are laid out for the gap track here. My observation was, that no train could head west of of Chester while a train was in motion on the gap track. Perhaps
@smallspy can speak to the set up here, but there must be a better way to do this.
Edit to add, I wonder if it would be feasible to put a crossover on the viaduct? (Just a thought)
4) Subsequently, when service resumed, trains, of course, were jammed to the gills, and so were subsequent buses. The TTC operators I encountered made their own lives more difficult with apparent indifference to the plight of riders. On the train, there was a crew change at Coxwell, which went unannounced. At no time, did the operators apologize on behalf of the TTC or ask riders for their patience; that's a fail at customer service 101. When later boarding a bus filled to the maximum, (I got on before it filled), the operator again made no annoucements, no apologies, no friendly advice to make the trip go better. Instead, he would let people on the through the front door, who could not manage to get behind the white line, and would then attempt to kick them off. This went over really well, with even normally passive riders yelling and even swearing at the operator, noting they had spent 2.5 hours trying to get home and would he just (impolite way of saying be quiet, and drive).
At this point, heads need to roll. You can't have operators behaving this way, and you can't be doing such a terrible job of crisis management on top of the terrible job at being a reliable service provider.
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Beyond the items I've stated above, its clear that more drivers and vehicles need to be available on stand-by; and at least a few need to be Artics. At least some station Managers, division managers, supervisors, CSAs and mechanics should be trained how to drive a bus so they can be seconded in an emergency. (so they have other jobs, they're not just sitting around, but can be seconded to drive as needed).
