Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[Richard Eade]

Perhaps; but yours sounds more like a revisionist’s explanation.

If indeed those rails were “always designed to be a passive safety feature” then I would suggest that the installer didn’t know that. It seems to me that the rails at every one of the tighter curves had to be moved away to stop contact. If the original design was for zero contact, then that deficiency would have been corrected during the initial rail evaluation, not years later, after the train designer pointed out that the wheels were not designed to handle forces on the inside flange face.

While it is undoubtedly true that those extra rails do serve the purpose of a passive safety restraint, they are also commonly used to help guide wheels around tighter curves. Here is the beginning of section 5.3 of the Transit Cooperative Research Program’s (TCRP’s) Report 57:

5.3 RESTRAINING RAIL DESIGNS FOR
GUARDED TRACK
Guarded track in light rail transit design, as described in Chapter 4, reduces curve wear on sharp curves by restraining the wheels away from the outer rail. The guard (or restraining) rail is close to the inside rail of the curve and contacts the back of the inside wheel flange.

What you are saying simply doesn’t seem reasonable to me. The track configuration, including the placement of the guide/guard/check/restraining rails, was designed by professionals familiar with the North American conventions. Those drawings were approved. They were transferred into real-world infrastructure. The actual layout of the tracks was reviewed and checked for adherence to the design. The trains were tested on the tracks, looking for any problems, before the line opened. The trains ran on those tracks for years before the train manufacturer said that there should be no forces on the back of the wheel flanges – but that only came to light during an investigation into the causes of a train derailment. Interestingly, flange-back force did not come up as a problem years earlier, during the investigation into why cracks were developing in the wheels.

If the original design had never intended there to be contact with the guard rails, then it would not have taken until August of 2023 before the line had to be shut down so that corrections could be made.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Perhaps; but yours sounds more like a revisionist’s explanation.

If indeed those rails were “always designed to be a passive safety feature” then I would suggest that the installer didn’t know that. It seems to me that the rails at every one of the tighter curves had to be moved away to stop contact. If the original design was for zero contact, then that deficiency would have been corrected during the initial rail evaluation, not years later, after the train designer pointed out that the wheels were not designed to handle forces on the inside flange face.

While it is undoubtedly true that those extra rails do serve the purpose of a passive safety restraint, they are also commonly used to help guide wheels around tighter curves. Here is the beginning of section 5.3 of the Transit Cooperative Research Program’s (TCRP’s) Report 57:

I'm just reiterating what was said by every person involved with the LRT at the time.

This seems to be another entry in a pattern of the way you pull together sparsely related details, draw your own flawed conclusion, and then even when corrected by the record you continue to refute it by building on top of your already flawed arguments.

What you are saying simply doesn’t seem reasonable to me. The track configuration, including the placement of the guide/guard/check/restraining rails, was designed by professionals familiar with the North American conventions. Those drawings were approved. They were transferred into real-world infrastructure. The actual layout of the tracks was reviewed and checked for adherence to the design. The trains were tested on the tracks, looking for any problems, before the line opened. The trains ran on those tracks for years before the train manufacturer said that there should be no forces on the back of the wheel flanges – but that only came to light during an investigation into the causes of a train derailment. Interestingly, flange-back force did not come up as a problem years earlier, during the investigation into why cracks were developing in the wheels.

If the original design had never intended there to be contact with the guard rails, then it would not have taken until August of 2023 before the line had to be shut down so that corrections could be made.

Of course it's unreasonable. It's so well known that this project had major issues with proponents failing to work together. That's the point. You're right that it should not have taken until 2023 to notice and correct the issue, and if "Project Co." hadn't bungled the project at every step maybe they would have noticed sooner.

If there's any revisionism going on, it's whatever alternate theory you've presented here. Most of everything you've listed is correct, and yet you still choose to draw your own false conclusion.

