LRT train stoppage Tuesday morning unrelated to axle issue: OC Transpo

OTTAWA -

OC Transpo says the previous axle bearing issue that had affected several LRT trains was not responsible for a service disruption Tuesday morning.

A westbound train came to a stop between Pimisi and Bayview stations at around 5:45 a.m. and the operator could not troubleshoot the problem and get the train moving again.

"As a result, a Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) technician was required to attend to the train to return it to the Maintenance and Storage Facility," said Director of Transit Operations Troy Charter in a statement to Newstalk 580 CFRA. "The train has now been returned to the Maintenance and Storage Facility for diagnosis and repairs, however, this is unrelated to the axle bearing issue previously reported."

Customers were moved onto a second train and service continued, though with some delays. Regular service was restored by 6:45 a.m.

This is the second time within a week that disrupted service on the Confederation Line. Two trains were removed from service last Thursday following issues with the coupler and the heating and cooling system.

Earlier this month, 10 train cars were pulled from service due to issues with their axle bearings, which was identified as the cause for a train derailing on Aug. 8, keeping the entire line closed to passengers for five straight days.

Charter said during service continued along the entire line during Tuesday's incident, with a single track in use between Bayview and Lyon stations. He said service was held for approximately ten minutes between Lyon and Tunney’s Pasture stations to safely transfer passengers from the stopped train before they continued on their way. R1 bus service was briefly in place.

The Transit Commission will meet on Sept. 20 to discuss recent issues on the line. Officials have noted that prior to the disruption on Aug. 8, service reliability on the Confederation Line had been very high for several months.