Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[rocketphish]

Three workers rescued after construction failure within LRT tunnel in downtown Ottawa

Susana Mas, Ottawa Citizen
Joe Lofaro, Ottawa Citizen
Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen

Published on: November 10, 2016 | Last Updated: November 10, 2016 8:03 PM EST

Three workers were rescued after a construction failure within a downtown LRT tunnel on Waller Street on Thursday night.

Two of the three workers were not injured while another worker suffered a “non-specified hand injury,” Ottawa paramedics said. That worker was taken to hospital.

Emergency crews were called to the scene around 4:30 p.m. and the trapped workers were rescued within an hour.

A section of “shotcrete” within the tunnel broke off, said Mathieu Fleury, the councillor for the area, but the tunnel itself did not collapse. Initial reports from emergency responders indicated a tunnel collapse.



The tunnel is supported by horizontal steel braces and those braces are reinforced with sprayed “shotcrete” — a layer of concrete sprayed into place with a hose.

John Manconi, the city’s general manager of transportation services, called the incident “minor.” In a statement, he said some “reinforcing steel came loose and was resting on the workers’ lift requiring them to seek assistance.”

The incident occurred near where Waller Street intersects Laurier Avenue at the northwest end of the University of Ottawa campus. Roads in the area were closed for roughly an hour, but re-opened around 6 p.m.

According to the city’s weekly update of Confederation Line construction, emailed out late Thursday afternoon even as the rescue was underway, current work at the nearby uOttawa station included “construction of the station platform slabs and footing, as well as station walls, ramps up. Crews also install underground utilities.”

At the nearby East Portal: “Crews install reinforcements in preparation for the next phase of ramp excavation. They’re also working on the mud slab, including waterproofing and insulation, and drill tiebacks,” according to the update.

The site of Thursday’s incident is close to the location of a February 2014 collapse that stalled construction of the tunnel for a month.

At about 1 a.m. on Feb. 21, 2014, about three metres of Waller Street just south of Laurier Street collapsed into the LRT tunnel being excavated underneath.

No one was hurt in that collapse, which was later blamed on “unanticipated soil conditions” at the site. Engineers determined the tunnelling passed through a “previously excavated construction pit” that had been missed by exploratory boreholes.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-lrt-tunnel-collapses-downtown-three-workers-trapped

[1overcosc]

Ministry of Labour investigation has concluded and work has resumed.

Seems this whole thing ended up being far less serious than it seemed at first. That said, I think we'll all breathe a sigh of relief once tunnel work is finished.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Ministry of Labour investigation has concluded and work has resumed.

Seems this whole thing ended up being far less serious than it seemed at first. That said, I think we'll all breathe a sigh of relief once tunnel work is finished.

Somehow word got out that that there was a collapse in the tunnel, which sent half the emergency vehicles in the city to the tunnel with every reporter in the city not far behind.

[jimmyjones]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Ministry of Labour investigation has concluded and work has resumed.

Seems this whole thing ended up being far less serious than it seemed at first. That said, I think we'll all breathe a sigh of relief once tunnel work is finished.

Good news all around all things considered!

[rocketphish]

Construction Update
Week of November 7

Activities ramp up on the guideway as the fixation track slab pours continue just east of Tunney’s Pasture Station this week. Blair Station – one of the first scheduled for completion – continues to take shape as crews install the escalators.

---

West Stations

Tunney’s Pasture Station: Crews install caissons and continue underground electrical work, part of preliminary station construction activities.

Bayview Station: Crews continue initial foundation work by constructing the station’s grade beams; work includes installing formwork and rebar. Mechanical, electrical and duct bank installation, and ground improvements also take place.

Pimisi Station: Crews continue concrete work on the station walls, as they backfill and begin constructing the retaining wall.

---

Central Stations

Lyon Station cavern: Crews remove shoring and formwork, complete arch pours and continue architectural work, including construction on the walls, stairs and sub-platform. Final shotcrete lining activities also occur in the west transition.