[J.OT13]

Pimisi Station will be open for LRT riders on Canada Day, OC Transpo says

By Josh Pringle, CTV Ottawa
Published: June 12, 2025 at 10:41AM EDT

Canada Day revellers will be allowed to hop on and off the O-Train at Pimisi Station to get to LeBreton Flats for Canada’s birthday party.

The Transit Committee was told Thursday that Pimisi Station will be utilized as a “key station” for people getting to Canada Day events.

“We have a comprehensive plan in place that will ensure that we provide safe transportation for the thousands of passengers who will be relying on our trains and buses to bring them to the events and then home afterwards,” staff told councillors.

Last year, Pimisi Station was closed to Canada Day revellers because there was “no pedestrian access” to Booth Street, between Albert Street and the Kichi Zibi Mikan. People using the O-Train were told to get off the LRT at Lyon Street and walk to LeBreton Flats.

While access to Pimisi Station has been restricted for the past two Canada Days, the station was open for Ottawa Bluesfest in 2023 and 2024.

An OC Transpo spokesperson told CTV News Ottawa all O-Train stations will be open on Canada Day.


OC Transpo will be offering free transit on buses and the O-Train on Canada Day.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/pi...rt-riders-on-canada-day-oc-transpo-says/

[OTSkyline]

Is this normal? I get that they need to do some maintenance but 8 affected days in June including 4 full days closed seems like a lot, no?

2 weekends ago, friends had to rush home because service stopped at 9am on a Saturday, and this past weekend the whole thing was shutdown so they decided to walk the 4kms instead of dealing with R1 busses.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Is this normal? I get that they need to do some maintenance but 8 affected days in June including 4 full days closed seems like a lot, no?

2 weekends ago, friends had to rush home because service stopped at 9am on a Saturday, and this past weekend the whole thing was shutdown so they decided to walk the 4kms instead of dealing with R1 busses.

It’s just 2 days of full day closures (this past weekend). I think the upcoming partial day closures (morning only) are related to system integration testing for the East extension. These are unavoidable and there will be a few more over the summer.

[J.OT13]

Previous years we had full week closures for maintenance I think, so this is not bad. As long as they don't close the Line at any point in July considering the high volumes expected on Canada Day and during Bluesfest.

[OTownandDown]

Can't wait to see the ridiculous maze of fencing the Heritage/NCC's devised for this year's festivities. Honestly the last few years have been SO over the top, enough to make me uncomfortable just accessing the site.

Here's a thought. Put a fence around the concert site, a fence around the fireworks, and then let everyone just get a along without directing them hundreds of metres up and down Wellington Street, Albert Street, Pimisi, the bike paths, Bayview, and on and on. People were so frustrated last year, wandering around to dead-ends around Pimisi and then trapped in tiny corrals between Bayview and Pimisi and Booth and Wellington. We gave up trying, and just stood on the bike path between Pimisi and Bayview and saw the concert lights from a distance... It was nuts.

Like, for instance, there's a set of stairs at Pimisi from Booth down to the bike path. Hundreds, if not thousands of people were stuck at the bottom of the CLOSED stairs, down a corral (bike path wrapped in fencing in all directions) stretching from Bayview to Pimisi, and if you wanted to access the concert, you were force-marched under Pimisi and out to Albert, then up to Fleet, then over to Wellington, then down Wellington to the concert. The whole time in a tight fenced corral. But you had to know that route in advance. There were zero other alternative for the plethora of other access points closed with fencing and guards.

Open Booth to pedestrian traffic. Open the Pimisi stairs to the bike path to pedestrian traffic, open the bridge to Claridge condos to pedestrian traffic. Remove all fencing from Albert, Fleet, Wellington, Bayview. Just keep a safe perimeter around the fireworks on the parkway site, and the concert, if you still insist on doing metal detectors for the few people accessing the concert grounds, but corral the rest of us in hoards outside of the site blocked and fenced, which is honestly much less safe if someone wanted to do harm and there's no exit because we're surrounded by 6ft unclimbable construction fencing... Honestly so dumb.

