Ottawa's LRT to remain offline until early November
Ottawa's Confederation Line LRT will remain shut down for at least another two weeks, possibly more, according to a new memo from city staff.
Staff spent the weekend reviewing Rideau Transit Group's return-to-service delivery plan to resume service following the LRT derailment on Sept. 19. The O-Train has been shut down since the derailment, forcing commuters to use R1 replacement bus service to travel into and out of the downtown core.
"This document is quite detailed and staff will be reviewing the contents and conducting a preliminary assessment over the weekend," said City Manager Steve Kanellakos in a memo to council after the city received the plan.
In a memo to city councillors sent Monday, Kanellakos said RTG had given the city a date of Nov. 1 to begin a partial return to service with up to seven trains.
But the city manager expects it could be up to another week or more after that before the trains start running.
"RTG's proposed releaunch on Nov. 1 is conditional on the completion by RTG of an intensive inspection program on the vehicle fleet," Kanellakos wrote. "Based on the steps necessary to verify the safety of the system, the City anticipates that partial service will resume within the first two weeks of November."
The Confederation Line has been out of service since Sept. 19, when an LRT car derailed at Tremblay Station, damaging the car, the track, the station platform and track infrastructure.
On Wednesday, council was told Rideau Transit Group has identified a loose gearbox as the issue that caused the derailment. Kanellakos said bolts that secure the gearbox to the vehicle were "not torqued properly or verified", according to Alstom.
The gearbox came loose and was dragged along the track, said the city manager.
Kanellakos said previously Philadelphia-based TRA, the firm hired to conduct an independent review of the return-to-service plan, will "validate" the plan and repairs to the infrastructure before the service resumes.
In Monday's memo, Kanellakos said TRA would provide more information about their workplan at Wednesday's transit commission meeting. Representatives from RTG will also be in attendance.
"TRA will review RTG's relaunch plan and make recommendations to the City on the proposed LRT relaunch of service plan. TRA will monitor the effective execution of the plan," Kanellakos said.
"Once TRA recommends to the City that RTG is ready to resume service, the City will take the steps necessary to verify RTG’s ability to safely and reliably relaunch LRT. This will include one to two days of testing. The final date for return-to-service will only be determined once the City is satisfied that it is safe to do so," he added.
The repairs to the Confederation Line following the derailment were expected to be finished last week.
Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA's "Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron", transit commission chair Coun. Allan Hubley told guest host Graham Richardson that the system could be up and running earlier in November than later, but it all depends on the review of the system.
"We want to have a few days of testing to run the trains up and down the track and make sure there are no issues. We want to be confident before we put the riders back on that train," he said. "Allow us two weeks for that. If we can go faster, we will."
Hubley said the transit commission will be asking RTG on Wednesday whether they've spent the downtime going over the train cars and ensuring they're ready to relaunch.
FIRST DAY FOR THE NEW OC TRANSPO BOSS
It's the first day on the job for Ottawa's new General Manager of the Transit Services Department.
Renée Amilcar replaces John Manconi as the head of transit services in Ottawa.
Amilcar is an industrial engineer with a degree from École Polytechnique de Montréal and an MBA from Université de Sherbrooke. Amilcar joined Societe de Transports Montreal in 2002, and served as Executive Director of Bus Services since 2014.
"Given her extensive experience, Renée is well-positioned to continue developing the operations of our transit network and the transformation of our multi-modal system," said Kanellakos in a memo to council on Sept. 27. "This includes Council’s plans to expand our Light Rail Transit system further east, west and south, growing our electric bus program, continuing to improve services for our customers and continuing to build a strong internal team and productive relationships with our unions."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.