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In the wake of a SkyTrain breakdown that left thousands of commuters stranded, TransLink is defending closing a pair of transit stations.

The transit authority says closing SkyTrain stations is an unusual step, but was necessary for safety reasons due to overcrowding.

“We do not want to overload the platforms because we need to maintain those. Staff do their very best. Whenever we have this type of situation, we will control crowds and thin out the numbers that get to the platform,” said SkyTrain general manager Vivian King.

TransLink closed the Stadium-Chinatown station and Hudsons Bay entrance to the Granville Station Wednesday afternoon as commuters packed the platforms during the delays.

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The outage was caused by a switch issue near the Main Street station, TransLink said.

But while closing stations is unusual, TransLink says commuters could see it again if there are major system issues.

“If we were to have had major delays in the future, this is a protocol that will be used and it is to protect everybody.”

TransLink is now conducting a debrief, King said, to find out if staff could have handled the situation any better.