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
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.