The Mystery
of the Smelly Subway
Last
August, Anne Smyth of Toronto wrote In Transit about, well, a
bad smell. “I use the Lansdowne subway station, but most times I
avoid it by taking the streetcar instead -- because the station
stinks like a sewer! This is not once in a while but all the
time -- and I would like to know why.”
In January
2004, Micky Banks of Toronto wrote, “About a year ago, I
overheard a subway conductor, while training a new recruit,
explain that the reeking, putrid stink between the Dundas and
Lansdowne stations was the result of a broken sewer line. I
patiently assumed that the work that occurred for a few months
at the Dundas station might include rectifying the problem.
“I have a
couple of health concerns -- firstly is this toxic? And
secondly, hasn't it been long enough that this should have been
repaired by now? Those of us who travel east to Bay station to
work every day sit in the first car as it situates us properly
when we disembark. We are tired of this stink, especially first
thing in the morning. Many thanks for any light you can shed on
this subject.”
I have had
the pleasure of smelling this particular scent at Lansdowne
station -- and also in the underground train systems of other
cities. The TTC is aware of the problem, but the source is still
a mystery. General Superintendent Warren Bartram says the smell
is strongest near the eastern end of Dundas West station. He
says the odour is likely carried down the tunnel to Lansdowne
station as subway trains suck air behind them.
TTC staff
did locate stagnant water under the station platform at Dundas
West, as well as some leaks. The whole subway structure,
including the tunnel and underground drains has been cleaned
repeatedly, to no avail. Says Bartram, “We’ve plugged the leaks,
we’ve flushed and vacuumed the stagnant water, and we’ve been
unsuccessful (at eliminating the smell).”
He admits
that while the odour is unwelcome, it is not toxic. “We had
water the tested by the city, because we thought that perhaps
there was a broken sewer. It’s high in E. coli, but not high
like a sewer.” E. coli bacteria are commonly found in the
intestines of humans and animals, and certain types can make
people ill when contaminated food or water is consumed.
Part of the
subway tunnel lies below the water table, and while something
strange could be seeping into the drains that run under track
level, there is no obvious answer to the puzzling stench. The
transit official says, “Usually an odour like this comes from an
active leak, and there isn’t one right now -- and we’re a little
stymied.”
The TTC has
other priorities underground, like keeping the tunnels in good
repair, but crews will continue to hunt the smell when time is
available. Says Bartram, “We’re going go back out and look for
more evidence of stagnant water, look for more places water may
be coming into the structure.”
One
possibility is that the an ancient sewer may have leaked years
ago, and the, er, contaminant, still lingers. Pipes would have
likely been located under an former street that disappeared when
high-rise apartments were built above Dundas West station. It
could even come from rotting vegetation trapped underground --
time moves very slowly beneath street level.
So you’ll
have to hold your nose folks, until some stalwart smell-sleuth
solves the mystery. If funds are found, the TTC is planning to
build a second exit from Dundas West station as soon as 2005,
and perhaps the answer will be unearthed during construction.
Send e-mail
to
transit@eddrass.com.
Include address and phone number.