Rideau Transit Maintenance continues to investigate cause of axle failure on LRT car on Aug. 8
Rideau Transit Maintenance and Alstom are still trying to figure out why an axle bearing assembly failed, causing an LRT train to derail near Tunney’s Pasture station six weeks ago.
“We’re still not at the point where we can definitely say why that nut came loose,” said RTM chief executive officer Mario Guerra. “That we don’t know yet.”
On Aug. 8, the axle of an LRT car became “dislodged” from the track, shutting down the Confederation Line from Blair Road to Tunney’s Pasture.
There were no passengers onboard the train at the time of the incident.
Councillors were told in August that the root cause investigation identified a fault within the axle bearing assembly, causing the wheel to detach from the axle and derail.
The investigation found the “green section of the bolt, which should be completely tightened, had a very small amount of movement by fractions of a millimeter.” The movement caused damage to bearings inside the unit and wheel, leading to the wheel/axle coming off the track.
During Monday’s Transit Commission meeting, Director of Transit Operations Troy Charter told commissioners that Alstom and RTM continue to focus on what caused the axle and bearing to fail, “and establish the permanent fix.”
All O-Train LRT cars were inspected, with nine additional O-Train vehicle pulled out of service for additional analysis of the axle.
Charter says vehicle inspections will continue on all LRT vehicles to ensure “safe operation of the fleet” and will continue until a permanent fix is identified and in place.
Alstom has identified additional tools to help diagnose pre-cursor symptoms that vehicles may exhibit through monitoring software, said Charter.
Thirty-eight of the 39 rail cars have been inspected. The remaining car is out of service for unrelated repairs.
Coun. Jeff Leiper asked Rideau Transit Maintenance about the inspection of the axle when it arrived in Ottawa.
Guerra said the axle was pre-assembled in Europe.
“The assembly comes pre-assembled as a unit. The assembly would have been inspected by Alstom in Europe before shipping to North America.”
The Transportation Safety Board was notified about the derailment, and was looking into the incident.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
OC Transpo provided a timeline of events on Aug. 8
- 8:30 p.m. – an out-of-service train leaving Tunney’s Pasture Station experienced an “abnormal ride” as it was being returned to Belfast Yard.
- Event was reported immediately; train stopped and inspected
- At approximately 8:45 p.m. inspection found one axle out of 10 off the rail
- Service Command Centre was activated at 11 p.m. as a proactive precautionary measure in the event the incident would affect service in the morning
-
Following the end of daily service as work commenced to
rerail the train, an issue with the wheel/axle was identified. - At approximately 3:30 a.m. Alstom notified the city that the entire fleet would require inspection prior to resuming Line 1 service
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israel attacks Iran, Reuters sources say; drones reported over Isfahan
Israel has attacked Iran, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Iranian state media reported early on Friday that its forces had destroyed drones, days after Iran launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.