Mayor Sutcliffe meets with Alstom officials as O-Train shutdown continues into a third weekend

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe met with officials from Alstom to discuss short-term and long-term solutions for the light-rail transit system on Friday, as work continued to reposition the restraining rails with the goal to resume O-Train service on Aug. 14.

"There's no doubt in my mind that the people at Alstom are committed to delivering to Ottawa the safe, reliable system that we expect and deserve," Sutcliffe said on Friday, describing the meeting as "very productive."

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The mayor met virtually with officials from the manufacturer of the light-rail transit vehicles on day 19 of the shutdown of the LRT system after an axle-bearing issue was discovered on one train during a routine 50,000 km inspection.  The return-to-service plan includes inspecting all 44 LRVs in the fleet, replacing the leading and trailing wheel hub assemblies and axles every 60,000 km and repositioning 16 restraining rails at eight locations along the LRT line.

"During that meeting, I was clear about the expectations of Ottawa residents that we not only get the trains running safely, as soon as possible, but that we also fix the root causes," Sutcliffe told reporters.

"Alstom is committed to delivering the consistently safe, reliable system that Ottawa residents expect, that they deserve and that they have paid for.

"We need to address the root causes on two fronts. The consortium is taking steps to improve the infrastructure that has been causing wear and tear on the trains, including moving the restraining rails and also other measures, and they are proceeding with a redesign of the axles and the wheel hub assemblies for increased reliability."

OC Transpo officials say they are confident LRT service will resume on Aug. 14, after a 28-day shutdown of the full system.

The light-rail transit system has been shut down since July 17, after an axle-bearing issue was discovered on one train.  The O-Train was originally scheduled to return-to-service last Monday, but Rideau Transit Group (RTG) and Alstom said the Safety Note to return to service required repositioning each of the restraining rails to ensure there is no contact with the train wheels.

"RTG begun the repositioning of the restraining rails (Thursday)," Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar said.

"They are working at the 16 locations that require adjustment; that work continues today and will continue throughout the weekend. This work requires a high degree of precision and is expected to take up to 10 days to complete."

Officials have described moving the restraining rails as a "labour-intensive process," requiring the brackets bolted into the ground to be moved as the rail is adjusted 1 to 2 millimetres.

Amilcar says Rideau Transit Group and OC Transpo continue to finalize the remaining items in the Atkins Global report on the restraining rail system, and the risk assessment is almost complete.

As of Friday, 19 trains have had their hub assemblies replaced and will be available when service resumes.  Amilcar says RTG can replace two hubs every two days.

OC Transpo plans to provide details on the return-to-service plan, including whether it will be single-car or double-car trains, next week. An information session is being scheduled for councillors.

"I'm confident, based on the work done by the combined teams….that we have a solid plan to restore rail service," Amilcar said. "This combined team will be working throughout the long weekend; there is a lot of work for us to do and we are committed to maintaining the schedule we have put forward."

OC Transpo, Rideau Transit Group and the mayor have been touting the long-term fix for the LRT system, which will see Alstom and RTG redesign the wheel hub assembly to address the ongoing bearing issue.  It will take 12 to 18 months to design and test the new axle.

City of Ottawa officials say they believe "several factors" have contributed to the issue with the wheel-bearing and the axle, and now the goal is to reduce the "extra forces" on the wheel hub.

"My sense of where they're coming from is their view….it's a combination of factors that has led to the issues we've experienced," Sutcliffe said.

"It's the pressure on the wheels and the axles, on that whole assembly, that needs to be addressed. On the pressure side, we're looking at lubricating the tracks, we're looking at slightly moving the restraining rails and there are other measures being taken to reduce the pressure being applied to the wheel system.

"They feel that the current system is safe, but the redesign is going to lead to a higher level of safety, a safer system. We'll have both a safer wheel and axle system and we'll have reduced pressure being put on that system."

Sutcliffe says he asked "a lot of questions" during his meeting with Alstom, and laid out the expectations of transit riders.

"The response I heard was that Alstom is committed to finding a permanent solution to the issues we've been having."