Commuters in Toronto are facing major rush-hour delays after the regional rail system was hit by a “network-wide system failure” on Tuesday, caused by an internet collapse at Canadian National Railway Co. 

Trains running on the GO Train network were mostly halted, according to Metrolinx, the agency that operates a sprawling rail and bus service between Canada’s largest city and its suburbs. 

Metrolinx said it was slowly resuming service in the late afternoon, but trains would run less frequently than normal into and out of Union Station, Toronto’s central rail hub, located in its financial district. Outbound trains would run “about every 30 minutes,” spokesperson Andrea Ernesaks said by email. 

CN Railway, which manages rail corridors in the region including Union Station, said it was experiencing an internet connectivity problem. “While there is no indication of a cyber security issue, the cause of the outage is currently under investigation,” spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis said by email. 

“GO trains, VIA trains in and out of Union Station, as well as CN’s customer service portal, all of which require an internet connection to CN’s servers, are currently impacted,” he said. “CN apologizes for the issue. We are working to get all services up and running safely and efficiently.” Via Rail operates intercity passenger service. 

The situation left hordes of passengers stranded and frustrated. “This is supposed to be a world-class country,” said Eric Lehrer, who was waiting for a train to take him east of downtown. “Is this world-class to you?” 

Metrolinx’s network in southern Ontario brings hundreds of thousands of weekday passengers to Toronto’s downtown core. The agency also runs the train service that links downtown with Pearson International Airport — it was down for hours on Tuesday, but began operating again shortly after 4 p.m. 

Shares of CN Railway erased earlier gains to close down two cents at $145.44 in Toronto.

There is a CN network wide system failure that is affecting all rail corridors. Trains are holding at their nearest stations. Our teams are working with CN to resolve the issue quickly and safely. We will provide an update when more information becomes available.

— Metrolinx (@Metrolinx) October 3, 2023