TTC apologizes after oil spill causes lengthy closure on Line 2

TTC CEO Mandeep Lali issued an apology on Tuesday saying an immediate and comprehensive review has been ordered to determine the cause.

Regular subway service has resumed on Line 2 in time for the afternoon rush hour following a lengthy closure on Tuesday as a result of a hydraulic oil spill on the tracks overnight.

While trains are now running again between Kipling and Jane stations, the TTC said they would operate at a reduced speed initially as service builds up.

The TTC suspended service between those stations during the morning commute after the spill was discovered near Old Mill station, leading many commuters to find alternatives to get to their destinations.

Speaking to CP24’s Courtney Heels, multiple TTC riders said the disruption made them late for work on Tuesday morning.

“It’s windy. It is hard. I’m going to be late for my job,” one commuter said.

“I really wish we would have been told while we got on the bus that there was no subway service,” another commuter added.

One passenger who took an express bus from the airport to Kipling Station this morning told CP24 she only learned about the service disruption partway through the trip.

She noted that she would have taken the UP Express had she been aware that subway service was not running.

What should have been a 30-minute journey ended up taking 2.5 hours, the rider said.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green told CP24 earlier that dozens of staff spent the morning scrubbing the tracks to remove the viscous fluid, which he noted cannot be power-washed away.

“We’ve had crews down there all morning literally on their hands and knees with rags and detergent cleaning off those tracks,” Green said, noting that staff also ran some trains through the area to make sure there was no slippage.

When asked what caused the fluid leak, Green said there would be an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“We’ve had fluid leaks before. Most notably in 2024, we had one that was significant on the east side of Line 2 around Sherbourne Station,” he said.

“These kinds of things can happen. But again, no two are alike. Sometimes it can be a component failure, sometimes it can be something else. So we need to find out exactly what that was.”

TTC CEO apologizes

TTC CEO Mandeep Lali issued an apology to customers on social media on Tuesday morning, acknowledging the impact the disruption had on commuters.

“This morning, we let our customers down. I am truly sorry. We know many of you rely on TTC to get to work, school, and essential commitments. When we fall short, the impact is immediate and personal,” the statement read.

“I understand the frustration and disruption this has caused, especially at the start of the day when reliability matters most.”

He added that overnight track work led to the spill, “preventing a safe and timely start to service between Kipling and Keele stations.”

“Safety will always come first, but I recognize that this does not absolve us of the responsibility to provide the reliable service you expect. Our teams are on site with urgency to address the spill, conduct thorough inspections, and restore service as quickly and safely as possible,” his statement continued.

Lali shared that he had ordered an “immediate and comprehensive” review to determine what happened, including equipment condition, planning, work practices and oversight.

“We will identify the root causes and implement clear, corrective actions at pace. The goal is simple: this must not happen again,” the TTC CEO said.