A look at issues that arose on Ottawa's LRT in 2022

The latest disruption on Ottawa’s light rail transit system is entering into its sixth day.

This marks the longest disruption to full service since July 2022 when the system was damaged by lightning.

Here is a look at some of the issues that arose on the Confederation Line last year. This list includes incidents CTVNewsOttawa.ca has reported on and the 13 incidents OC Transpo reported to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada last year.

Jan. 19, 2022 - Rail car mover derails in Confederation Line maintenance yard

A railcar mover travelled through a switch that was not aligned for the intended route of travel causing the wheels to leave the track.

There appeared to be no damage to the switch or the rail car mover.

Jan. 22, 2022 - Extreme cold weather damages the pantograph on Ottawa LRT cars

Multiple trains experienced power issues in the east end of the line due to cold temperatures at the time. It was later determined that five vehicles had damage to the pantographs and required replacement.

The pantograph is the arm that connects the train to the overhead power lines.

Lows were around -30 C and highs were around -17 C.

Jan. 27, 2022 - Snow buildup causes derailment in maintenance yard

Maintenance equipment travelling through the yard had wheels leave the track when it attempted to go over an area of snow accumulation. There is no evidence of damage to the track or to the railcar mover.

Jan. 29, 2022 - Icy tracks temporarily shut down part of O-Train line

Ice on the train tracks shut down a portion of the Confederation Line LRT for a short time.

The transit service said just before 6:45 a.m. that R1 buses were operating between Tunney's Pasture Station and Hurdman Station, with train service running from Hurdman to Blair.

OC Transpo said full service resumed just before 8:30 a.m.

Feb. 12, 2022 - Broken wire on LRT car shuts down O-Train between uOttawa and Tremblay stations

O-Train service was shut down between uOttawa and Tremblay stations after a wire on an LRT car broke, causing it to stop just outside a station.

A train experienced a loss of power just outside Lees Station just before 9 a.m. R1 bus service ran between uOttawa and Tremblay until 6 p.m.

Feb. 21, 2022 - Collision in rail yard damages train

A railcar mover collided with a train car in the yard at a low speed. This resulted in minor damage to the train car.

Feb. 28, 2022 - Collision during maintenance

While performing routine maintenance on Line 1 outside of revenue service hours, a hi-rail vehicle, a kind of vehicle that can move on rails and on roads, lost traction while travelling westbound near Blair Station and made contact at low speed with another hi-rail vehicle and a piece of equipment being worn on a maintenance employee.

There were no injuries and there was minor damage to the contacted vehicle.

March 10, 2022 - Gearbox failure at Blair Station

An improperly lubricated gearbox was responsible for an issue on the Confederation Line near Blair Station, disrupting service for about two hours.

An eastbound train approaching Blair Station was making an unusual noise and emitting a burning smell, and debris was seen on the track. The train was pulled from service and parked at Blair for an inspection.

It was determined a gearbox failed because of an inadequate amount of lubrication fluid in the unit.

April 8, 2022 - Hi-rail vehicle derails during off hours

While performing maintenance on Line 1 outside of regular service hours, a hi-rail maintenance vehicle had its wheels come off the track.

There were no injuries or damage to the tracks or maintenance vehicle.

May 17, 2022 - Derailment in storage shed

A piece of maintenance equipment for moving rail vehicles was mounted onto the tracks in the storage shed and travelled a short distance before sliding off the tracks.

There were no injuries and damage to the equipment was minimal.

May 20, 2022 - Derailment in maintenance yard

A piece of maintenance equipment used for working on the overhead catenary system derailed while traveling on the tracks at the maintenance yard.

There were no injuries and damage to the equipment was minimal.

May 21, 2022 - Derecho storm knocks out power

The O-Train was briefly out of service following the May 2021 derecho storm, which knocked out power across the city, including to the Confederation Line.

Service resumed the next day.

June 22, 2022 - Collision in maintenance yard

While traveling at a low speed during a coupling procedure at the maintenance yard, a railcar mover made contact with a stationary light rail vehicle (LRV).

