Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[Richard Eade]

According to the CTVnews article, the restraining rails are checked weekly:

"OC Transpo, RTG and Alstom continue to closely monitor and inspect the track and trains to ensure ongoing safe operations for our customers and employees," Morgan said.

"Inspections of restraining rails are done weekly in order to identify if additional adjustments are necessary."

[From: https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/o-train-resume...r-emergency-track-adjustments-1.6523522]

WEEKLY! So, the last time that they would have been checked was last Thursday, when the restraining rails were initially being moved and tested? And, presumably, all locations, including this curve, were tested at that time to ensure that the wheels did not make contact with the restraining rails – under the usual conditions of the test train’s movement.

From what I am reading, they started the train service on Monday, based on the contact tests coming back clear. Then, several days later, they perform the weekly check to see if any of the paint has been polished off of the restraining rails. (It is an assumption on my part that the rails were painted so that maintenance crews could quickly spot areas where the paint had been rubbed off from wheel contact.) Lo-and-behold, a shiny spot is found on Thursday’s check. Stop the trains from using that track IMMEDIATELY!

Why was this an emergency repair? The restraining rails are only checked weekly. It is possible that the wheel had been rubbing for days.

OC Transpo should have continued to run their already limited service on both tracks, at least until after 18:00. Then, they could have moved to one-track running, if it was estimated that RTM needed more than the usual over-night period to readjust that one rail. (What is going to happen when the restraining rails are finally reinstalled on the curve east of Rideau? Will that require another service interruption, too?)

But this craziness does bring up some other questions:

• How thorough was the initial testing for contact? We were assured that all of the restraining rail adjustments had been “completed”, and tested to ensure that there was no contact between the wheels and those rails. Was that testing flawed?
• Have the restraining rails moved in some way? Was the adjustment and testing done at a higher temperature and now that it is cooler the restraining rail has shrunk and tightened around the curve, or vice versa? Were the mounting bolts not sufficiently torqued?
• Was the initial movement of “1-2 millimetres” insufficient? Has wear of the high rail and wheel flanges already caused more than that distance of additional sideways movement on curves? Will this continued additional wear cause further need to adjust the restraining rails? (Until they have been moved at least the 10 mm, or so of permitted wear.)
• Was the test bogie representative of a worse-case? The gage of every wheelset will vary slightly from ideal. That is why tolerances are specified. Is there a train with a pair of wheels that has a slightly narrower gauge than the test bogie?
• Did the restraining rail actually perform its function and restrain a bogie from moving too far? If there was flange-climb on the high side of the curve, the low-side wheel would have been caught by the restraining rail, preventing a derailment. But this would have scraped off the paint.

[sseguin]

The slow area between Rideau and uOttawa is really noticeable but they are still adjusting the restraining rail in this area and it should go to a higher speed once that work is done in the coming days. But currently it is crawling through there. Interesting opportunity to see the infrastructure in the tunnel.

[sseguin]

Riding the O-Train: Blair to Tunney's Pasture (Rear View POV)
• Video Link

[Richard Eade]

Well, that video gives a lot of information. Thanks for posting it.

When I look at the large curve down to Rideau Station from the tunnel's east portal, I see NO RESTRAINING RAILS on the low sides of the tracks. This indicates that the curve must be milder than 145 metres in radius. So, the risk of derailment is actually lower than I imagined.

The CBC's placement of the indicator on the Confederation Line map, and the description led me to believe that it was the long curve that had the restraining rails removed. But, as of the video date, in 2019, there were no visible restraining rails there.

CBC graphic showing position of restraining rails that needed moving:


[From: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/what-are-lrt-restraining-rails-1.6927236]

So, was my worry much ado about nothing? Maybe.

Have retaining rails been added to that curve, after the video was shot? Which restraining rails were removed while new brackets were being manufactured?

[lrt's friend]

Fall schedule. A further service cut on weekends? Presently 6 minute frequency.

On weekdays, service on O-Train Line 1 during peak periods will operate every five mins. It will be monitored and increased based on observed ridership levels, as outlined in the memo on August 14, 2023. On weekends, service will operate every ten minutes.

https://www.octranspo.com/en/plan-your-trip/service-changes/

[OTSkyline]

10 MINUTES? On the main trunk link servicing a Capital city of over 1M people? That is terrible.

It's one thing if suburban bus routes cant support a 10 minute frequency, but IMO Confed line should frequency should never be less than every 5-7min.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Fall schedule. A further service cut on weekends? Presently 6 minute frequency.



https://www.octranspo.com/en/plan-your-trip/service-changes/

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

10 MINUTES? On the main trunk link servicing a Capital city of over 1M people? That is terrible.

It's one thing if suburban bus routes cant support a 10 minute frequency, but IMO Confed line should frequency should never be less than every 5-7min.

And we are now seeing the Americanization of our transit system. This is unacceptable.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

10 MINUTES? On the main trunk link servicing a Capital city of over 1M people? That is terrible.

It's one thing if suburban bus routes cant support a 10 minute frequency, but IMO Confed line should frequency should never be less than every 5-7min.

I guess nobody is using it on weekends, and nobody is going downtown by transit on weekends. It tells us a bit about our city and the continuing decline of our downtown.

Quite an interesting discussion presently on CFRA about downtown street closures and the lack of alternatives to move people other than by car. Comparisons with Montreal that has multiple subways and the new REM serving downtown. We are happy with just one faulty line serving downtown and we actively oppose building another.

[Acajack]

Not sure if I'd be angry but yes that is depressing.

