Delays on LRT after stalled trains Saturday afternoon

OTTAWA -- Two LRT trains lost power during a freezing rain storm Saturday afternoon, leading to delays on the Confederation Line.

O-Train Line 1: Longer wait and travel times may be experienced at some stations due to a train a held at uOttawa. https://t.co/UN93mkGRA4

— OC Transpo Live (@OCTranspoLive) January 25, 2020

In a statement Saturday afternoon, city director of transit operations Troy Charter said two trains had a momentary power loss just after 2 p.m. - one at UOttawa Station and one at Tunney's Pasture station.

Later Saturday, Charter said a power.arcing issue appeared to be the cause of the disruptions. Trains were back up and running end-to-end by around 6 p.m.

Riders were quick to post on social media about the delays they were experiencing.

We were sent these photos with this msg:
"St. Laurent mall to Via Rail at 3:39PM this afternoon was held for 30 mins. We had to walk in a snow storm to an R1 3 minutes away after being held on the LRT for 30 minutes"

Courtesy: Kayla Kirkbride #ottLRT #ottawa #ottnews @ctvottawa pic.twitter.com/e0PGCFklmX

— Christina Succi (@CTVChristina) January 25, 2020

 

So my daughter is on the LRT and sends me this. Is it supposed to be sparking and smoking? #ottLRT #isitsafe #OttawaLRT #worriedmum @LRT_Ottawa @mattfharris @OC_Transpo @CFRAOttawa @ctvottawa pic.twitter.com/rqY7NAI8kd

— Catherine Grant (@Catherine_KMJM) January 25, 2020

An unconfirmed report from a Reddit user said they heard "three loud bangs" and saw dark smoke from the train at uOttawa. Others speculated the "smoke" could be steam.

This is already old news �� it's looking like it's stream from over-voltage or under voltage. The pops are likely from ice. Immobilization is the safety feature. Collaborated by somebody on the train

— Occasional Transport (@OccTranspo) January 25, 2020

Some riders reported the train they were on had switched tracks, and continued to move, but did experience "train traffic".

The westbound track is closed feels weird being on other track pic.twitter.com/MjhBSIDtvg

— James (@jamesExiledLedg) January 25, 2020

More to come.

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  OC Transpo General Manager John Manconi says stalled trains may be related to wet weather.