Lyon Station west entrance: Rebar and formwork installation continue for the mid-landing. Other activities include cutting tiebacks and rock removals.

Lyon Station east entrance: Crews begin installing structural steel and continue concrete pours for ground floors and walls. At the east vent shaft, rock removals occur for the next weeks.

Parliament Station cavern: Concrete pours for the station L-walls are ongoing. Crews continue waterproofing the station arch, pouring the mud slab and moving the arch formwork to begin final lining activities in the next weeks.

Parliament Station west entrance: At street level, crews work on the roof of the head house and continue rock removals. Hoe ramming and removals occur during the weekend at the east vent shaft.

Traffic restrictions on Queen and O’Connor streets remain in effect.

---

Rideau Station cavern: Station construction advances; crews waterproof, continue pouring concrete for the c-walls and work on conduits. Shotcrete is sprayed in sections and arch waterproofing occurs.

Rideau Station east entrance: The station entrance continues to take shape; crews form walls at the concourse level and work on elevator walls to prepare for the next phase of concrete pours in the coming weeks.

Rideau Street is closed 24/7 to vehicular traffic to permit works to advance, including jet grouting activities.

uOttawa Station: Construction of the station platform slabs and footing, as well as station walls, ramps up. Crews also install underground utilities.

East Portal: Crews install reinforcements in preparation for the next phase of ramp excavation. They’re also working on the mud slab, including waterproofing and insulation, and drill tiebacks.

---

East Stations

Lees Station: Crews install formwork for the knee walls and complete concrete work for the raft slab.

Hurdman Station: Crews install structural steel and pour concrete for the ancillary building and stairs and form the elevator/escalator walls. The bus operators’ building continues to take shape, as crews install interior finishes and work on the ceiling.

Tremblay Station: Crews begin framing, installing masonry, backfilling the platform area and finalizing the roof metal deck. Mechanical and electrical work also occur.

St-Laurent Station: The station continues to take shape; activities include concrete works and installation of structural steel, ceiling hangers, door frames and rails for the elevators.

---

Cyrville Station: Crews build and pour concrete for columns, and continue mechanical and electrical work for the station, in addition to working on the auxiliary building.

Blair Station: Station construction advances; crews work on framing escalators and elevators and installing exterior wall panels and soffit panels. They also continue mechanical and electrical work. Construction of the bus operators’ building includes foundation work and waterproofing activities.

Cyrville Station: Crews build and pour concrete for columns, and continue mechanical and electrical work for the station, in addition to working on the auxiliary building.

Blair Station: Station construction advances; crews work on framing escalators and elevators and installing exterior wall panels and soffit panels. They also continue mechanical and electrical work. Construction of the bus operators’ building includes foundation work and waterproofing activities.

---

Tunnel Excavation and Support

Reinforcements and mining continue in the final section of the running tunnel.

---

Guideway

Tunney’s Pasture Station to West Portal: Crews pour the fixation track slab on the guideway past Tunney’s Pasture Station, continue working on the overlay and begin working on crossovers. Crews install duct banks and Overhead Catenary System foundations.

Mann Avenue Bridge to west of Tremblay Station: Construction of the retaining wall is ongoing between Lees Station and the Rideau River Transitway Bridge. Crews install fencing and duct banks, pull rail on the guideway at Lees Station and continue working on the foundation just east of Hurdman Station

---

Other Activities

Bayview Bridge: Bridge rehabilitation progresses with work on the transition slab. Final work on the bridge will be completed by early December.

Mann Avenue Bridge: Bridge reconstruction progresses and deck pours take place by the end of the week. Intermittent sidewalk closures may be required during this work.

---

Upcoming Construction Activities

In the coming weeks, the following construction activities are scheduled to occur:

• Installation of traction power sub stations on the guideway east of Tunney’s Pasture Station, west of Lees Station and just east of Hurdman Station.
• Lyon Station HVAC and west vent shaft work resumes.
• Rideau Station west TVS shoring.
• Structural steel installation at uOttawa Station.

