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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.