And for Pimisi. Turn off the escalators and place staff at the top and bottom to control traffic if necessary. Every other city in the g*ddam world can accomplish such a feat.

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Pimisi Station will be open for LRT riders on Canada Day, OC Transpo says

By Josh Pringle, CTV Ottawa
Published: June 12, 2025 at 10:41AM EDT

Canada Day revellers will be allowed to hop on and off the O-Train at Pimisi Station to get to LeBreton Flats for Canada’s birthday party.

The Transit Committee was told Thursday that Pimisi Station will be utilized as a “key station” for people getting to Canada Day events.

“We have a comprehensive plan in place that will ensure that we provide safe transportation for the thousands of passengers who will be relying on our trains and buses to bring them to the events and then home afterwards,” staff told councillors.

Last year, Pimisi Station was closed to Canada Day revellers because there was “no pedestrian access” to Booth Street, between Albert Street and the Kichi Zibi Mikan. People using the O-Train were told to get off the LRT at Lyon Street and walk to LeBreton Flats.

While access to Pimisi Station has been restricted for the past two Canada Days, the station was open for Ottawa Bluesfest in 2023 and 2024.

An OC Transpo spokesperson told CTV News Ottawa all O-Train stations will be open on Canada Day.


OC Transpo will be offering free transit on buses and the O-Train on Canada Day.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/pi...rt-riders-on-canada-day-oc-transpo-says/

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

Can't wait to see the ridiculous maze of fencing the Heritage/NCC's devised for this year's festivities. Honestly the last few years have been SO over the top, enough to make me uncomfortable just accessing the site.

Here's a thought. Put a fence around the concert site, a fence around the fireworks, and then let everyone just get a along without directing them hundreds of metres up and down Wellington Street, Albert Street, Pimisi, the bike paths, Bayview, and on and on. People were so frustrated last year, wandering around to dead-ends around Pimisi and then trapped in tiny corrals between Bayview and Pimisi and Booth and Wellington. We gave up trying, and just stood on the bike path between Pimisi and Bayview and saw the concert lights from a distance... It was nuts.

Like, for instance, there's a set of stairs at Pimisi from Booth down to the bike path. Hundreds, if not thousands of people were stuck at the bottom of the CLOSED stairs, down a corral (bike path wrapped in fencing in all directions) stretching from Bayview to Pimisi, and if you wanted to access the concert, you were force-marched under Pimisi and out to Albert, then up to Fleet, then over to Wellington, then down Wellington to the concert. The whole time in a tight fenced corral. But you had to know that route in advance. There were zero other alternative for the plethora of other access points closed with fencing and guards.

Open Booth to pedestrian traffic. Open the Pimisi stairs to the bike path to pedestrian traffic, open the bridge to Claridge condos to pedestrian traffic. Remove all fencing from Albert, Fleet, Wellington, Bayview. Just keep a safe perimeter around the fireworks on the parkway site, and the concert, if you still insist on doing metal detectors for the few people accessing the concert grounds, but corral the rest of us in hoards outside of the site blocked and fenced, which is honestly much less safe if someone wanted to do harm and there's no exit because we're surrounded by 6ft unclimbable construction fencing... Honestly so dumb.

And for Pimisi. Turn off the escalators and place staff at the top and bottom to control traffic if necessary. Every other city in the g*ddam world can accomplish such a feat.

I agree that I find crowd mitigation/safety protocols to be insane these days, but it seems to be the norm now. I've been to many sporting events and other crowded places in recent years and Ottawa has nothing on their literal kms of fencing and people herding. The World Cup in Qatar, in particular, was wild. My guess is that the people organizing these events are of the mindset that they would rather inconvenience everyone attending and draw smaller crowds rather than deal with the PR disaster that comes along with injuries/incidents related to crowd chaos.

That said, we are not dealing with SuperBowl or World Cup level crowds. If nothing else, open it up, have lots of security around AND have people there taking notes on what works well and what doesn't....how else will we ever improve??

