O-Train can 'easily' provide the service with a single-car train, OC Transpo boss says
The head of OC Transpo suggests the O-Train can "easily" offer service with single-car trains to meet ridership needs this summer, adding OC Transpo has been looking at only providing single-car trains on weekends to deal with low ridership.
The O-Train is expected to resume service on Monday morning, which would be two weeks after the LRT system was shut down after a bearing issue was discovered on one train during a routine inspection.
When O-Train service does resume, it will be running with eight single-car trains serving all stations, with trains stopping at stations every seven to eight minutes.
During an interview on CTV News at Six with Chief Anchor Graham Richardson, Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar said staff were already looking at running single-car service on weekends due to low ridership.
"We could easily give the service with one single train," Amilcar said, noting O-Train ridership is currently at 43 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
"This is something that we're working on for weekends because we know during the weekend we have less people onboard. So we were thinking about it, so that's why now we think it's a good decision to move forward with that (new inspection) regime."
OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Group announced Wednesday that all leading and trailing wheel hub assemblies and axles would be replaced on O-Train vehicles every 60,000 km as part of a new inspection and replacement regime.
When the O-Train launched in 2019, the goal was to run 15 double-car trains during peak periods. OC Transpo has been running 11 double-car trains through the summer due to low ridership.
Amilcar tells CTV News Ottawa OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Group will continue to run a single-car train service on the O-Train to save kilometres and limit inspections ahead of the fall.
"The reason why we will use single trains is just because we want to make sure we can support the new regime of the axles, which will be changed after 60,000 km. The system has been built to be able to either have one-single train or two trains," Amilcar said Thursday evening.
"We know that since the pandemic, we have reached 43 per cent of our capacity so that means we can easily welcome people onboard with a lot of satisfaction, I think."
On Monday, Amilcar announced Alstom and RTG have agreed to a design modification to the wheel hub assembly, calling it a "permanent fix" to the bearing issue that has caused issues on the O-Train line.
Amilcar told CTV News at Six it is a "final fix" that will resolve the issues with the bearing.
"I can tell you firmly, the fix will fix the problem; the permanent fix will resolve the issue."
Amilcar says the O-Train is "very, very new," and new technologies do encounter issues.
"Everywhere when we launch a new technology, you have to face a lot of problems. I was in Montreal before and it was the same thing."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreak spreads, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial has fined him US$1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.