The TTC has cancelled its traditional Halloween celebration at Lower Bay Station this year, but says the event will be back soon, as it re-evaluates its accessibility.
On Wednesday, the TTC confirmed to Now Toronto that the event is now cancelled, saying that they are re-thinking the station’s accessibility to improve attendees’ experiences.
“We are re-assessing to ensure maximum inclusion for people who can’t navigate the venue’s steep, narrow stairs,” a TTC spokesperson said in an email.
There are currently no operating escalators or elevators that give access to the abandoned station, making it only accessible by stairs.
Despite the last-minute cancellation, TTC says the event is expected to run again next year, after the re-assessment.
“We know people are disappointed, but this is just a one-year pause,” the spokesperson said.
Rumours that the beloved tradition would not make a comeback this year began circulating online earlier this month, as residents noticed the TTC had made no announcements for the event. Shortly after, a corporate notice was shared online, announcing the cancellation.
“The decision was made due to a combination of factors that meant we could not be confident that Halloween Fest would be safe and inclusive this year for both attendees as well as volunteers,” TTC Deputy CEO Bruce Macgregor wrote in the notice last week.
The sudden cancellation has left many usual attendees frustrated, and recalling special moments at the event.
“Damn. That was a highlight of my kid’s Halloween in years past. Hopefully they can figure out a way to bring it back,” one person said on Reddit.
“While I fully support the move to accessibility on the TTC and everywhere else, just cancelling stuff for being inaccessible seems like a crappy way to make things better. Also sounds like a convenient excuse to me,” another person said.
Lower Bay Station is a late station located under Bay Station, which has been closed to the public since September 1966, having only been operating for six months before that, according to the TTC.
Each year, days before Halloween, the transit agency allows visitors to enter the famously abandoned station during its two-day Halloween Fest for visitors to experience trains filled with spooky decorations, scare actors, and lots of candy. The event raises funds for the local organization United Way of Greater Toronto.
