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TTC Chair Andy Byford was among the first to see the flood.

“I was on a train heading south to Union Station. I looked out the window and you could see water pouring onto the platform.”

He is not optimistic that Union will be useable for the afternoon commute.

“We are in the middle of a massive cleanup of the foul water,” said Mr. Byford. “I cannot see how this station could possible reopen for rush hour.”

The floodwater is “a cross between water and sewage,” confirmed Toronto Fire spokesman Adrian Ratushniak.

Investigators from Toronto Water were at Union Friday afternoon, but spokesperson Wynna Brown said the cause of the flooding is still unknown.

“It’s too early. They’re currently just pumping out the flooded area,” she said. “I can tell you flood calls are at normal levels elsewhere so it does seem to be confined to the Union Station area at this time.”

First responders arrived at Union around 12:30 p.m. Friday, finding water quickly seeping from the tracks and approaching the platform where over 40 passengers were stranded.

Firefighters carried several stranded commuters to higher ground in order to prevent them with coming in contact with contaminated waste water.

Union station has pumps to ensure waste water doesn’t overflow, but a combination of construction and rainwater seems to have overwhelmed them, says Wayne Patterson, Acting Platoon Chief for the Toronto Fire Department.

No trains are running between the Bloor and Osgoode stations on the Yonge-University line. GO trains were still running, but by 2 p.m. passengers were forced to wade through an inch of water on the concourse to purchase tickets.