The Queens Quay tunnel to Union Station was closed for almost four hours overnight Wednesday after a motorist managed to drive through the tunnel, the first time this has happened since gates were installed in 2018.

Despite signs warning drivers not to enter the area, the motorist made their way through the tunnel at around 2:30 a.m., said TTC spokesperson Stuart Green.

“An SUV made it through the bollards, past the lights and gates we installed in Oct. 2018 and all the way to the Union Station streetcar platform and got stuck,” Green said in a tweet early Wednesday morning.

“TTC crews are preparing to send special equipment in to clear the vehicle, but based on past experience, this can take a few hours.”

The streetcar ended its route at Spadina Avenue and Queens Quay West while TTC workers arrived on site to investigate possible damage to the tracks, Green told the Star.

At around 5:30 a.m., Green announced on Twitter that the car had been removed with no “damage to the rail.”

“Will run a test train through and hopefully get streetcars back on track after that,” he said.

By 6 a.m., both the 510 and 509 streetcars resumed their normal service.

Toronto police Sgt. Murray Campbell said the driver, an 80-year-old man, was not under the influence of alcohol and not charged. But he was taken to hospital due to a medical condition.

“That medical condition is being investigated, to see if it played any part as to this happening,” Campbell said.

This isn’t the first time a driver has driven into the Queens Quay tunnel. In October 2018, the TTC spent $61,000 to install drop-down gates to prevent drivers from entering the tunnel. At that time, at least 26 drivers had found their way there since 2014.

Jan. 23, 2020 — Update: This story has been updated from a previously published version to add comment from police

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Miriam Lafontaine is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @mirilafontaine

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