Ottawa's LRT to remain offline until early November
Ottawa's Confederation Line LRT will remain shut down for at least another two weeks, possibly more, according to a new memo from city staff.
Staff spent the weekend reviewing Rideau Transit Group's return-to-service delivery plan to resume service following the LRT derailment on Sept. 19. The O-Train has been shut down since the derailment, forcing commuters to use R1 replacement bus service to travel into and out of the downtown core.
"This document is quite detailed and staff will be reviewing the contents and conducting a preliminary assessment over the weekend," said City Manager Steve Kanellakos in a memo to council after the city received the plan.
In a memo to city councillors sent Monday, Kanellakos said RTG had given the city a date of Nov. 1 to begin a partial return to service with up to seven trains.
But the city manager expects it could be up to another week or more after that before the trains start running.
"RTG's proposed releaunch on Nov. 1 is conditional on the completion by RTG of an intensive inspection program on the vehicle fleet," Kanellakos wrote. "Based on the steps necessary to verify the safety of the system, the City anticipates that partial service will resume within the first two weeks of November."
The Confederation Line has been out of service since Sept. 19, when an LRT car derailed at Tremblay Station, damaging the car, the track, the station platform and track infrastructure.
On Wednesday, council was told Rideau Transit Group has identified a loose gearbox as the issue that caused the derailment. Kanellakos said bolts that secure the gearbox to the vehicle were "not torqued properly or verified", according to Alstom.
The gearbox came loose and was dragged along the track, said the city manager.
Kanellakos said previously Philadelphia-based TRA, the firm hired to conduct an independent review of the return-to-service plan, will "validate" the plan and repairs to the infrastructure before the service resumes.
In Monday's memo, Kanellakos said TRA would provide more information about their workplan at Wednesday's transit commission meeting. Representatives from RTG will also be in attendance.
"TRA will review RTG's relaunch plan and make recommendations to the City on the proposed LRT relaunch of service plan. TRA will monitor the effective execution of the plan," Kanellakos said.
"Once TRA recommends to the City that RTG is ready to resume service, the City will take the steps necessary to verify RTG’s ability to safely and reliably relaunch LRT. This will include one to two days of testing. The final date for return-to-service will only be determined once the City is satisfied that it is safe to do so," he added.
The repairs to the Confederation Line following the derailment were expected to be finished last week.
Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA's "Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron", transit commission chair Coun. Allan Hubley told guest host Graham Richardson that the system could be up and running earlier in November than later, but it all depends on the review of the system.
"We want to have a few days of testing to run the trains up and down the track and make sure there are no issues. We want to be confident before we put the riders back on that train," he said. "Allow us two weeks for that. If we can go faster, we will."
Hubley said the transit commission will be asking RTG on Wednesday whether they've spent the downtime going over the train cars and ensuring they're ready to relaunch.
FIRST DAY FOR THE NEW OC TRANSPO BOSS
It's the first day on the job for Ottawa's new General Manager of the Transit Services Department.
Renée Amilcar replaces John Manconi as the head of transit services in Ottawa.
Amilcar is an industrial engineer with a degree from École Polytechnique de Montréal and an MBA from Université de Sherbrooke. Amilcar joined Societe de Transports Montreal in 2002, and served as Executive Director of Bus Services since 2014.
"Given her extensive experience, Renée is well-positioned to continue developing the operations of our transit network and the transformation of our multi-modal system," said Kanellakos in a memo to council on Sept. 27. "This includes Council’s plans to expand our Light Rail Transit system further east, west and south, growing our electric bus program, continuing to improve services for our customers and continuing to build a strong internal team and productive relationships with our unions."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lack of detention space could force CBSA to release detainees, internal memo warns
The Canada Border Services Agency is scrambling to find space to hold high-risk detainees that are set to be transferred from provincial jails in June.
BREAKING American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
BREAKING Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, 'Ramblin' Man,' has died. He was 80.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
Ontario Provincial Police say they have 'disrupted' an organized crime group that allegedly used an emergency grandparent scam to defraud seniors across Canada out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Taylor Swift's new album allegedly 'leaked' on social media and it's causing a frenzy
A Google Drive link allegedly containing 17 tracks that are purportedly from Swift's eagerly awaited "The Tortured Poets Department" album has been making the rounds on the internet in the past day and people are equal parts mad, sad and happy about it.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
What does it mean to be 'house poor' and how can you avoid it?
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.