OC Transpo gives the green light for full O-Train service to resume on Monday

O-Train service will resume on the full 12.5 km light-rail transit system on Monday, 28 days after the service was shut down after a bearing issue was discovered on one train.

Interim City Manager Wendy Stephanson signed off on the launch of full service between Blair and Tunney's Pasture stations, based on a recommendation from OC Transpo staff and Transportation Resource Associates following a review of RTG's documentation to confirm the requirements for the restart of Line 1 have been met.

OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Group spent the weekend conducting a trial running of trains through the east end of the rail line and verifying all the requirements have been met to resume full service.

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"As previously mentioned, Rideau Transit Group (RTG) completed repositioning of the restraining rails at 16 locations to fulfill the last requirement of the Safety Note from RTG and Alstom," Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar said in a memo Sunday evening.

"Testing was successfully conducted over the weekend to confirm the work and the system’s readiness to safely welcome customers."

There will be single-car service on the full LRT line between Blair and Tunney's Pasture stations for the month of August, as OC Transpo says it works to meet the new requirements for service and adjusts to passenger volumes.

R1 replacement bus service and R1 Express will continue to run on Monday. Amilcar says additional information about R1 service going forward will be announced on Monday.

Partial LRT service resumed on the western section of the LRT system last Tuesday, with trains running between Tunney's Pasture and uOttawa stations.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at what you need to know about the return of O-Train service on Monday.

O-Train service

OC Transpo will provide single-car service on the LRT line for the month of August.

• Weekday morning peak period: 11 single-car trains will provide service at stations every five minutes
• Weekday afternoon peak period: 13 single-car trains will provide service at stations every four minutes
• Weekday non-peak periods and evenings: Nine single-car trains providing service at stations every six minutes
• Weekend service: Nine single-car trains providing service every six minutes

R1 replacement bus service

OC Transpo will continue to run R1 replacement bus service on Monday between Blair and Tunney's Pasture stations.

In downtown Ottawa, R1 bus service will use Albert and Slater streets downtown.

• Westbound R1 buses will run on Albert St. with stops at Bank and Kent  
• Eastbound R1 buses will run on Slater St. with stops at Kent and O’Connor  

R1 Express

The R1 Express service between Blair Station and downtown Ottawa will operate on Monday.

The route is identified as "R1 Lyon Express" and "R1 Blair Express" on the bus display. Buses will run approximately every 15 minutes, according to OC Transpo.

"R1 Lyon Express"

• The R1 Lyon Express will run westbound from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. 
• Bus service will operate from Blair Station to downtown, with stops on the Mackenize King Bridge and on Albert Street at Bank and Kent

"R1 Blair Express"

• The R1 Blair Express will run eastbound from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. 
• Bus service will operate from downtown to Blair Station with stops on Slater Street at Bank and Kent and at the Mackenize King Bridge

Maintenance work

As O-Train service returns to the full LRT line, Rideau Transit Group will continue the replacement of the wheel hub assemblies. As part of the new requirement in the Safety Note, all leading and trailing wheel hub assemblies and axles will be replaced on O-Train vehicles every 60,000 km.

As of Sunday, the wheel hub assemblies have been replaced on 28 of 44 trains.

Rideau Transit Group has also repositioned the restraining rails at eight locations along the track to ensure there is no contact between the rail and the wheel hub.

What's next

The Transit Commission and the city's Light-Rail Transit Subcommittee will receive several reports over the next two months about LRT service in Ottawa.

• Aug. 29 – LRT Subcommittee will receive an update on construction on Stage 2 of the light-rail transit system, including testing on the north-south line from Bayview Station to Riverside South
• Sept. 14 – Transit Commission will receive an update on the O-Train return-to-service
• Sept. 29 – LRT Subcommittee will receive a "deep dive" on the Trillium Line, according to city staff. There will also be an update on the city's response to the recommendations from the public inquiry into Ottawa's LRT system
• Oct. 12 – Transit Commission will receive a report on the root cause analysis on the axle-bearing issue and a report "outlining LRT incidents related to freezing rain, lightning strikes and other issues."