LRT problems: A (partial) list of the many glitches on the Confederation Line
Extreme cold, cracked wheels, and a station that smells like crap: Here’s an exhausting (but not exhaustive) list of issues that have plagued Ottawa’s LRT since its launch.
Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Published Aug 11, 2023 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 4 minute read
Dog bites man. Pope prays for peace. Two news stories so self-evident they’ve become journalistic cliché.
And Ottawa residents have a news cliché all their own: “R1 buses are in service.”
Ottawa’s Confederation Line LRT has been out of order so often since it began regular service in September 2019, it can be hard to remember all the gremlins, big and small, that have knocked the train off the track (sometimes, literally). What follows is an inevitably incomplete list of the Confederation Line’s bugbears.
Doors
Problems with the doors on the Alstom Citadis Spirit LRV (light rail vehicle) were an early headache in the first few months of operations. Often this was caused by passengers interfering with the operation of the doors, necessitating a reset. Power supply and track switching issues were other early teething problems.
Cracked Wheels
In July 2020, an LRV is sidelined by a cracked wheel, prompting the first of four investigations by Canada’s federal Transportation Safety Board into the LRT. Investigators blame the problem on protruding screws installed by the manufacturer. Follow-up inspections reveal other cracked wheels.
Maintenance Work
In June 2021, the system is shut down for two weeks to allow for various and sundry maintenance work.
The Stench of Parliament
No, we’re not talking about the big building on the Hill. Commuters complain of a foul sewage smell at Parliament Station. The smell doesn’t stop the train, but travellers learn to hold their breath when passing through.
Dirty Inductors
Dirt, grit and salt contaminating the rooftop inductors, an integral part of the connection to the catenary power lines, cause serious electrical arcing and the shutdown of several trains in the winter of 2020. Rideau Transit Group replaces the inductors on the entire fleet and installs shields to protect them.
Derailment No. 1
On Aug. 8, 2021, a train derails as it’s leaving Tunney’s Pasture station. No passengers were on board, but the Confederation Line is out of service for five days. The derailment is linked to a failed axle bearing — a problem that continues to bedevil the train more than two years later.
Derailment No. 2
Six weeks later on Sept. 19, 2021, the train nicknamed Snowbird derails near Tremblay Station, damaging more than 400 metres of track before it comes to a halt. Curiously, one of the passengers on board was the LRT’s director of maintenance, who was taking his grandchildren for their first ride on the train. There were no injuries. The Confederation Line is out of service for 54 days, the longest shutdown in its young history. Investigators blame poor maintenance for the failure. Improperly torqued bolts came loose on a gearbox that had recently been inspected. The derailments and the litany of other problems lead to a damning provincial inquiry into problems with the design, construction and operation of the Confederation Line.
Extreme Cold
After a bone-chilling winter weekend in January 2022 when the temperature hit -30 C, the train is knocked out of service again. This time the blame is placed on a clamp that shifted “just millimetres” according to then transit commission chair Allan Hubley. Five trains are stranded and their passengers evacuated. Service is suspended for a day.
Lightning Strike
Is there actually a curse on the LRT? Resident can be forgiven for wondering that when on July 24, 2022 a bolt of lightning strikes the catenary between Lees and uOttawa stations. The entire 12.5-kilometre line is down for five days while workers replace 900 metres of cable.
Freezing Rain
On Jan. 4, 2023, a routine freezing rain storm (by Ottawa standards, at least) causes ice build-up on the overhead catenary near Lees Station. A citizen’s video shows alarming flashes and sparks as a train sizzles its way along the line. Eventually, an eastbound train comes to a halt. Then a westbound train. Attempts to tow the stalled train with a third rescue train end when the overhead catenary snaps. Later investigation shows the copper line got so hot it melted. The LRT is partially shut down for six days, with trains running east and west of the damaged track. The shutdown is blamed on ice fog from the Rideau River. In response, special “winter carbons” are installed on all trains to do a better job of scraping ice off the wire.
Freezing Rain — again
An unusual spring ice storm on April 5 brings the trains to a halt again at the problematic section near the Rideau River. “Customer trust and confidence in the train, during freezing rain, has never been lower,” transit commission chair Glen Gower says.
Leaky Tunnel
Service through the downtown tunnel is shut down for two spring weekends while engineers try to find the source of a leak that letting water flow into the tunnel. The leaks don’t affect service or safety but could lead to long-term damage to the infrastructure. An investigation reveals cavities behind the tunnel walls that are filling with water and seeping through the supposedly waterproof barrier. They pipe concrete into the voids to fill them in a repair effort that is still ongoing.
Axle Bearing Assembly
Accelerated inspections ordered by the TSB reveal an axle on one train that is covered in grease and has excess “play.” The system is shut down for four weeks while the axles of all 45 Alstom LRVs are inspected and adjustments are made to restraining rails used as a safety measure on the Confederation Line’s sharpest curves. It’s the same problem that the TSB and the public inquiry blamed for the 2021 derailments. Alstom has committed to redesigning the assembly, a process that could take a year or more, but that transit general manager Renée Amilcar promises will be a permanent fix to the problem.
This article will almost certainly be updated.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...-many-glitches-on-the-confederation-line
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