LRT disruptions to stretch into Tuesday

Some of the train cars that have been stuck for days along Ottawa's Confederation Line have finally been removed, but others remain immobile and riders should expect major disruptions during Tuesday's commute.

In an update Monday afternoon, officials with the city said those disruptions would stretch into Tuesday.

"I appreciate that these past few days have been difficult for you, and that restoring full Line 1 service has taken longer than expected," said Renée Amilcar, the city's general manager of transit services.

"We are doing everything we can do to provide you with the best possible service under these challenging conditions."

Several trains ended up stuck on the line near Lees station after a severe bout of freezing rain hit the city four days ago, closing the line between uOttawa and Tremblay stations.

Confederation Line trains continue to run Tuesday on two loops: one between Blair and Tremblay stations in the east and another between Tunney's Pasture and uOttawa stations in the west.

Riders can expect trains to arrive every five minutes, an improvement over the 15-minute wait times that had been the reality over the weekend.

R1 replacement bus service expanded Monday, operating from Blair all the way to Rideau station. Those buses don't stop at Cyrville station and will come more frequently during peak hours, Amilcar said.

'Unfortunately, R1 service will take resources away from other areas of the system. Our team is proactively monitoring these impacts and will adjust where possible," she wrote.

De-icing work continued overnight

After the freezing rain hit Wednesday night, the trains became immobilized and ice built up on the line as they were no longer running.

Several previous attempts by RTM to tow away the stuck trains from Lees station caused further damage to the line's overhead power system.

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RTM's crews "worked around the clock to manually remove the ice" from one stretch of the track near Lees and would then focus on the second affected stretch, CEO Mario Guerra said Sunday night.

OC Transpo has brought in independent experts STV to join existing oversight firm TRA Inc. and monitor RTM's work, as well as provide advice on when trains can from uOttawa to Tremblay again.

Guerra said full service could possibly be restored sometime on Tuesday "if all goes well."