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
BREAKING | Federal budget to include grocery rebate for lower income Canadians: sources
The 2023 federal budget includes a 'grocery rebate' that will be offered to Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.

Advocate questions whether Air Canada has 'cultural problem' after issue with teen's wheelchair
Flying over the Grand Canyon was a highlight for the Gellisen family during their trip to Phoenix, but their flight home to Toronto was a much different experience, with several family members forced off of the flight over tensions related to a teen's wheelchair.
Military under fire as thousands of troops face lost cost-of-living allowance
The Canadian Armed Forces is under fire for its plan to cut thousands of troops off a cost-of-living allowance without much notice.
Essential oils and a secret code name: Things you didn't know about the coronation
King Charles III's coronation will be held on May 6 at London's Westminster Abbey. Here are some little-known facts about the ceremony:
Why lettuce prices are likely to rise again in Canada next month
Lettuce prices are likely to rise next month and could stay high into the summer, agriculture experts say, as flooding in a key California farming area becomes the latest example of extreme weather's effect on the food chain.
Police identify 16-year-old killed in 'unprovoked' stabbing at Toronto subway station
Police have identified a teenager who died after being stabbed in an ‘unprovoked’ attack at a Toronto subway station Saturday night, and have charged an adult male suspect with his murder.
'Reconciliation through art': Campaign aims to get an Indigenous woman on Canada's $20 bill
A new campaign is aiming to get an Indigenous woman honoured on the next $20 bill in Canada for the first time.
Don't punish int'l students over fake admission letters: advocate
An organizer with a group advocating for the rights of migrants in Canada is urging the federal government not to penalize potentially hundreds of international students facing possible deportation over fake school admission letters.
In Macron's France, streets and fields seethe with protest
In France, a country that taught the world about people power with its revolution of 1789 -- and a country again seething with anger against its leaders -- graduating from bystander to demonstrator is a generations-old rite of passage.