RTG tries to make headway on recurring LRT problems but jolted by one-off mishaps
Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: February 19, 2020
From stinky tunnel stations to trains losing power, the Rideau Transit Group (RTG) has its hands full trying to find the root causes plaguing the $2.1-billion Confederation Line.
And just when the LRT contractor seems to make headway on solving some of the problems, like debugging shaky computer systems and MacGyvering a new heater setup for track switches, it finds itself responding to freakish calamities.
The transit commission on Wednesday received an update on the LRT system and all that ails it.
Transit customers have grown familiar with the list of recurring flaws: jammed train doors, flat wheels, stuck switches, smelly stations, wonky software. There are multiple task forces at RTG trying to find root causes for the problems.
But it’s the one-off woes — especially odd for a five-month-old cutting-edge transit system — that continue to baffle transit overseers at city hall.
Take last Friday as another example.
A speed sensor attached to the bottom of a train loosened, dragged and damaged four transponders on the tracks between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair stations. The transponders provide critical information about where a train is located. When four transponders conk out, the system turns on trains’ emergency brakes, and when a train’s emergency brake is activated, there’s a greater chance the wheels will develop flat spots.
As it turned out, nine single cars (two cars make up one train) developed flat spots, causing service delays into Saturday.
Peter Lauch, the chief executive of Rideau Transit Maintenance, the RTG maintenance affiliate, said workers examined all the brackets holding the speed sensors in place on every train to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
Then there’s a mystery emergency brake issue that’s causing the train wheels to develop flat spots. Expert consultant JBA Corp. is leading that investigation for RTG.
Lauch said many of the emergency braking issues seem to be related to wintry weather, like Ottawa experienced on Tuesday, when LRT officials invoked a special brake and acceleration system that essentially reduced train speeds.
But emergency brakes can also turn on when the guideway intrusion detection system is activated by an object at the end of station platforms or at the tunnel portals. The system might be so sensitive that it’s tripped by horizontal blowing snow, the commission heard. On Tuesday, during the heavy snowfall, RTG and the city agreed to temporarily turn off the system and use workers as the detectors at the end of the stations.
The other head-scratcher is electrical arcing where the overhead power lines connect with the trains, especially in rough winter weather.
Lauch said an inductor allows the electrical current to be filtered to the train. Workers have cleaned the inductors of grit and salt, which officials believe might have been causing the arcing. There were also cracks discovered in the inductors. RTG is installing devices to better protect the inductors and workers are inspecting them more frequently. However, the long-term solution is replacing all the inductors and that will take another year, Lauch said.
On the stink at Parliament and Rideau stations, RTG is still trying to figure out where the smells are coming from, although officials think they’ve figured it out at Rideau Station. Lauch said staff found an ineffective gasket in a sump pit in a mechanical room.
It’s a different story at Parliament Station, where officials still don’t know where the occasional stink is coming from. They’re now starting to look at possible sources at the surface, checking if a stench is floating into the tunnel through the ventilation system.
The city is keen on getting a 14th train on the line during the peak periods. Apparently there’s a small dispute about the train’s readiness between the city and RTG.
City transportation general manager John Manconi said outstanding issues are related to ride comfort and they aren’t complicated. Lauch agreed and he said they hope to resolve the issues before the end of the week.
There is a bit of good news about some of the regular LRT problems.
The computer systems for trains and tracks signals are performing much better. When it comes to the train doors, RTG will soon install new software that will hopefully reduce the number of malfunctions. RTG believes it has found a way to redesign the track switch heaters to make them more effective in winter weather.
The state of the Stage 1 LRT system could impact the other work piling up at Transpo headquarters.
Manconi has presented 12 priorities as part of Transpo’s 2020 business plan.
However, the success of the latest “Manconi dozen” largely hinges on the stability of the Confederation Line.
Manconi said he’s concerned about the “constant demands” of the LRT system, but the agency has other projects to tackle. Transpo has been redirecting staff and hiring consultants to help.
One part of the Manconi dozen is an “alternative fuels” program for the bus service.
Transpo is days away from releasing a request for proposals on electric buses. At least two electric buses will be added to the fleet by the end of 2020 and a review period will end with a report at the end of 2021. Eventually council will receive a white paper from staff on how much a full electric bus fleet would cost.
One of the 12 priorities, the first LRT regulatory and compliance report, is already done.
In fact, Transpo received a glowing review from LRT regulatory monitor and compliance officer Sam Berrada, who said the agency’s in-class and fielding training is “robust.” Berrada, who’s an outside consultant, monitors compliance when it comes to LRT safety and security.
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