There were no injuries; one LRV headlight was damaged.

July 15, 2022 - Collision in maintenance yard

While traveling at a low speed during a coupling procedure at the maintenance yard, a railcar mover made contact with a stationary light rail vehicle.

There were no injuries and damage to the equipment was minimal.

July 23, 2022 - OC Transpo pulls O-Train vehicles out of service for inspection after wheel hub failure on train

OC Transpo pulled all O-Train vehicles that have travelled more than 175,000 kilometres out of service for additional inspections after a failure was discovered in one of the wheel hub assemblies on a train.

One LRT vehicle was removed from service for further inspection after an operator reported vibrations. The inspection found a failure in one of the wheel hub assemblies. As a precaution, all trains with more than 175,000 km of service were removed from the line to undergo additional inspections.

July 24, 2022 - Lightning strike damages line, shuts down service for nearly five days

A bolt of lightning that struck a part of the LRT system downtown knocked out service for nearly a week.

Trains were not running between Tunney’s Pasture and St. Laurent stations in the immediate aftermath of the storm, with some service between St. Laurent and Blair in the east end of the line. Some partial service was later restored, but transit riders had to wait until July 29 before the trains were running again end to end.

July 30, 2022 - End-to-end travel times on LRT longer following axle hub failure

Following a failure of one of the wheel hubs on one of the trains earlier in July, and the pulling of several trains for inspections, OC Transpo warned that travel times would be increasing as operators were ordered to slow down on certain parts of the track.

OC Transpo said it would take customers approximately four to five minutes longer to make the full end-to-end trip, which usually clocks in at around 25 minutes.

Aug. 27, 2022 - OC Transpo blames IT system issue for interrupting LRT service 

Transit riders took replacement buses because of what OC Transpo initially dubbed a “system wide communication issue” at 6 a.m. Some service was later restored to the eastern portion of the line before full service resumed at 7:30 a.m.

OC Transpo said the issue affected the control room’s ability to control the ventilation system in the downtown tunnel and at St. Laurent Station, a piece of safety critical equipment required to operate trains.

Oct. 3, 2022 - Collision near Tremblay Station outside normal hours

While performing routine maintenance on Line 1 outside of revenue service hours near Tremblay Station, a hi-rail vehicle travelling in reverse made contact at low speed with another hi-rail vehicle.

There were no injuries and there was minor damage both vehicles.

Dec. 17, 2022 - Part of Ottawa LRT shut down due to mechanical failure

A mechanical failure on part of the LRT caused disruptions for travellers.

Around 11:45 p.m. Dec. 17, part of the overhead catenary system—the cables that power the trains—experienced a mechanical failure near Lees station.

OC Transpo said the preliminary review indicated that there was an issue with a previous repair that was identified during a regular inspection to the power cables.

For much of the day Sunday, trains ran on loops between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa stations and from Hurdman to Blair stations. Replacement bus service was between Rideau and Hurdman stations.

Dec. 21, 2022 - Incident involving hi-rail snow blower

While performing routine maintenance on O-Train Line 1 outside of revenue service hours, the maintenance team mounted a hi-rail snow blower on track 1 between uOttawa and Lees stations.

The blower portion of the unit was not mounted properly and slid off the rails shortly after it moved forward.

There were no injuries but there was minor damage to the blower unit.

Dec. 30, 2022 - Damage to overhead wires cuts O-Train service in east end

An overnight incident that damaged the overhead power lines to the O-Train disrupted service in the east end early in the day on New Year’s Eve.

A wire that supports the overhead catenary power system, called a parafil, snapped just after 11:30 p.m. Dec. 30 near Cyrville Station. Late night service continued to run on the entire line, with just one track available between Tremblay and Blair stations.

OC Transpo reported a mechanical failure between St. Laurent and Blair stations the following morning. R1 buses replaced the train between Blair and St. Laurent until 9 a.m. Dec. 31, when full service was restored.