Subway passengers were fuming Thursday as more signal issues on Line 1 caused chaos on the morning commute, on the same day the TTC is expected to recommend increasing fares.

Trains were delayed on Line 1 from Wilson to Museum for most of the morning, and on Line 2 from Kennedy to Bloor-Yonge. Riders were told that signal problems at Museum station would create heavy southbound traffic to Union Station.

Shuttle buses were operating between Eglinton to Union station to help deal with the problem. Passengers were also advised to take the streetcar from Spadina station to Union for a faster commute between the two stations.

Riders were complaining about commute times of up to two hours between Yorkdale and Union stations.

TTC CEO Rick Leary admitted to reporters Thursday that it would be “very difficult” to justify a fare hike today, but said he believes riders understand that “someone has to pay” for the pressures the agency is facing.

The delays were cleared up by 10:20 a.m., but the damage to most riders’ commutes had already been done — many complained on social media of long rides, missed classes and late starts to work.

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“We apologize, and we want everyone’s commute to be as seamless as possible,” TTC spokesperson Hayley Waldman said. “And unfortunately some of these track issues are unavoidable. We’re doing the best we can to mitigate the impacts of the situation.”

Waldman said the repairs done so far are expected to maintain normal subway commutes for the rest of the day, and that the TTC will do more repairs after service ends Thursday.

The signal problem in this case was unrelated to the work the TTC has been doing upgrading its signal system as a whole, Waldman said.

Commuters on Line 1 had already been experiencing delays southbound between Eglinton West and King stations the last two weeks because of track work between Union and King stations. This work is expected to cause delays until Feb. 1, the TTC tweeted Thursday.

But the issue Thursday was related to tracks — since no contact was being made between the two sides, the automatic signal to allow trains to pass didn’t activate, meaning they had to be manually waved through.

The weather caused delays on other TTC routes.

Several city bus routes were affected by ice on the roads, and were forced to detour. The 32 Eglinton West bus wasn’t stopping westbound at Mayfair Rd. due to weather conditions, and 47 Lansdowne was detouring north through Davenport Rd. and Caledonia Park.

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The delays come on the same day that the TTC board was to meet and recommend increasing fares by about 3 per cent, which would mean the cost of tokens and adult Presto fare card taps would rise from $3 to $3.10.

The cost of an adult monthly pass on Presto is also expected to rise.

However, the agency doesn’t plan to recommend a change to cash fares, which are set at $3.25.

The TTCriders advocacy group said the delays Thursday should be a “wake-up call” to Mayor John Tory and Premier Doug Ford.

“Transit riders are paying the price for chronic underfunding,” said the group’s executive director Shelagh Pizey-Allen. “It’s time for the city and province to properly fund the TTC to fix overcrowding and make transit affordable.”

Meanwhile, the weather caused other transportation problems.

In response to icy, slushy weather, all school buses in Dufferin County were cancelled due to icy road conditions. Buses for Durham District School Board and Durham Catholic District School Board have been cancelled in Zone 1, 2 and 3.

Environment Canada says that periods of snow will continue throughout the morning before tapering off, with a 40 per cent chance of flurries later on in the day. By the evening, Environment Canada says temperatures will drop to a low of -9 C, and then -18 C with the wind chill overnight.

With files from Alexandra Jones

Jack Hauen is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @jackhauen

Patrick Ho is a rewrite editor working on the Star's digital desk in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @patrick_ho_007

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