Vehicle testing and Overhead Catenary System will be energized in phases along the guideway between Belfast Yard and Blair Station.

http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/news/construction-update-98/

[rocketphish]

Work resumes on LRT tunnel project following Thursday incident

The Ottawa Citizen
Published on: November 12, 2016 | Last Updated: November 13, 2016 7:07 PM EST

Work has resumed on LRT construction after provincial labour investigators lifted three requirements in their probe into of Thursday’s tunnel site incident in which three workers were briefly trapped.

Investigators had asked Rideau Transit Group, the city’s LRT contractor to not disturb the scene and to share documentation. They also asked for documentation from Hardrock Concrete, a subcontractor.

The city said Saturday the demands were lifted Friday night and construction on the line has resumed.

Emergency crews hurried to the LRT tunnel eastern portal on Waller Street, south of Laurier Avenue, around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday after reports of three workers trapped in a tunnel collapse.

It ended up being much less dramatic.

According to RTG’s technical director, Peter Lauch, three men were on a lift spraying concrete on a wall about 100 metres into the tunnel from the portal when a piece of reinforced steel, or rebar, buckled toward the lift.

Lauch said the bent steel prevented the lift from descending to the tunnel floor, so emergency personnel had to help get them off the equipment.

One worker suffered a hand injury that required stitches. The other two workers on the lift weren’t injured.

The tunnel didn’t collapse and no material fell on the workers’ heads, Lauch said.

An Ontario Ministry of Labour spokeswoman said Friday the investigation continues.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...nnel-project-following-thursday-incident

[jimmyjones]

Anyone know what exactly a "running tunnel" is?
They keep mentioning it and at first I thought it was just a small branching tunnel for maintenance, but now I'm not so sure.

[Mikeed]

Originally Posted by jimmyjones

Anyone know what exactly a "running tunnel" is?
They keep mentioning it and at first I thought it was just a small branching tunnel for maintenance, but now I'm not so sure.

I believe it is the tunnel portions that link stations. i.e the rolling stock traverses the running tunnel between station caverns.

[waterloowarrior]

https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/5d5adb/lrt_progress_at_hurdman/
photo from rwilly on reddit

[rocketphish]

Construction Update
Week of November 14

This week, crews are hard at work installing the traction power sub station just east of Tunney’s Pasture Station and pulling rails at Lees Station. Final construction is wrapping up on the bus operators’ building at Hurdman Station, with just the interior finishes remaining. Residents will also see glimpses of the first light rail vehicle being tested on the guideway from Cyrville to Blair stations.

---

West Stations

Tunney’s Pasture Station: Initial station construction occurs and includes drilling caissons and underground electrical work.

Bayview Station: Activities progress at the station with the installation of duct banks, underground electrical and mechanical work, ground improvement during the daytime and overnight, as well as formwork and pours for grade beams.

Pimisi Station: Construction of the retaining walls is ongoing. Crews also install duct banks, waterproof and backfill walls, and continue mechanical and electrical work.

---

Lyon Station cavern: Station construction continues to progress with the installation of formwork for the deck and architectural work, including forming walls for the mechanical room and stairs. Final shotcrete continues in the west transition.

Lyon Station west entrance: The station entrance continues to take shape; concrete activities for the mid-landing, including rebar, formwork and pours, and work on tiebacks and rock removals occur.

Lyon Station east entrance: This week, station construction includes structural steel installation, as well as waterproofing, rebar, formwork and concrete pours for the ground floor and mezzanine walls and slabs. Crews continue rock removal at the east vent shaft in preparation for the next phase of activities.

Parliament Station cavern: Station construction advances; crews pour concrete on the last section of L-walls, work on conduits and begin building the invert.

Parliament Station west entrance: Entrance construction takes shape with work on the roof of the head house and mobilization to install flashing. Construction of the east vent shaft is ongoing and includes hoe ramming and removals during the weekend, and rock bolt installations during the week.

Traffic restrictions on Queen and O’Connor streets remain in effect.

