LRT testing going well, Transpo boss says, but warns things won't be 'pretty' on days trains face trouble
Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: March 20, 2019
There’s a Plan B for days when the LRT runs into trouble. It involves extra buses, but OC Transpo’s general manager warns that it won’t be “pretty.”
John Manconi said Wednesday that he expects high reliability once the LRT gets running.
There are 20 trains doing test runs this week and “all the critical elements are progressing well,” he told the city’s transit commission.
It also performed well last week during sudden heavy snow, he said.
Still, he said, the system has to anticipate breakdowns that interrupt service in some fashion. And when that happens, whether it’s the whole line or only a section of it, OC Transpo will bring in extra buses and drivers to cover the gap.
Except, Manconi said, these buses won’t be able to entirely replace a whole line of trains.
“It will be very very challenging. We do not have 100 (or) 200 buses sitting around, waiting for backup,” he said.
“When the rail service goes down the number one protocol is to communicate” to tell the passengers what is happening, “and flood the station with resources” to help people cope.
“People will Uber, Lyft, walk, jog, bike, complain — all those things. It will not be a pretty picture, just like if Albert and Slater shut down right now,” he said.
However, he said, the system shows good signs of being able to work under stresses. For example, one stress test has been to shut down a transformer station and practise working around that. (The trains run on electricity.)
“In the unfortunate incident of a suicide, and unfortunately we will have one of those, especially with the first one, there will be major delays.”
Overall Manconi and his management team projected a bright future for LRT.
“I can guarantee you,” he said, that once LRT gets into a routine its passengers “will be satisfied customers.”
He didn’t address when LRT is expected to enter service. The current target is sometime in the second quarter of this year.
More details are emerging as the date gets closer:
• For the first three weeks of LRT service, bus routes due to be cancelled will keep running “as an insurance policy.” This will allow people to get used to the new trains gradually and will keep service flexible. As well, hundreds of customer service reps in red vests will be in the stations to guide newcomers through the system in the early days.
• Four of the initial 13 stations will have public washrooms. These are at Blair, Bayview, Tunney’s Pasture and Hurdman.
• Three stations will allow passengers to get off a bus and board the train without going through a fare gate. These are Blair, Hurdman and Tunney’s Pasture, all of which get high volumes of passengers transferring from buses. Transpo says the fare gates are protected from the weather. And it says the fare vending machines, which are exposed to the elements in some places, are designed to work well in all weather.
• There will be extra-wide fare gates for people who use wheelchairs, bicycles, strollers or other large devices. As well, stairs will have a smooth channel cut along beside the steps so that passengers can roll their bicycles instead of bumping them up and down steps.
• There will be 100 bus routes connected to the various stations in Stage 1.
• Two-thirds of all OC Transpo trips are expected to involve a train at some stage, which means 200,000 rides a day.
• Manconi said extra-rugged elevators have been installed, always in pairs in case one breaks down. He said there will also be proactive maintenance on escalators because they will be exposed to salt, cold and grit.
• Trains will run from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.
• Manconi also said Rideau Transit Group — the consortium responsible for maintenance of LRT after it goes live — has built up its spare parts supply in advance to avoid running short.
Manconi has some requests before launch. Don’t hold the doors open for other passengers, he asked. It slows down trains.
And if you drop something on the tracks, don’t go and get it. Transpo staff will get it for you.
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