Toronto roads, transit services struggle as winter snow storm continues

Services are adjusting and shutting down as a thick blanket of snow begins to cover Toronto and the surrounding area.

Local crews in Toronto are set to begin ploughing when snow reaches 2.5 cm on expressways and 5 cm on major roads and transit routes.

At Toronto Pearson International Airport roughly one in four flights have been grounded. Data shared by the airport shows that 26 per cent of all departures and 27 per cent of arrivals have been cancelled.

Toronto is under a snowfall warning as a major storm moves in, with Environment Canada predicting snowfall of up to 20 centimetres.

The Toronto Transit Commission said buses had begun to detour due to weather on Wednesday afternoon.

As of 1:15 p.m., the TTC said 41 bus stops had been taken out of service due to weather conditions.

During severe storms, Line 3 (Scarborough RT) can also be taken out of service and replaced with shuttle buses. On its website, the TTC said it would shutter the line at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday “until further notice.”

In a tweet around 5:20 p.m., the TTC said its website was down “due to weather conditions.”

Later, after 8 p.m., the transit agency said all express routes would be cancelled.

Several GO buses operated by Metrolinx around the Greater Toronto Area were also delayed, cancelled or cut short. A 6:50 p.m. bus from Brampton to Toronto was cancelled.

Routes 19,32, 33, 36 and 92 all terminated at Finch Bus Terminal. GO Transit said passengers could use their ticket to ride the Toronto subway for free to get to York Mills, a station the routes normally service.

The York Catholic District School Board has cancelled school buses for Thursday morning due to predicted heavy snow, although classrooms will remain open.

Police are also responding to about 40 collisions across the Greater Toronto Area as the storm hits.

In a video posted to Twitter at around 4:45 p.m., Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the snow was coming down, making for slippery, icy and slick road conditions.

Various buildings around the city also closed early due to the weather.

The Toronto Zoo closed at 2 p.m. because of the snowfall warning, while Toronto Public Library branches shuttered at 4:30 p.m.

The city is experiencing a major winter storm, which Global News meteorologist Anthony Farnell said would be the “biggest snowstorm of the winter so far.”

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