Monday target for LRT return to service hinges on Friday report
Line 1 service has been shut down since last Monday
The expected Monday return to service for Ottawa's light rail system depends on a report from a French axle manufacturer, OC Transpo says.
Repeatedly this week, the city's director of transit services Renée Amilcar said three targets must be met before LRT service can resume.
First, all trains must be inspected. Second, a safety note from the train's maker and the consortium that built the Confederation Line must be delivered.
Both conditions were met earlier this week, as OC Transpo announced all trains had been inspected and it had received a draft version of the safety note.
The remaining unmet target is a report from French axle manufacturer Texelis detailing the disassembly and analysis of the problem wheel hub.
"If all milestones are not met, we will not resume Line 1 service, because safety is paramount," Amilcar said at a Thursday afternoon news conference. "I'm still confident, but I cannot speculate because I don't know what this report will say."
The full briefing is available in the video player above.
The shutdown
The LRT has been shut down for more than a week after it was pulled out of service on July 17. A bearing problem is behind the latest shutdown, but the city has not explained why it keeps happening.
OC Transpo said at a Wednesday news conference it expects Ottawa's light rail system to return to service Monday with just eight single-car trains, a fraction of its total 45-car fleet.
The eight cars will run approximately every seven to eight minutes, OC Transpo said, and combined with a full replacement bus service running in parallel, the transit agency says the arrangement will meet current consumer demand.
The train's maker, Alstom, and the consortium that built the Confederation Line, Rideau Transit Group (RTG), are redesigning the wheel hub assembly as part of a permanent solution, though the root cause of the issues still hasn't been identified.
The full length of that process — including design, testing and deployment — is expected to take up to three years.
Bearings have been a central part of the problems plaguing Ottawa's light rail system over the last two years.
During the current shutdown, buses have been running the length of the line. Riders have complained about facing longer commutes and crowded buses, renewing questions about whether compensation would be offered, something the head of OC Transpo wouldn't address at a media briefing Monday.
In the meantime, a university student has come up with innovative ways to help others avoid the delays and overcrowded buses.