Some Ottawa light-rail trains were taken out of a testing exercise on Thursday after they experienced unspecified “vibration” issues, according to the city’s new transit general manager.
Representatives from Transportation Resource Associates (TRA), Ottawa’s independent rail safety advisor, joined the city’s transit staff to brief councillors and media Friday on a return-to-service plan for the troubled Confederation Line LRT.
TRA vice-president Daniel Hauber said undisclosed issues were identified on some light-rail vehicles during Thursday’s testing, and those trains were taken out of service immediately for repairs.
Hauber said the problems were both systemwide and related to individual trains.
None of those trains will be put on the line for active service until the problems are fixed, he said.
Pressed for details by councillors, Ottawa transit GM Renée Amilcar said that there were few details available Friday, and that the issues were related to “vibrations.”
Story continues below advertisement
She said that the city is waiting on the results of an investigation by Rideau Transit Group, and that more information should be available in the days to come.
A firm date has not been given for when the Confederation Line will welcome passengers back, though Mayor Jim Watson said Friday that staff “remain confident” the LRT service will resume in the first two weeks of November.
A date will be given “a day or two” before the line reopens, he said.
TRA is overseeing the testing and will need to give its final sign-off before the line can reopen.
The Confederation Line has been out of service for 47 days as of Friday, following a derailment in mid-September.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released a letter on Thursday afternoon that blamed “inconsistent and incomplete maintenance” on the line as the primary cause of September’s derailment.
A set of bolts on a motor gearbox was not properly tightened during the train’s refurbishment, the TSB report indicated.
TRA representatives said Friday that its assessment of the derailment aligns with the TSB’s findings.
Story continues below advertisement
More to come.
0:51Ottawa mayor says ‘buck stops’ with him on LRT issues
Ottawa mayor says ‘buck stops’ with him on LRT issues – Dec 16, 2019 © 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Comments