[OTownandDown]

I think it's because people are graduating from university courses related to crowd safety, and the government pions are contracting them for reporting and consulting for each event. And where would we be without an overanalyzed, design by consultant, then committee, crazy crowd management strategy?

Originally Posted by AuxTown

I agree that I find crowd mitigation/safety protocols to be insane these days, but it seems to be the norm now. I've been to many sporting events and other crowded places in recent years and Ottawa has nothing on their literal kms of fencing and people herding. The World Cup in Qatar, in particular, was wild. My guess is that the people organizing these events are of the mindset that they would rather inconvenience everyone attending and draw smaller crowds rather than deal with the PR disaster that comes along with injuries/incidents related to crowd chaos.

That said, we are not dealing with SuperBowl or World Cup level crowds. If nothing else, open it up, have lots of security around AND have people there taking notes on what works well and what doesn't....how else will we ever improve??

[Richard Eade]

I think back to the 2017 giant, mechanical, creatures that came to visit Ottawa. There were City meetings about how to handle the expected crowds. How far away should the cordons be? How much should the ‘Giants’ be allowed to move. It was going to be a nightmare for safety.

Those bringing the machines were of the opinion that, like in any other place, people should be able to interact with the creatures.

[I was in Toronto where some large ‘dragons’ were free to roam among the crowds. People simply got out of the way so that they didn’t get stepped on. It wasn’t an issue there. But it was quite exciting to get a blast of warm steam in the face, if you didn’t move out of the way.]

Ultimately, the owners of Ottawa’s visiting beasts convinced the City that a rope loop could be held by volunteers to create a moving barrier around the ‘danger’.- thus protecting people from it.

In fairness, the machines were driven by professionals who were aware of where to move to keep viewers safe. Crowds at Canada Day are not so controlled. People will do unwise things in crowds. But they are probably more likely to do silly things if they are frustrated by being penned in.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

I think back to the 2017 giant, mechanical, creatures that came to visit Ottawa. There were City meetings about how to handle the expected crowds. How far away should the cordons be? How much should the ‘Giants’ be allowed to move. It was going to be a nightmare for safety.

The security measures around La Machine weren't about crowd control. They were about truck control - this was just a year after the Nice attack.

[rocketphish]

Expired joints, cracked pipes: new details emerge about leaky LRT tunnel at St-Laurent
Concrete debris continued to fall despite attempts to repair former bus tunnel

Priscilla Ki Sun Hwang · CBC News
Posted: Jun 18, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

After a series of incidents in which loose concrete fell from Ottawa's St-Laurent LRT station last year, CBC News has learned more details about how the city is addressing chronic water infiltration in the former bus tunnel, including fixing leaky joints — some of which had passed their life expectancy.

According to engineering reports, some of those joints had not been replaced in nearly four decades — including in areas where concrete chunks fell onto the train tracks in January 2024.

CBC has also learned of an ongoing leak near another tunnel joint, which the city said it hopes to address next year.

The tunnel, which was built for buses in the 1980s before being repurposed into an LRT station, has been suffering from water leakage for decades.

Last spring, city officials couldn't say what was causing the persistent leaks, which are deteriorating the concrete by causing "delamination" and "spalling" — when concrete pieces break off the main slab.

During planned maintenance this month, the city plans to further inspect the tunnel, scale down more loose concrete and address other issues identified during the 2024 Ontario-mandated inspection — a regular checkup that was largely skipped in 2022 due to major construction at the bus station above the tunnel.

<more>

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ex...leaky-lrt-tunnel-at-st-laurent-1.7557702

[Uhuniau]

Maybe when they "fix" the problem this time, they'll finally get around to improving the bus passenger amenities, as we were promised in 2019.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

The security measures around La Machine weren't about crowd control. They were about truck control - this was just a year after the Nice attack.