---

Rideau Station cavern: Concrete work is ongoing in the station. In addition to constructing the bloc walls and waterproofing, crews continue spraying shotcrete and waterproofing the arch. Crocodile Rouge moves to the East Portal on the weekend to continue work in the running tunnel.

Rideau Station west entrance: Work progresses at the entrance; crews waterproof walls and slabs, install shoring, work on foundation panels and mobilize to begin the next phase of umbrella installation. Shoring and excavation also occur at the HVAC shaft.

Rideau Station east entrance: Concrete activities ramp up this week and crews continue installing rebar and formwork followed by concrete pours.

Rideau Street is closed 24/7 to vehicular traffic to permit works to advance, including jet grouting activities.

uOttawa Station: The station continues to take shape with crews installing rebar, and pouring concrete for walls and footings. Ongoing activities include work on underground utilities, duct banks and backfilling.

East Portal: Work advances at the ramp and includes waterproofing, pouring conduits and drilling tiebacks to allow for excavation to resume next week.

---

East Stations

Lees Station: With the raft slab complete, crews work on the watermain protection, and mobilize to begin micro-piling activities which will be followed by underground utilities work.

Hurdman Station: Structural steel and final concrete pours occur for the ancillary building. Formwork and rebar installations are ongoing for the stairs and platforms to allow for more concrete pours in the coming weeks. Crews complete mechanical and electrical work at the bus operator’s building, start framing and continue working on partitions and interior finishes.

Tremblay Station: Activities progress at the station and include concrete pours, framing for upcoming porcelain panel installations, masonry, backfilling and construction of basement walls and underground mechanical and electrical work.

---

St-Laurent Station: Crews complete work on the ceiling hangers, continue concrete pours for the elevator and electrical room areas and begin installing steel for the platform and plenum.

Cyrville Station: Soffit framing, mechanical and electrical work and glazing are ongoing, in addition to waterproofing activities for the elevator pits. Crews begin interior construction at the auxiliary building.

Blair Station: Crews continue structural framing, exterior wall panel and soffit panel installations, as well as mechanical and electrical work. Construction progresses at bus operators’ building with waterproofing activities.

---

Tunnel Excavation and Support

Mining and reinforcements will be ongoing in the last section of running tunnel west of Rideau Station during the next weeks.

---

Guideway

Tunney’s Pasture Station to West Portal: Activities ramp up on the guideway; crews install the traction power sub station just east of Tunney’s Pasture Station, backfill and continue working on the fixation track slab and overlay. Duct banks and Overhead Catenary System foundations installation is ongoing.

Mann Avenue Bridge to west of Tremblay Station: Construction of the guideway in this section of the alignment is advancing and includes installation of fencing and duct banks, pulling rail at Lees Station and working on the traction power sub station foundation just east of Hurdman Station.

---

Other Activities

Mann Avenue Bridge: Crews continue working on the bridge deck for the next weeks. Intermittent sidewalk closures may be required during bridge reconstruction.

---

Upcoming Construction Activities

In the coming weeks, the following construction activities are scheduled to occur:

• Removal of the overhead scaffolding at Bayview Bridge requiring intermittent sidewalk closures.
• Lyon Station HVAC and west vent shaft work resumes.
• Rideau Station west TVS shoring.
• Structural steel installation at uOttawa Station.
• Installation of traction power sub stations on the guideway west of Lees Station and just east of Hurdman Station.
• Fencing installation on guideway just west of Tremblay Station.
• Vehicle testing and Overhead Catenary System will be energized in phases along the guideway between Belfast Yard and Blair Station.
• Installation of porcelain panels at Cyrville and Blair stations.

http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/construction/construction-update-99/

[rocketphish]

First Confederation Line train to hit the tracks soon
First of 34 trains arrives in Ottawa.

By: Ryan Tumilty, Metro
Published on Thu Nov 17 2016

There is still a lot of concrete to pour and track to lay down, but the first Confederation Line train will be on the rails within days.

LRV – 1, as it’s named, the first fully assembled and operational train car for the new line, arrived in Ottawa this week from an assembly facility in Hornell, NY.

