Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 President Marvin Alfred joined Toronto City Councillor and TTC Board Member Josh Matlow outside the new Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility to demand answers about the recent collision between two light rail vehicles at the site.
The vehicles will serve the new 19-kilometre Line 5, running across Toronto from the carhouse in Mount Dennis to Kennedy station in Scarborough. The line will rely on automated intrusion detection systems to keep riders and workers safe. The facility uses an automated system to shunt vehicles around the yard, but coverage suggested human error was at fault.
“The fact that the line is billions of dollars over budget and several years late is cause for concern,” said Local 113’s President Marvin Alfred. “The fact that it had its first collision before it even opened is cause for alarm. We’re just lucky it wasn’t in service.”
“We shouldn’t have to wait until a member of the public gets hurt before we get answers on what went wrong, but the TTC seems more concerned with meeting Metrolinx’s needs than the public’s,” he continued. “Metrolinx has failed completely to deliver new transit and is hiding the truth from the public, and the TTC is enabling it by siphoning scheduled service away to cover for Metrolinx construction projects.”
When Line 5 opens, the TTC will be responsible for any accidents and performance issues. TTC workers risk being blamed next time the automated safety systems fail.
Local 113 is calling for a full public inquiry into the Line 5 construction, funding and service issues. Before the TTC takes responsibility, it needs to know all the facts. We need to know what went wrong so we don’t put the public at risk or make the same mistakes again.