Infrastructure failure fixed on Confederation Line near St. Laurent station

OTTAWA -- Service has resumed along the Confederation Line after a major infrastructure failure halted service in the east-end for over eight hours on Wednesday.

OC Transpo tweeted at 12:35 a.m. that “full train service has resumed between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair. R1 service has ended. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

O-Train Line 1: Full train service has resumed between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair. R1 service has ended. We apologize for the inconvenience.

— OC Transpo (@OC_Transpo) February 27, 2020

On Wednesday, service was shut down between Hurdman station and Blair station after a problem with a piece of the overhead power system.

“One of the components on the overhead catenary system has become loose east of St. Laurent Station. As a result, trains are unable to proceed,” said John Manconi, Transportation Services General Manager.

Rideau Transit Group says the investigation continues into the cause of the problem, but insists it was not weather related. 

The overhead catenary system is what powers the trains. Wires are supported above the tracks. Power runs from the cables to the train through a roof-mounted device called a pantograph.

Also on Wednesday, a train stalled at the uOttawa station due to an arcing issue.