Rideau Transit Group submits new return-to-service plan for Ottawa's shutdown LRT line
Rideau Transit Group has submitted a new plan to resume service on the O-Train line, nearly four weeks after the light rail transit line was shutdown following a derailment.
However, it will be Monday before the city of Ottawa releases details of the plan and whether it accepts the timeline to resume service on the Confederation Line.
In a memo to council early Friday evening, City Manager Steve Kanellakos said RTG provided the city with a return-to-service delivery plan late in the afternoon.
"This document is quite detailed and staff will be reviewing the contents and conducting a preliminary assessment over the weekend," said Kanellakos. "I will share details of the plan and RTG’s proposed timeline on Monday."
Sources tell CTV News Ottawa the RTM return to service plan has a specific date, but staff must review the entire plan to assess if it’s possible. Officials expect that when the trains resume, it will be a gradual return to service.
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 told council that Rideau Transit Group said, "The bolts that secure the gearbox to the (light rail vehicle) were not torqued properly or verified, according to Alstom."
The gearbox came loose and was dragged along the track, said Kanellakos.
The Transportation Safety Board said on Oct. 7 that the LRT car derailed near the middle of the north platform at Tremblay Station on Sept. 19, but no issues were observed as the train entered the station or departed.
"After some passengers departed the train, the doors closed and the train began to accelerate slowly then sped up to about 35 km/h. There was no reported unusual train handling nor were any track anomalies observed in advance of the train," said the TSB.
"After crossing the rail bridge that traverses Riverside Drive, a train-initiated emergency brake application reportedly occurred and the train came to a stop west of the bridge."
The LRT car struck a signal mast and switch heater that were adjacent to the track.
Earlier this month, Rideau Transit Group submitted a plan and schedule to repair the system and resume service. A motion for the finance and economic development committee said the plan and schedule was "unsatisfactory", but provided no other details.
The return to service plan has not been released to the public.
Philadelphia-based TRA arrived in Ottawa last week to review the return to service plan for the city and help resume service on the Confederation Line.
The Sept. 19 derailment was the second derailment involving the two-year-old light rail transit system in six weeks. A train derailed near Tunney's Pasture station on Aug. 8.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.