Maintenance on LRT will close parts of line early every night in mid-August
Planned maintenance on Ottawa's LRT line later this month will cause parts of the line to shut down early in the evenings.
OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar said in a memo Tuesday that the work would begin Aug. 12 and continue until Aug. 25.
"During the two-week maintenance period, certain sections of O-Train Line 1 will close as early as 8 p.m. Work will occur at intervals along the system and non-work areas will remain open for customers," Amilcar wrote.
The work will include rail grinding and profiling and other proactive maintenance such as switch heater calibration ahead of the winter and rail repairs and replacements. The work was originally scheduled to take place in June but was postponed because of a shipping delay.
R1 bus service will be available on nights when the Confederation Line is closed early. Rail service will resume at the usual times each morning: 5 a.m. on weekdays, 6 a.m. on Saturdays, and 8 a.m. on Sundays.
Amilcar said more information would be provided later this week when the maintenance schedule is finalized.
"This work is being conducted during summer months in evenings and at night, when ridership is lower, to minimize customer impacts as much as possible," the memo said.
Speaking on CTV Morning Live, transit commission chair Coun. Allan Hubley said the rail grinding would help make parts of the ride smoother for customers.
This maintenance comes shortly after part of the line was damaged by a lightning strike, requiring the replacement of nearly a kilometre of overhead wires and other repairs. Part of the system was offline for about five days.
Twenty train cars were also removed from service last month for inspections following an axle hub failure on one of the trains. Hubley said that 11 double-car trains and a spare train were available as of 6 a.m. Tuesday and he expects more cars will clear inspections each day. Rideau Transit Maintenance previously estimated they could inspect and replace the axle hubs on roughly two train cars per day.
The root cause of the axle hub failure has yet to be determined, but RTM CEO Mario Guerra told reporters last week that he suspected component fatigue may have been a factor.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.