OC Transpo pulls O-Train vehicles out of service for inspection after wheel hub failure on train
OC Transpo pulls O-Train vehicles out of service for inspection after wheel hub failure on train
OC Transpo pulled all O-Train vehicles that have travelled more than 175,000 kilometres out of service for additional inspections this weekend after a failure was discovered in one of the wheel hub assemblies on a train.
In a memo to council Saturday evening, OC Transpo general manager Renee Amilcar said one LRT vehicle was removed from service for further inspection after an operator reported vibrations.
"The inspection found a failure in one of the wheel hub assemblies," Amilcar said.
"Alstom has indicated that, while this also affects the bearing and axle, it appears to have occurred in a different manner than the previous axle-bearing issue which resulted in the derailment in August 2021."
Amilcar says based on the inspection and as a precaution, all trains with more than 175,000 km have been removed from service to undergo additional inspections, "out of an abundance of caution."
"RTM and Alstom are also conducting in-depth testing to determine the root cause of the failure on the affected wheel hub," Amilcar said, adding OC Transpo and TRA are engaged in the ongoing testing and inspections.
There are currently 10 trains in service, providing service every five to six minutes at stops along the Confederation Line. Amilcar says trains will be returned to service once the inspections are completed and the vehicles are deemed safe.
"Safety of our customers and employees is OC Transpo’s number one priority, and RTM and Alstom have confirmed verbally and by letter that all trains in operation on Line 1 are safe," Amilcar told council.
The incident has been reported to the Transportation Safety Board.
Transit Commission chair Allan Hubley praised the quick actions by the driver and Rideau Transit Group.
"The driver did the right thing by reporting the noise on the track right away; Alstrom, the maintainer for RTM, did the right thing by reporting it to OC and they also reported to the Transportation Safety Board, and they’re taking the proper steps," Hubley said Sunday afternoon.
In June, the Transit Commission was told there was 37 LRT vehicles available for service, with four LRVs unavailable due to maintenance (two out of service for long-term maintenance following the two derailments last year). Each O-Train car operates with two LRT vehicles.
Amilcar says the inspection of all the vehicles will "take time." OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Maintenance are scheduled to provide an update on the situation on Tuesday, once results from the ongoing investigations are available.
Hubley told CTV News Ottawa that Rideau Transit Maintenance and Alstom are switching out the hubs on the vehicles.
"So what they can do is take the hubs off to the side and give it a really thorough investigation, but by putting a new hub on that train, get it back in service very quick," Hubley said, adding more trains are expected to return to service this week.
A transit advocacy group said it appreciated the transparency from OC Transpo and RTM about the issues.
"I think what we’re seeing is OC Transpo being a bit more proactive in getting that information out, trying to reassure riders that this system is safe to run," said Stuart MacKay of Ottawa Transit Riders.
MacKay admits the major issue less than three years after the system launched raises some concerns.
"Now we’re getting these larger mechanical issues involving axels and bearing and so the question that has risen amongst riders is, 'Is the system robust enough, have we developed a system that is capable of fulfilling it’s responsibilities?'" MacKay said.
"The system has only been running for a few years, does it have the robustness for 10-15 years as we expand to Stage 2 and Stage 3."
The issue with the O-Train vehicle comes as the public inquiry into Ottawa's Light Rail Transit system continues. The commission held 18 days of in-person hearings at the University of Ottawa, and is scheduled to hold a one-day panel of expects on July 28 looking at public-private partnerships.
Commissioner Justice William Hourigan has until Aug. 31 to submit a report and recommendations to the Ontario government, but may request an extension until the end of November.
AUG. 8 DERAILMENT
An O-Train car derailed just outside of Tunney's Pasture Station on Aug. 8, 2021. OC Transpo said the investigation found a problem in the axle bearing assembly as the root cause of the issue. Former transportation services manager John Manconi told council a bolt in the sealed axle bearing moved a small amount, damaging the bearing inside the unit and wheel and causing the axle to come off the track.
Nine cars were pulled out of service for "additional analysis" on the axle assembly as part of the investigation.
The Transportation Safety Board says an analysis of recorded information showed 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.
"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 in a rail safety advisory on Sept. 27.
The train was travelling back to the maintenance facility and derailed as it switched tracks near Tunney's Pasture station.
"The No. 3 wheel had severed from the axle due to a previously undetected catastrophic roller bearing failure and subsequent axle journal burn-off," the TSB said.
Roller bearings were later found several kilometres away on the track near uOttawa station.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond with Colton Praill
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Agent: Rushdie off ventilator and talking, day after attack
'The Satanic Verses' author Salman Rushdie was taken off a ventilator and able to talk Saturday, a day after he was stabbed as he prepared to give a lecture in upstate New York.

Arizona parents arrested trying to get in locked-down school
Police arrested three Arizona parents, shocking two of them with stun guns, as they tried to force their way into a school that police locked down Friday after an armed man was seen trying to get on campus, authorities said.
Parent of child with rare form of epilepsy distressed over N.S. ER closures
Kristen Hayes lives close to the hospital in Yarmouth, N.S., but she says that twice in the past month, her son, who has a rare form of epilepsy, has been taken by ambulance to the emergency room there, only to be left waiting.
Feds quietly change rules to allow one-time ArriveCAN exemption at land border crossings
The Canada Border Services Agency is temporarily allowing fully vaccinated travellers a one-time exemption to not be penalized if they were unaware of the health documents required through ArriveCAN.
Average rent up more than 10% in July from previous year, report says
Average rent in Canada for all properties rose more than 10 per cent year-over-year in July, according to a recent nationwide analysis of listings on Rentals.ca.
LAPD ends investigation into Anne Heche car crash
The Los Angeles Police Department has ended its investigation into Anne Heche's car accident, when the actor crashed into a Los Angeles home on Aug. 5.
Backing up Ukraine's history: App creates 3D models of important cultural heritage
Volunteers armed with smartphones are using a 3D-modelling app to preserve Ukraine's cultural heritage one snap at a time.
More than 10,000 Canadians received a medically-assisted death in 2021: report
More Canadians are ending their lives with a medically-assisted death, says the third federal annual report on medical assistance in dying (MAID). Data shows that 10,064 people died in 2021 with medical aid, an increase of 32 per cent over 2020.
FBI seized 'top secret' documents from Trump home
The FBI recovered documents that were labelled 'top secret' from former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to court papers released Friday after a federal judge unsealed the warrant that authorized the unprecedented search this week.