What’s the Real Cost of Downtime? Part 2 of 3
Jim Roberts brings over 43 years of experience in the electrical field. A graduate from the Georgian College Electrical Engineering program, he started his career at Toronto Hydro Electrical Systems as a High Voltage Underground Cable Fault Technician then proceeded to Toronto Transit Commission where he obtained his red seal 309A el...
What’s the Real Cost of Downtime? Part 2 of 3
Working at the city’s transit system, troubleshooting became a daily challenge. In the early days, I often found myself going in circles—testing everything I could think of, second-guessing my choices, and wasting time chasing symptoms instead of isolating the cause.
That changed when I teamed up with one of the company’s top troubleshooters. He introduced me to a systematic approach—relying on electrical drawings, understanding how the system operates, and working backwards from the last point that’s functioning to the first that isn’t. No guesswork. Just logic and process. That shift in thinking changed everything.
One incident, in particular, stands out—and it's a perfect example of just how expensive and dangerous downtime can be.
We were dispatched to a subway station where power had gone out completely, and the emergency lighting system had failed to come on. The underground station was pitch black. No lights. No visibility. Just darkness and uncertainty.
By transit protocol, the station had to be shut down and evacuated immediately. Without lighting, no trains could enter or leave the station, and more importantly, passengers couldn’t safely exit. But it wasn’t just one stop affected—when one station goes down, the entire subway line begins to back up. The ripple effect is massive.
That day, it was estimated that over 800 passengers were in that station alone. Across the network, tens of thousands were delayed. The station was a major downtown hub—serving office workers, tourists, families, and essential workers. The economic and logistical impact of even 30 minutes of downtime is staggering. A city can’t function without its transit system running smoothly.
We arrived and could immediately hear a distinct buzzing from the emergency lighting transfer switch. Something wasn’t right—the switch hadn’t automatically transferred to battery power. This failure meant the emergency lights didn’t activate as they should have.
We geared up quickly and engaged the manual bypass on the switch, restoring emergency lighting throughout the station. That single action allowed passengers to be safely evacuated and train movement to resume. The entire subway system began coming back to life, one station at a time.
With the immediate danger addressed, we moved to diagnose the root cause. Using system drawings and a visual inspection of relays and indication lights, we narrowed the issue down—without even touching a meter. Based on what was and wasn’t energized, we deduced that one of three voltage sensors had failed. After running three quick confirmation tests, we identified the faulty sensor.
From start to finish, the diagnosis took under 10 minutes. Without that structured, deductive approach, it could have taken over an hour—possibly more. And in the meantime, the subway line would’ve remained offline, the station closed, and thousands more impacted.
For the last seven years, I worked as a Training Foreman at the transit company, passing this philosophy on to our electricians. What I didn’t realize back then was that this method had a name—Deductive Reasoning. When I later took the formal course, everything clicked into place. The process I’d learned in the field had been turned into a teachable, repeatable system.
Now, as an instructor for Canada Training Group, I’ve seen firsthand how many electricians struggle through troubleshooting—jumping from test to test, hunting for answers, and often getting lost in the details. But once they learn deductive reasoning, the transformation is dramatic. They go from doing 15–20 tests in frustration over two hours… to isolating the problem with just 2–4 tests in under 20 minutes.
The cost of downtime—whether in dollars, safety, or public trust—is always higher than people think. But with the right skills, electricians can minimize it dramatically. That’s what this story is really about: the value of clear thinking in moments that matter most.
Stay Safe,
Jim
