The Toronto Star is reporting that two people have been pushed onto the tracks at Dufferin station around 4:50pm. The subway re-opened shortly after 6 p.m. The TTC’s official response is in the comments section.
Here’s the Star’s original article, which has since been updated:
One man is suffering from serious injuries after he and another person were pushed onto the tracks at Dufferin Station this afternoon. Police say the two were deliberately pushed. Emergency workers were called to the station around 4:50 p.m.
They found one young man with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Another person suffered minor injuries, but police have not disclosed if it is a man or woman. At least one of the two was underneath a train, said Toronto Fire.
The Bloor-Danforth subway line is shut down between Ossington and Keele stations. Shuttle buses are ferrying passengers along the line. Police are still on the scene investigating.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any other information is asked to call police at 416-808-1400.
photo by Craig James White
4 comments
TTC Press Release:
The Toronto Transit Commission issued the following statement regarding this afternoon’s incident at Dufferin Station.
This afternoon at approximately 4:50 p.m., two young people were pushed in front of an oncoming eastbound subway train as it entered Dufferin Station. One youth was able to crawl under the platform and avoid being struck by the train. The other youth suffered undetermined, non-life-threatening injuries.
A suspect was arrested shortly afterwards, and police continue to investigate this very serious incident.
The TTC’s number one priority is the safety and security of its customers and employees. We are all extremely grateful that these two children were not killed. The TTC has a number of safety features in its subway system, including designated waiting areas, CCTV cameras linked to Collector booths, and tactile yellow strips indicating the edge of the subway platform.
On-board trains, there are passenger assistance alarms (the yellow strips) that should be used whenever someone feels threatened or is being harassed, or witnesses any unsafe or criminal activity. There is also an emergency stop lever on every subway car that can be used in life-threatening situations.
The TTC thanks the Toronto Police Service for their quick response and arrest of a suspect, as well as a station collector who apprehended and held the suspect for police. The TTC also would like to express its deepest concern for its two young passengers and their parents, as they come to terms with today’s incident.
Brad Ross, Director, Corporate Communications
“The Bloor-Danforth subway line was shut down between Ossington and Keele stations, with shuttle buses ferrying passengers along the line.”
Passengers from the west cannot get downtown from the Keele station, without suffering through additional time-delaying transfers. There should be crossover tracks at Dundas West station, so that passengers can use the 504 King and 505 Dundas streetcars to get downtown.
Really, shouldn’t there be crossover tracks at the entrance and exit of every station? Trains could then be turned back at any point, and even be routed around disabled trains (especially ones stalled at a platform). I assume that it’s largely the maintenance burden and signalling complexity that have prevented this from happening.
(Aspiring murderers sure haven’t caught on to the whole video surveillance thing, have they?)
LUckly nothing major happened here to the teenagers and we should be thankful for that.
ON a TTC platform note, as much as i’d love additional protection while riding a subway, i believe money should be first spent on additional lines and infrastructure, period.
Adding cross-over tracks would be super expensive. Not only would tracks need to be installed but major station infrastructure would need to be made(expanding stations width-wise) So why not use that money to add more tracks to “new” stations and lines?
Maybe install less expensive measures to help solve this people-track problem for the time being(*more security cameras, quicker emergency breaks, Air-bags for the front of trains?…ect) Just my thoughts on the matter.
Great to hear this 15 yr. old only got his toes injured though..