LRT train car had problems hours before Aug. 8 derailment: TSB
A new report by Canada’s transportation watchdog says the LRT train car that derailed just outside Tunney's Pasture Station likely experienced problems several hours earlier, travelled the full length of the line at least once before the derailment, and was not inspected prior to the incident.
In a rail safety advisory letter released Monday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said an analysis of recorded information showed that the axle on one of the train's wheels likely failed at around 1:25 p.m. on Aug. 8 somewhere between Cyrville and Blair stations at the east end of the line.
"A review of event recorder and vehicle logs showed that (light rail vehicle) 1119 had experienced multiple wheel slip warnings during this time," the TSB said.
The train, which was coupled with vehicle 1115 travelled the full length of the line back to Tunney's Pasture. At 2:50 p.m., the train's operator reported a burning smell and the train was parked to investigate a sticking brake on vehicle 1115. Burn marks were found on the brake on that particular car and the brake calipers were released.
Since staff believed the issue had been identified, car 1119 was not inspected. The train was cleared to return to the maintenance facility and left at 8:30 p.m. The train then experienced a rough ride as it crossed the switch from the north track to the south track and it was found that two wheels on vehicle 1119, identified as numbers 3 and 4, had derailed.
"As the train was being re-railed, it was discovered that the No. 3 wheel was no longer attached to the axle," the TSB wrote. "The No. 3 wheel had severed from the axle due to a previously undetected catastrophic roller bearing failure and subsequent axle journal burn-off."
Roller bearings were later found several kilometres away on the track near uOttawa station.
"This suggests that, as the train travelled westward between 1:25 p.m. and 2:50 p.m., a cartridge assembly failed and some rollers were expelled," the TSB reported.
Images showing damage to LRT train car wheels following the Aug. 8 derailment near Tunney's Pasture Station. (Photos and annotation provided by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada)
No passengers were on board the train that derailed on Aug. 8.
Axle bearing assemblies were earlier identified as the issue that caused the Aug. 8 derailment, and nine additional cars underwent maintenance to tighten the bolts on the axle bearing assemblies. Service on the entire Confederation Line was shut down for five straight days following the incident. A new periodic inspection regime was implemented requiring vehicles be elevated in order to inspect the cartridge assemblies from beneath the bogies every 7,500 km.
The derailment came just six weeks before a second derailment west of Tremblay Station, the cause of which has yet to be determined. The TSB said it appears the train involved in the Sept. 19 derailment had derailed before entering the station and continued for several hundred meters with 12 passengers on board until the train hit a signal box and came to a stop beyond the bridge over Riverside Drive. Service on the LRT remains fully suspended because of the Sept. 19 derailment.
Mitigation strategy insufficient
The TSB wrote that the risk prevention strategy for the Confederation Line has proven to be insufficient.
"A Consolidated Safety File for the OLRT–Ottawa LRV project was created to document potential hazards, mitigating strategies, and safety-related activities for the LRV project. The document identified the potential for a 'locked axle' as a hazard at least twice," the TSB said. "The mitigation strategy to address this known hazard was regular maintenance that included visual inspections for grease leakage every 25 000 km. However, a locked axle can occur for a number of reasons, and there was no specific reference to a catastrophic roller bearing failure leading to axle journal burn-off."
However, the TSB said the vehicle that derailed would have been subjected to at least five inspections as outlined under this strategy and the derailment still occurred.
The TSB also said a heat detection system was considered during the design phase of the Alston Citadis Spirt train cars for the Ottawa LRT, but it was not considered a requirement because regular maintenance was believed to be sufficient. The TSB now says that has proven not to be the case.
"Now that a catastrophic roller bearing failure has actually occurred within a cartridge assembly and resulted in a derailment, the preventive risk mitigation strategy that relied on regular maintenance and visual inspections has proven to be insufficient to protect against such bearing failures," the agency said.
"As demonstrated by this derailment, there can be serious consequences resulting from an overheated roller bearing failure on an LRV in commuter passenger service. OLRT may wish to ensure that it has heat detection systems in place to monitor temperatures of LRV cartridge roller bearing assemblies in order to detect overheated roller bearings in a timely manner and intervene before an in-service catastrophic roller bearing failure occurs," the TSB wrote.
It is now asking city officials and representatives from Rideau Transit Maintenance and Alstom to address the issue.
The City of Ottawa said it is reviewing the letter and will inform the transit commission of its review when it is done.
"Earlier today, the City received a Rail Safety Advisory Letter from the Transportation Safety Board in relation to the August 8 derailment. We are currently reviewing the letter and will provide Mayor, Members of Council and the Transit Commission with an update once our review has been completed," said chief safety officer Brandon Richards in a statement.
Keep LRT offline until heat sensors installed: Councillor
Ottawa Coun. Diane Deans says she believes the LRT should remain offline until a heat detection system is installed.
"This is a major safety issue and the TSB made it clear that regular maintenance alone is not sufficient to detect these types of problems," Deans said in an interview with CTV News Ottawa.
"In my mind we should not be putting those trains back in service until those heat detection systems are installed on all of our vehicles... Unfortunately for transit riders in this city the wait may have to be longer, but safety trumps everything and we can’t put a system that may be unsafe back on the rails."
Deans also said the letter brought to mind issues of transparency that have troubled the public, city councillors and members of the transit commission.
"The transit commission and council have the duty of oversight on this big project and right now they’re meeting so infrequently and they’ve delegated so much authority and the staff and RTG have taken upon them so much authority that this kind of information is not being debated in the public forum, it’s not being made known to the elected officials who have the duty of oversight, and we’re seeing the consequences of that," she said.
"It’s a major major safety issue for the community and we need people in leadership roles in this city that understand the duty of oversight and aren’t withholding information from decision makers."
The same day the letter was released, the City of Ottawa announced a senior transit official from Montreal will take over the top job at OC Transpo following the retirement of John Manconi.
Renée Amilcar, the executive director of bus services for the Société de Transports Montréal, will take over the city’s transit services effective Oct. 18.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.