Another rush hour, another service suspension from
College to Osgoode. Utter ineptitude.
AoD
No.
The TTC has its faults. But not everything that happens is incompetence or spite.
My wife and I were on the train at the front of the first car as it was just approaching Union Station. There was a bang hard enough to shake the car. The train stopped no more than 20 feet from the platform. We heard loud frantic chatter in a South Asian accent through the cockpit door. A minute later the train operator came over the intercom. He was having trouble speaking. He said no more than about six words then; the last three were “person on tracks”.
You could hear the trauma in his voice. Especially
when he would give information updates. They cut the third rail power. Police showed up at track level, then EMS. A person was wheeled out on a stretcher; I presume dead considering how hard that bang was. I suspect these types of calls are never made at track or platform level though, and wait for the hospital.
My heart went out of this poor driver who likely killed someone at work today. Whether an accident or suicide, it doesn’t matter. He’s not gonna sleep tonight. My first thoughts were, “why haven’t they got someone else in the cockpit by now? There are two victims here; why are they making this poor driver be the one to have to deal with this, and continue to make announcements?!”
Hours later and I still can’t get this unknown driver and his audible trauma out of my head.
Despite easily having the opportunity, I did not look to see what shape the trespasser was in. They were laying somewhere between the two tracks about 20-25 feet back from the nose of the train. I didn’t want to make a spectacle out of their injury and possible last moments. Others gawked. Some took pictures. Some asshole knocked on the cockpit door to ask how long we’d be stuck in the train. All in all, we were stopped for about a half an hour. Once the all clear was given, we pulled into the station, and both the train and entire station were cleared out. There were so many TTC staff, police and EMS on the platform when get got off. Hordes were being turned back at the fare gates.
By the time we were heading back from Union over an hour later, trains were back in operation. We again chose the front of the train and there was a south Asian man wearing TTC uniform standing by the cockpit, leaning on a bumper. He was by himself, carrying a small bag and what appeared to be a seat cushion. He was sullenly glued to his phone. I wondered if the poor soul was the unlucky driver. I didn’t have the courage to bring it up, but I’d have offered him a hug if wanted it.
Anyone who’s read this far, I want you to remember that very few of us go to work ever having to worry that something like this could happen. I don’t know what will become of the driver. I can only hope all-costs-covered therapy and enough paid time off are in order to help him deal with it. In the meantime when it comes to delays, take a step back and check yourself for a few moments.
