Lower Bayview Ave was the scene tonight of a remarkable rescue operation in which 1,400 GO commuters were being taken safely off a train that was at least a third submerged in flood water. Some said water was knee deep on the first level of the cars. The train left Union Station headed for Newmarket about 5.30. It was the pinnacle of the afternoon downpour that has caused grief all across the city. The train operators apparently thought they could traverse the right of way along the Don River but swiftly rising water stalled the train. It took about three hours to pull together the large body of police and emergency workers. A system of dinghies and guide lines was devised to slowly move passengers from the train to a knee-deep landing on the fringe of Bayview Ave. where they boarded buses. Many passengers were bitter and angry nonetheless as some GO riders remained on the train at the clock neared 11 p.m. Conditions on the train were hot, humid and dark. Despite the unhappiness, it is clear that the authorities were working to remove the most vulnerable cases first. One couple with a son who had asthma was among the first removed. As the clock neared 11.30 police said there might be as many 500 passengers on the train. The scene of the rescue will be well-known to anyone who has found his way home off the Don Valley Parkway by way of the Bayview exit ramp. The familiar Yield sign at the bottom of this ramp was shown all evening on TV. The rescue was said to have been complete by about 1 a.m.
