The TTC shared its winter readiness plan on Monday ahead of overnight snowfall in Toronto, offering a glimpse at how the transit agency hopes to avoid the ugly winter failures seen in previous years.

Up to seven centimetres of snowfall was forecast to hit on Tuesday, and while totals fell short of that figure, the TTC was prepared to take up to 56 bus stops out of service in locations it deemed hazardous during storms of five cm or more of snow, or five mm or more of freezing rainfall.

This is an increase from the 41 stops where service was frequently halted due to storms the previous winter — not exactly an improvement from the passengers' perspective. Those same storms also halted service on the Line 3 Scarborough RT, which closed permanently in 2023.

The TTC just shut down 41 stops and an entire transit line as storm hits Toronto https://t.co/DfzIKUV0VT #Toronto #TTC #snowTO

— blogTO (@blogTO) December 15, 2022

In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, the transit agency pledged that it remains "committed to providing a safe and reliable service in the most extreme weather," but acknowledges that "operations can be impacted by road conditions."

Luckily, the system that arrived on Monday night only left Toronto with a light dusting of snow, along with a preview of how the TTC plans to react when the next big storm hits.

One new feature TTC passengers will notice this season is winter weather information signs placed at select stops serving routes where snow and freezing rain have previously impacted service.

These signs are equipped with QR codes passengers can scan to see if their bus stop is still in service and find out the location of the next-closest in-service stop. However, passengers might find it hard to appreciate this new tech feature when standing knee-deep in snow with no bus on the way.

The addition of QR-equipped weather information signage is just one of several new measures being introduced by the TTC this year to make commuting in the winter somewhat less miserable.

These measures include added staff and vehicles to keep the network ready in the event of a storm, running overnight storm trains and streetcars to keep power rails and tracks clear of snow and ice, and storing subway trains in tunnels during off-hours to avoid blockages.

Crews will also be spraying anti-icing on the entire streetcar overhead network in advance of storms like Monday night's, as well as on the ground along surface routes to ensure safe vehicle operation.

Other measures include service adjustments allowing express routes to serve all stops, frequent communication between the TTC and the City's transportation team, and social media updates to keep the public informed about all service disruptions.