OC Transpo pulls buses to fill in for missing trains

Power problems that plagued Ottawa's Confederation Line over the weekend have reduced the number of trains in circulation Monday, pulling buses from their normal routes to pick up the slack.

Multiple trains along the Confederation Line lost power on both Saturday and Sunday, causing serious delays. 

On Monday morning, only nine trains were put into service for the morning rush hour instead of the standard 13. The reduction means trains are arriving at station about every six minutes instead of every five, OC Transpo said.

Supplemental bus service will continue throughout the week to help move customers stuck waiting at Tunney's Pasture, Hurdman and Blair stations, but that has meant cancelling dozens of regular routes to make those buses available.

"Cancellations were selected based on minimizing the impact to customers and keeping service as frequent as possible across all of the trips that are normally provided by each bus," said OC Transpo general manager John Manconi in an email.

"In addition, staff worked to ensure that critical trips, such as the last trip on a route, would not be cancelled. Staff also gave consideration to maintaining crosstown service, which can provide alternative travel options for some customers."

Councillor furious

The bus cancellations irked at least one city councillor, however.

"I'm exasperated, I'm frustrated, I'm angry. Enough's enough. They need to get this sorted out. There's no excuse for the amount of issues that we've been facing over the last little bit," said Orléans Coun. Matt Luloff.

Luloff said residents in his east-end ward have complained to him the city's solution to its train shortage has led to infrequent service and packed buses. He said their patience is wearing thin.

"There's only a certain amount of time that you can say, 'Oh, this is a new service and, you know, we're working out the kinks,'" he said.

"[Rideau Transit Maintenance] needs to get their act together and sort this out immediately."

'Electrical arcing issue' blamed

Manconi said OC Transpo will announce plans for Tuesday based on train availability and rider feedback.

In an email to CBC Ottawa Saturday night, Rideau Transit Maintenance said initial indications were that the day's service interruptions were related to "a known electrical arcing issue."

The problem can trip a train's main circuit breaker and halt the train, the company said.

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OC Transpo implemented its R1 bus service between parts of the line Saturday.

On Sunday morning, the transit service again warned of longer way times because of trains being held at Tunney's Pasture and Pimisi stations due to power issues, however, it said full service was still running from end-to-end along the Confederation Line.

The power issues are part of an ongoing series of problems that have been plaguing the system, including when two trains collided, Friday.