New video shows moments before Ottawa LRT train derailed

On the final day of public hearings into Ottawa’s light rail transit, the commission saw new video that showed a train leaving Tremblay station moments before it derailed last September.

During Rideau Transit Maintenance CEO Mario Guerra’s testimony, city of Ottawa lawyer Catherine Gleason-Mercier showed the commission video of the train leaving Tremblay station before it derailed.

“Do you recognize the gentleman who just stepped off the train?” asks Gleason-Mercier. “Is it Mr. Steven Nadon, the maintenance director?” 

Guerra agrees the man in the video is Nadon, the maintenance director of Rideau Transit Mainetnance.

Gleason-Mercier said Nadon told a commission lawyer that he “he heard a clank sound beneath him and he thought a cable had come lose or that something was dragging and as such he told his wife to get off because he didn’t think he was going to make it.” 

Gleason-Mercier then asks Guerra: “You will agree with me that Mr. Nadon got off the train but he didn’t take any action to stop this train, he didn’t hit the passenger emergency intercom did he? He didn’t put his foot in the door.” 

Guerra says he felt there was no need to take such actions, as there was no way Nadon could have known the train was going to derail. He followed procedures by bringing the sounds and attention to maintenance crews. 

In an interview with a commission lawyer earlier this year, Nadon said he was on the train prior to its derailment with his family, including his grandchildren, who were on it for the first time.

“We took it from Blair … between St-Laurent and Tremblay. I had heard a clinging sound beneath me and I thought a cable had come loose, or something was dragging. So I told my wife, ‘We're going to get off at the next station because I don't think this train is going to make it to our final destination, it's going to get pulled out of service.’” Nadon told the commission.

“So we got out at the train station at Tremblay, and I was on my phone calling the control centre to say, ‘Take this train out of service,’ when the train departed. And as it departed it kicked ballast up all over the platform. Immediately I knew it had been derailed.”

Nadon said he remained on the phone trying to get the train to stop.

The lawyer for Alstom, Michael Valo also showing the commission new video of that shows the train leaving Tremblay station on Sept. 19. Black dust and ballast from the track can be seen scraping the vehicle. 

“I believe that the dust and the flare-up should have been visible, because it is quite straight in that area,” says Guerra. 

Valo then referenced the investigation report looking into the derailment. Valo highlighted inattention was identified by OC Transpo as the contributing factors, as well as a “human waste smell” inside the light rail vehicle.

Earlier in the public hearings OC Transpo’s Troy Charter says that a human waste smell was identified on the train. 

The cause of the derailment was later identified as loose bolts that were not properly secure. 

The public hearings wrap up Thursday. The commission report is due on Aug. 31 to the Ministry of Transportation, but there is an option to extend that deadline to Nov. 31