The story above aligns with what I was told - there was significant effort to convince people to not fence the entire parade route and enforce people staying on the sidewalks, and instead use the rope method. The hostile vehicle mitigation was separate, and did still take place, but farther away from the focal point of the event.

[rocketphish]

OC Transpo LRT lines 1 and 2 to close for maintenance in July
Ottawa LRT Line 1 and 2 service will be experiencing service disruptions for maintenance in the coming month.

By Sadeen Mohsen, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jul 02, 2025 | Last updated 2 hours ago

Both OC Transpo LRT lines 1 and 2 will see disruptions over the coming month as the transit agency performs scheduled summer maintenance.

Line 1 is scheduled to be closed for “integration work” on the O-Train East extension. It will be closed on July 6 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. It will also be closed all day on July 26 and 27.

During the shutdowns, R1 bus service will operate between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair stations.

“The work has been scheduled to occur around major events in Ottawa, such as Canada Day and Bluesfest, to minimize impacts on customers,” OC Transpo’s website reads.

Ottawa Bluesfest runs from July 10 to July 20 this year.

Changes are coming to the north-south line, with frequency being cut in half for maintenance over the next month. After 8 p.m., the Line 2 train will be scheduled to arrive every 24 minutes, reduced from its current frequency of every 12 minutes, on these dates:

• July 7 to July 9
• July 14 to 15
• July 21 to July 25
• July 28 to August 2

On their website, OC Transpo says the disruption on Line 2 is to install monitoring equipment near South Keys Station. “Monitoring will help detect any potential wear that may require further investigation,” it read.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/oc-transpo-lrt-lines-1-and-2-close-maintenance-july

[J.OT13]

Canada Day brought all time record ridership to the O-Train. 246k riders on Line 1 and 24k on Lines 2/4. Normal ridership is around 100k for Line 1 and 18k for Lines 2/4.

https://www.ledroit.com/actualites/a...KCCDC3RS7YEOE/

[OTSkyline]

Hoping that instances like these (where people give it a chance (or second chance) and things go smoothly) go a long way in changing people's perception that it is useless and always broken.

[zzptichka]

24k on Line 2 feels like it was undercounted. I rode it in the morning and in the afternoon and it was standing room only.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Canada Day brought all time record ridership to the O-Train. 246k riders on Line 1 and 24k on Lines 2/4. Normal ridership is around 100k for Line 1 and 18k for Lines 2/4.

https://www.ledroit.com/actualites/a...KCCDC3RS7YEOE/

Anybody else think it's kind of crazy we don't charge on our busiest day of the year? That's up to $1 million though if charging there would be less riders (probably a good thing) I took it three or four times one or two stops and wouldn't if I had to pay. I also know charging would have slowed down especially busy bus boardings.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

24k on Line 2 feels like it was undercounted. I rode it in the morning and in the afternoon and it was standing room only.

I was thinking the same. Doesn't seem much higher than normal. I get that the Market, Elgin and LeBreton are sort of the main events and where people use transit as a shuttle, but I would think Line 2's access to Chinatown, Little Italy and Dow's Lake would be used more to access relatively quitter establishments. Unless I'm getting this all wrong and those areas are closed on Canada Day.

Originally Posted by YOWetal

Anybody else think it's kind of crazy we don't charge on our busiest day of the year? That's up to $1 million though if charging there would be less riders (probably a good thing) I took it three or four times one or two stops and wouldn't if I had to pay. I also know charging would have slowed down especially busy bus boardings.

That's the point, to get people to use transit. With so many road closures, transit is by far the most efficient way to get people to move people between the sites and bar districts. We don't want people trying to drive or no bother going downtown due to the lack of good transportation options.

Even if we "left" a million dollars on the table (+ cost of extra service), that ridership is a good tool to convince upper levels of Government to provide more funds for our transit system.

Furthermore, it's a great opportunity to show off the O-Train system to people who might not otherwise use it and prove to the masses that hey, it's actually reliable, despite what you hear online and on the news, even with a ridership 1.5 times normal.