Train maker aiming to provide 'permanent solution' to LRT woes, mayor says

Speaking at a media briefing on the status of LRT, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he met with Alstom earlier in the day and is confident the maker of Ottawa's light rail train will find a "permanent solution" to the issues the system is facing.

The full news conference is available in the player above.

"There's no doubt in my mind that the people at Alstom are committed to delivering to Ottawa the safe, reliable system that we expect and we deserve," Sutcliffe said.

The company is currently working to redesign a new wheel-hub assembly that is expected to strengthen the ability of trains to withstand tight curves. 

"They feel that the current system is safe, but the redesign is going to lead to a higher level of safety, a safer system," Sutcliffe said.  

Crews will be working over the weekend to continue repositioning safety rails that guard against derailments on the Confederation Line, according to Renée Amilcar, general manager of transit services. 

Adjustments to the restraining rails are underway at 16 different locations on the track that were identified as needing to be worked on.

The rails are being moved one or two millimetres, a necessary fix before light rail service can start up again. 

Single-car service expected

On Thursday, Amilcar said the transit agency received a draft copy of a risk assessment that contained enough information for the work on the rails to get started. The final copy of the risk assessment is almost complete, she said. 

OC Transpo also continues to replace wheel hub assemblies on all light rail vehicles, Amilcar said. So far, 19 trains have had their hub assemblies replaced, and two hubs can be replaced every two days.

The exact number of trains that will be available when service resumes is still an estimate, but it's likely that the light rail system will only be running single-car trains then, said Enrique Martinez Asensio, general manager of Rideau Transit Maintenance. 

"The situation will improve as time goes by and probably in the following weeks we can improve the number of trains on passenger service," he said. 

Service is still expected to start on Aug. 14, OC Transpo said. The transit agency is preparing to welcome back customers, with trial runs to verify train systems now underway.

Ottawa's light rail system has been shut down since July 17, when it was pulled from service during afternoon rush hour after a routine inspection uncovered a problem with a bearing.

The problem behind the current shutdown is "similar to what was found" to have caused a derailment in August 2021 and a wheel hub failure in July 2022, OC Transpo said Monday.

In the meantime, OC Transpo launched a new express shuttle service Monday in an effort to speed up rush-hour trips from Blair station to downtown.

OC Transpo also introduced a new R1 Para service Wednesday, which it says will provide additional transit options for customers who require accessible service.