Crews have restored power to TTC streetcar and subway lines in downtown Toronto after an overnight fire inside a hydro vault knocked out electricity, stalling surface vehicles to set up a nightmarish morning commute.

And though power has been restored, it will likely take a while for service to return to normal levels

The problems began with a fire in an underground hydro vault at 50 Richmond St., near Church Street, just after 1 a.m. ET.

That fire led to widespread power problems that brought most subways and streetcars to a halt in the downtown core during the inbound commute. The TTC dispatched 133 shuttle buses to move passengers across the affected routes, but crowds were left to deal with long lines.