An unexpected subway outage on the Line 2 Bloor–Danforth sent the TTC network into chaos just before the start of rush hour on Monday morning. Commuters are still without subway service several hours later, and the public tone is shifting from one of frustration to outright anger.

Service on Line 2 ground to a halt between St. George and Broadview stations at the start of rush hour on Monday — an outage that crews are scrambling to rectify as riders vent their frustrations on social media.

TTC descends into complete morning chaos due to subway outage https://t.co/vUIn5B1hOx

— blogTO (@blogTO) May 13, 2024

Posts on various social media platforms have slammed the transit agency for the latest in what feels like a neverending series of closures and disruptions.

Can I have at least one week of normal commuting, heck I'd even settle for three straight days of normal commuting.

— thebobert (@thebobert) May 13, 2024

The TTC has blamed the outage on "slippery rail conditions" due to spilled hydraulic fluid on the tracks, though it's clear not everyone got this memo right away.

45 mins turned to a 2 and half hour trip. Is TTC going to pay for the time wasted?! Please be more clear and specific next time on subway announcements so that people can decide in advance. Not everyone goes and checks X early morning!

— Muammar Kabir (@muammarkabir) May 13, 2024

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green explains to blogTO that only in-service trains passed through this area after the hydraulic fluid spill, and experienced issues braking due to the slippery tracks.

"We had two in-service trains minimally overshoot the normal stopping points," explains Green, adding that these overshoots were "a matter of feet and no one was trapped on board."

Still, failure to brake on time creates extremely dangerous operating conditions, forcing a portion of the line to remain shut down while crews race to clean up the mess.

"We're in the process of clearing the oil off the tracks, but it's a manual, labour-intensive process," says Green, noting that crews are "literally wiping off the rails between Yonge and Castle Frank" to get the line back in operating condition.

Meanwhile, the TTC continues to run shuttle buses on a stretch between St George and Woodbine.

shut down the ttc lol my mom dealt with the same issues almost everyday last week and now again today, do better pic.twitter.com/aig4FDUBNW

— m (@misosoupfeen) May 13, 2024

To further offset the crowds, the TTC has implemented its "Reverse GO Protocol" using GO trains to shuttle customers from Main Street Station to Union Station, along with adding 504 King and 505 Dundas streetcars to said lines.

As of writing, the shuttered portion of Line 2 has been out of service for eight hours.