LRT service disrupted downtown after water leak at Rideau Station
Ottawa LRT service was briefly disrupted downtown because of a water leak in the tunnel at Rideau Station. Service has since been restored.
Service was restored about 30 minutes after the initial alarm. A fire alarm was ringing and Rideau Station was closed to commuters and special constables were turning commuters away, directing them to R1 buses.
R1 service was in place between Tunney's Pasture and Hurdman stations while Rideau Station was closed.
OC Transpo director of transit service delivery and rail operations Troy Charter told CTV News in a statement Tuesday evening a pipe had burst around the time a fire alarm was activated.
"Around 3 p.m. today a fire alarm was activated at Rideau Station and a significant water leak was detected near the westbound platform. Rideau Station closed to allow Ottawa Fire Services to conduct an investigation," Charter said. "Preliminary reports indicate that the cause of the water leak was a burst sprinkler system pipe."
Transportation Services GM Renée Amilcar said Wednesday the recent temperature fluctuations caused condensation to build up inside the station dry sprinkler system that subsequently froze causing a pipe to burst.
"RTM is reviewing its proactive maintenance procedures, specifically the intervals at which the system is drained of excess water, to prevent similar incidents from occurring," she said.
Charter said R1 service was issued between Hurdman and Tunney's Pasture stations, while train service ran from Blair to Hurdman because of the work required to safetly address the leak at Rideau Station.
"Throughout the disruption customers were kept informed through announcements made on trains and at stations, direct text messages, and updates shared on our social media platforms," said Charter.
OC Transpo's own communications through tweets, text alerts and emails, however, said full service was running but trains would not stop at Rideau Station.
In fact, trains were stopped between Hurdman and Tunney's Pasture during the disruption, as the statement attributed to Charter said.
Full train service was restored just after 4 p.m.
Video taken by a Twitter user shows the leak in the tunnel.
The user, Craig, told CTV News by DM that he was waiting for the westbound train when the alarm began to sound and water started gushing onto the tracks.
The video he posted was taken at 3:22 p.m., he said, after the water had been pouring for about five minutes. An OC Transpo special constable asked him to leave the platform and he said he waited upstairs for about 15 to 20 minutes before R1 service was announced. During that time, the water continued to pour from the wall.
CTV's Michael Woods was taking the R1 bus from Rideau during the disruption and said it took passengers to Lyon Station before passengers were told to disembark.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
BREAKING Suspect sought after man found injured in downtown Toronto dies in hospital
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man who was found with life-threatening injuries in downtown Toronto on Sunday morning succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
Cyclist issued fine for striking four-year-old girl crossing the street
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Potentially toxic chemicals hide in our drinking water and countless household objects, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Police investigating after tow trucks shot at in Scarborough two hours apart
Toronto police are investigating after tow trucks were shot at in Scarborough about two hours apart Saturday night.
U.K. foreign secretary says halting arms sales to Israel would only strengthen Hamas
Asked whether the U.K. would follow the U.S. in threatening to cut the supply of offensive weapons to Israel if it carried out an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the two countries cannot be compared because unlike the U.S., Britain supplies a very small amount of Israel's weapons.
BREAKING 37-year-old dies following Sault police shooting
Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officer shot a 37-year-old in the city’s west end on Saturday night.