By Stephen Michalowicz

Photo by Stephen Michalowicz/Torontoist.

Islington Station, despite being underground, can get pretty frigid when cold winds sweep in through the tunnel (sometimes it can feel even colder than Rosedale). This winter, the temperature in the station hit a new low, and icicles started to form on the ceiling above the eastbound tracks on the east side of the platform. The icicles were last visible on Monday, when the temperature was below zero. Since then, they have melted in the warmer weather. While the icicles looked cool (no pun intended), they pose a problem; if they’re forming, it means that water is leaking in through the ceiling. We sent photos of the problem to the TTC and asked Danny Nicholson, the TTC’s Corporate Communications Supervisor, about the icicles and the potential water damage. He told us that “the icicles are caused by a structural leak in the roof of the tunnel. Repairs are scheduled to take place, but not likely until next week or the week after. [We] won’t be able to get any more details about the leak until Monday.”
The icicles may be new, but the brown rusty patch from which they sprouted has been around for years now and has only been getting bigger. With the upcoming renovations to Islington station, it’s about time that the TTC got around to investigating and fixing this potential problem.