It will be running on the line soon, between the Belfast maintenance yard and the main track as part of the early testing.

Richard Holder, the city’s chief of rail systems and operations integration, said having the first train ready to hit the line is a milestone for the project.

“It demonstrates that all of the various components do work together and we now have that as a functional train,” he said.

The rest of the line trains will be assembled at the Belfast Yard and will follow LRV – 1 onto the tracks not long after it hits the rails.

He said having the trains here now means they will be able to test them in all conditions well before they start carrying people to work and back.

“It was always desired that we have the vehicles moving on the track over two winters,” he said.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/ottawa/2016...n-line-train-to-hit-the-track-soon-.html

[McC]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Thu Nov 17 2016
...
LRV – 1, as it’s named, the first fully assembled and operational train car for the new line, arrived in Ottawa this week from an assembly facility in Hornell, NY.

clearly either that date, or "this week" is inaccurate given:

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Jim Watson
‏@JimWatsonOttawa

Our first LRT train emerges from the yards, ready for testing this fall. Catch it on the Confederation Line in 2018. #OnTrack2018

https://twitter.com/jimwatsonottawa/status/788838947296280577

[rocketphish]

I haven't seen this before:

Alstom to maintain Ottawa Confederation Line

Written by Keith Barrow, railjournal.com
Thursday, September 01, 2016



ALSTOM has been awarded a €125m contract by Rideau Transit Maintenance General Partnership, a consortium of SNC Lavalin O&M, ACS and EllisDon, to maintain Ottawa’s 12.5km light rail Confederation Line, which opens in 2018.

Under the 30-year contract Alstom will be responsible for maintaining track, signalling, telecommunications, and the operational control system on the 13-station east-west line from Blair to Tunney’s Pasture.

As a member of Rideau Transit Group, Alstom is supplying 34 Citadis Spirit LRVs for the Confederation Line. Final assembly is being carried out at the Belfast Yard maintenance and storage facility in Ottawa, where the first vehicles are now nearing completion.

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/nor...-maintain-ottawa-confederation-line.html

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by McC

clearly either that date, or "this week" is inaccurate given:

You can tell from the photo that the train in the October 19th twitter feed wasn't "fully assembled and operational."

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

I haven't seen this before:

The announcement (though not that specific article) was mentioned in post #3664.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by roger1818

The announcement (though not that specific article) was mentioned in post #3664.

Yes, I was referring to the article and the photo.

[McC]

Originally Posted by roger1818

You can tell from the photo that the train in the October 19th twitter feed wasn't "fully assembled and operational."

but it had clearly "arrived in Ottawa"

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by McC

but it had clearly "arrived in Ottawa"

It was built in Ottawa. Only LRV – 1 is to be built in Hornell, NY. All of the other trains will be built here in Ottawa, so techically they have all arrived, but some are in pieces. From that definition LRV-1 was the last to arrive but the first one to be finished.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by roger1818

It was built in Ottawa. Only LRV – 1 is to be built in Hornell, NY. All of the other trains will be built here in Ottawa, so techically they have all arrived, but some are in pieces. From that definition LRV-1 was the last to arrive but the first one to be finished.

Everything I have seen indicates that they are all being built in NY but "final assembly" is being done in Ottawa, so I assume the incomplete one is how they look when they arrive from New York whereas LRV-1 is arriving fully assembled for testing.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Everything I have seen indicates that they are all being built in NY but "final assembly" is being done in Ottawa, so I assume the incomplete one is how they look when they arrive from New York whereas LRV-1 is arriving fully assembled for testing.

I guess that's possible. Not how I initially interpreted the article, but I don't always trust journalists to get all of their facts straight and present them in a clear manner. Either way it did say:

Originally Posted by rocketphish

LRV – 1, as it’s named, the first fully assembled and operational train car for the new line, arrived in Ottawa this week from an assembly facility in Hornell, NY.

While the other one may have arrived, it obviously wasn't fully assembled and operational.