[Acajack]

Just checked though and frequencies in Calgary and Edmonton aren't great either - worse than what is being proposed by OC Transpo.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

And we are now seeing the Americanization of our transit system. This is unacceptable.

This all started with the foolhardy 2008-2009 strike, then the repeated service cuts that began with the 2011 optimization and subsequent cuts masquerading as temporary in dealing with LRT construction and Covid, which became permanent, and which started a downward spiral and loss in public confidence.

Yes, our transit system is looking more and more American. We charge development fees for transit and then offer a few commuter trips only to new neighbourhoods, when commuting is not the basis of future transit growth.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Just checked though and frequencies in Calgary and Edmonton aren't great either - worse than what is being proposed by OC Transpo.

At least Calgary and Edmonton have more than one LRT route entering downtown. Besides, we were promised something much better, and now the city is reneging. Build an expensive rail system that we cannot afford to deliver the promised service levels even compared to the former Transitway system that was actually faster.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Just checked though and frequencies in Calgary and Edmonton aren't great either - worse than what is being proposed by OC Transpo.

Don't give us something better than average (for once) and then take it away after 4 years.

We're already switching to single cars (fine on weekends, not so much during the week), why do we have to reduce service too?

Kind of begs the question why they stuck to business as usual during the pandemic, but are now making cuts when things are returning to normal(ish). We should have switched to single cars during the pandemic, we should have reduced serve slightly as well, at least for rush hour routes and the O-Train (say every 6 minutes instead of 4).

I am not impressed.

[Acajack]

Hey, I am with you guys.

You need to invest initially on service (even if ridership doesn't meet usual thresholds) in order to change habits and change the way people view their city and the way they get around it.

What 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 about Ottawa is that a lot of Ottawans were primed for that shift (moreso than in a typical North American city), but the combined effects of the pandemic and the system's constant problems are killing any momentum that was built up.

Hopefully Ottawa doesn't end up with a dinky MetroMover or PeopleMover rail system like you have in some US cities, which doesn't really make a dent in modal share or urban lifestyles.

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I guess nobody is using it on weekends, and nobody is going downtown by transit on weekends. It tells us a bit about our city and the continuing decline of our downtown.

Quite an interesting discussion presently on CFRA about downtown street closures and the lack of alternatives to move people other than by car. Comparisons with Montreal that has multiple subways and the new REM serving downtown. We are happy with just one faulty line serving downtown and we actively oppose building another.

That's not true. I was riding the train to Blair every Sunday in the winter and it was well-used.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

That's not true. I was riding the train to Blair every Sunday in the winter and it was well-used.

I would second that. The idea that « nobody » is going downtown by transit is a myth. And it’s not just the train. At least in my experience, the 6 and 7 have been very full on weekends.

If people aren’t taking the train, the main reason is the unreliability of the service. These frequency decreases are guaranteed to cause a further slide.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

That's not true. I was riding the train to Blair every Sunday in the winter and it was well-used.

The lack of use is the 'message' being provided when we go to one car trains and cut service frequency in half.

I have no doubt that what you say is true, but it seems that the city's message is that it is not enough and the end result, that service cuts will result in fewer using the system.

I think back to the 2020 strategy (from around 2003) to increase transit use and reduce car use. Wow, have we ever moved away from that in a big way. Transit modal share has probably fallen in half since that strategy was approved and subsequently trashed.

[roger1818]

Just another attempt by Sutcliffe to fight his imaginary war on cars.

[ottawaballa]

Originally Posted by DarthVader_1961

So does this “final solution” include removal of go slow orders on sections of the line?

First post here. Longtime lurker. I use O-Train Line 1 almost everyday.

Has anyone been able to answer this? Will the final solution include the removal of the "temporary" speed restrictions?

I take the train frequently from Rideau-Tunney's. Before the speed restrictions, it would take about 8.5 minutes. And since the speed restrictions went into place in July 2022, it takes slightly under 10 minutes. I took the train today and it took the same amount of time.

I also take the line every week from Rideau to Blair. It would take about 15.5 minutes pre speed restrictions. Following the speed restrictions, it would take between 19-20 minutes. I just took the train from Blair to Rideau on Saturday night and it took a full 22 minutes. It was going extremely slow in many sections. The dwell times did seem to be shorter though, which didn't really help because the train was busy and people had to hold the doors at several stations to get in on time.

So we now have a line that originally took under 25 minutes to go end to end that now takes about 32 minutes. It's frustrating that the system keeps getting slower and slower.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by ottawaballa

First post here. Longtime lurker. I use O-Train Line 1 almost everyday.

Has anyone been able to answer this? Will the final solution include the removal of the "temporary" speed restrictions?

I take the train frequently from Rideau-Tunney's. Before the speed restrictions, it would take about 8.5 minutes. And since the speed restrictions went into place in July 2022, it takes slightly under 10 minutes. I took the train today and it took the same amount of time.

I also take the line every week from Rideau to Blair. It would take about 15.5 minutes pre speed restrictions. Following the speed restrictions, it would take between 19-20 minutes. I just took the train from Blair to Rideau on Saturday night and it took a full 22 minutes. It was going extremely slow in many sections. The dwell times did seem to be shorter though, which didn't really help because the train was busy and people had to hold the doors at several stations to get in on time.

So we now have a line that originally took under 25 minutes to go end to end that now takes about 32 minutes. It's frustrating that the system keeps getting slower and slower.

I'm sure that your questions will generate much discussion.

Welcome to the forum!