Ottawa LRT trains travelling slower due to snow buildup
If you've taken the LRT recently and it seemed a little bit slower than usual, you're not imagining it.
Trains were travelling slower on some sections of the Confederation Line on Monday, city of Ottawa staff confirmed. Customers reported similarly slow speeds on Tuesday.
The reason, in short: the snow buildup is interfering with the trains' detection system.
“Customers may have noticed that trains were travelling slightly slower on certain sections of Line 1 earlier this morning," a city spokesperson said in a statement Monday attributed to Troy Charter, OC Transpo's director of transit operations.
"An accumulation of snow resulted in some false readings on our Guideway Intrusion Detection System (GIDS), which warns rail operators about a possible intrusion on the tracks near a station," the statement said.
When that system is deactivated, OC Transpo implements temporary slower train speeds in the area so train operators have enough time to see a potential obstruction and stop safely, Charter said.
"Additionally, under certain track conditions, we may adjust the train’s brake and acceleration rates to be more gradual when approaching a station," he added. "These routine operational adjustments ensure safe operations of the train and result in minimal to no impact to customers’ trip times."
Ottawa has received more than 200 centimetres of snow so far this season, including almost 100 cm in January alone.
The LRT has fared well during storms that involve just snow. But part of the line was shut down for six days after some freezing rain fell early this month.
On Sunday evening, service on part of the line was shut down for about 90 minutes due to a power outage.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW How car thefts are impacting your insurance, even if your car isn't stolen
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
B.C. mortgage broker ran $270-million Ponzi scheme, then fled Canada, bankruptcy trustee says
The trustee appointed to manage the bankruptcies of a Victoria mortgage company and its owner has concluded that they committed "numerous offences" and operated as a "massive Ponzi scheme."
opinion Trump's Republicans falling far behind in fundraising, infrastructure
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Washington political analyst Eric Ham explains how and why Republicans -- up and down the ballot -- are falling far behind Democrats in both fundraising and infrastructure.
Oilers rally to beat Stars, tie Western Conference Final
With the Edmonton Oilers down two goals late in the first period of Game 4, Rogers Place was quiet, fans seemingly bewildered at the early, quick scoring of the Dallas Stars and the slow start by the home team. Ryan McLeod's marker with six-and-a-half minutes in the opening frame left changed all that.
McDonald's says US$18 Big Mac meal was an 'exception' and their prices haven't risen that much
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases.
Minnesota beats Boston 3-0, wins inaugural Walter Cup as Professional Women's Hockey League champs
Minnesota won the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Wednesday night, getting 17 saves from Nicole Hensley to beat Boston 3-0 in a winner-take-all Game 5 and claim the Walter Cup.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
Poilievre says Canadians 'fleeing' to Nicaragua, Liberals say it shows he 'doesn't have a clue'
Liberal parliamentarians are criticizing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over a new video in which he promotes the idea that some Canadians are 'fleeing' Canada to live in Nicaragua because they can't afford a house in this country.