OC Transpo says progress being made on inspections, return to service plan as O-Train shutdown continues

As Ottawa's light-rail transit system remains out of service this weekend following the axle bearing issue discovered on one train, the head of OC Transpo says progress is being made on LRT vehicle inspections and the return-to-service plan.

R1 replacement bus service continues to run between Blair and Tunney's Pasture stations while the O-Train is out of service. Westbound R1 service is operating from Blair to Tunney's Pasture, stopping at each station except for Lees.

It will be Monday, at the earliest, before transit riders learn when the O-Train will be back in service.

"OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Group continue to work around the clock. We are making progress on inspections, testing, and establishing a return to service plan," Renee Amilcar, Transit Service's general manager, said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Saturday.

"We continue to provide daily updates on the progress being made."

Transit riders are becoming frustrated with the six-day shutdown of the O-Train.

"Being able to access anything, whether it's getting to and from work or errands," Heather Kaminski said. "The slightest and simplest thing has turned into a headache."

"I think it's a little bit ridiculous," Stephanie Foss said. "The city spent plenty of money and there is zero push to actually get a functioning solution in place."

OC Transpo has said service will not resume until all LRT vehicle axles are inspected, with more information about the return-to-service plan expected on Monday.

As of Friday afternoon, axle hub assemblies on 24 of 45 LRT vehicles had been checked, and no further issues were found.

"RTG is discussing return to service scenarios with the City," Amilcar said in a memo to council on Friday afternoon.

"Key data analysis is being conducted to provide additional information for the return to service plan, with a view to providing a more comprehensive update on Monday, which will also outline next steps."

Coun. Riley Brockington says it is expected all LRT vehicles will be inspected by the end of the weekend.

"The million dollar question that everyone asks is when will we finally get the trains on track? My hope is as soon as possible; as early as next week," Brockington told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron.

"I think you have a few conditions that have to be met first. One is that you don't find any other issues with the remaining carriages that are going to be inspected over the weekend. Second is what type of recommendations or suggestions will be made to OC on the mitigation plan, if any."

Alstom is analyzing the axle hub where the bearing issue was discovered at its headquarters in France to assist in the investigation.

"It's all still very cautious in nature, putting public safety at the top of the list, but everyone wants to get the trains back on track as soon as possible," Brockington said.

Bus trip cancellations for R1

The ongoing shutdown of Ottawa's LRT system and the running of the R1 replacement bus service continues to force OC Transpo to cancel trips on regular routes.

More than 400 trips on regular routes were cancelled on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to ensure there were enough buses for R1 service between the O-Train stations.

"The transit network is being carefully monitored in real time by our Transit Operations Control Centre. Staff are balancing how resources are deployed in order to minimize impacts across the system and deliver the best possible experience to our customers," Troy Charter, Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operations director, told CTV News Ottawa on Saturday.

"The decision to redirect resources is based on the possible impact to customers.  For example, high frequency trips are more likely to have trips that are not delivered than school routes, first and last trips on a route, and on less frequent routes."

OC Transpo typically runs 7,725 planned trips on weekdays in the summer. Here is a summary of the trip cancellations:

• On Tuesday, 339 trips were not delivered with 116 trips being re-assigned to R1
• On Wednesday, 340 trips were not delivered with 154 trips being re-assigned to R1
• On Thursday, 391 trips were not delivered with 171 trips being re-assigned to R1

R1 service on Albert and Slater streets

Buses have returned to Albert and Slater streets, like the days before O-Train service started in 2019.

OC Transpo says that instead of using Queen Street for the R1 replacement bus route, all buses will travel down Albert or Slater streets.

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

OC Transpo staff will be at stations to assist customers.

Lees Station

OC Transpo has also made changes to the R1 bus serving Lees Station.

A shuttle bus is now running between Lees and Rideau stations for westbound commuters.

For customers, this means:

• Westbound R1 service will run from Blair to Tunney’s Pasture stations, stopping at each station except for Lees Station
• A shuttle will run between Lees, uOttawa and Rideau stations
• Customers travelling to Lees Station from the east can connect with the shuttle and Eastbound R1 service at uOttawa Station
• Eastbound R1 service will continue to serve Lees Station

The investigation continues

Renee Amilcar says progress continues to be made on "all key areas of the ongoing investigation" into the axle bearing issue.

This weekend, the remaining LRT vehicles will be checked for "wear and tear to the axle hub assembly," and additional train and track infrastructure testing and work will continue.

The "out of tolerance axle hub assembly" has been sent to France for assessment by Alstom, the manufacture of the train.

This week, OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Group conducted additional runs in different train and track configurations to simulate "real world conditions" as part of the investigation.

A test train was fitted with Smart Bugs, completing several runs to capture data, according to Amilcar.