LRT service rates quietly improve under reduced ridership, system fixes
Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Nov 27, 2020 • Last Updated 2 hours ago • 4 minute read
Public transit, like most government services, is probably at its best when no one is talking about it at the dinner table. If it’s working well, there’s nothing to discuss, no reason to complain.
Perhaps that’s why no one’s really getting heartburn over LRT these days.
Or, the buzz has simply died down with no one riding LRT during the pandemic.
But recent updates from OC Transpo suggest the Confederation Line is going through an unprecedented run of stability in its young life as the city’s backbone of the transit network.
Transpo delivers the LRT service but success hinges on the Rideau Transit Group’s ability to put trains on the line and prevent them from breaking down. The low ridership during the pandemic, as much as it’s been a crippling budget hit for Transpo, has reduced the strain on the LRT system as RTG make repairs.
RTG has managed to deploy the required 15 double-car trains during the morning peak period on a fairly regular basis and the problems identified by the city last winter in a scathing notice of contract default are being fixed.
Transpo and RTG delivered about 95 per cent of scheduled service between January 2020 and October 2020, with the monthly low point in January at 88 per cent when power “arcing” problems were reducing the number of trains available for operations.
Ninety-five per cent sounds like a decent result until you hear that Transpo considers a minimum of 97 per cent as an acceptable rate. Anything below that and it’s likely customers have experienced unexpected longer wait times for trains.
However, there were five months that reached 98 per cent: April, May, September and October.
November was on record-setting pace for service delivery about halfway through the month when it was achieving 99 per cent. There was only one time that Transpo dipped below that crucial 97 per cent delivery rate and it was when there was a deer on the tracks around Cyrville Station on Nov. 4.
The second half of November brought setbacks, like a derailed train in the connector tunnel at Belfast yard and a brake problem on a train at uOttawa Station, both on Nov. 18.
Other blips included a brake fault on a train during the afternoon of Nov. 25, a “technical issue” on Nov. 24 that caused delays and a train that had to be moved from Tunney’s Pasture Station on Nov. 23.
Transit officials are now closely monitoring the LRT’s performance in winter weather.
RTG is trying to have all heater upgrades on track switches done by the start of December. The switches guide trains between tracks.
The heater upgrade is the main reason why the full 12.5-kilometre rail line will close Sunday and the eastern stretch of the LRT line closed last Sunday.
Switch heaters between Tunney’s Pasture and Tremblay stations have been upgraded to a more effective electric heater, while the switch heaters between Tremblay and Blair stations are being upgraded to natural gas-powered equipment. The improvements also include an early warning system to alert the control centre if there’s a problem with a switch heater.
The switch heaters are one of seven areas Transpo wanted RTG to address in the fix-it plan that followed the notice of default. During the last update to the transit commission, Transpo operations director Troy Charter said there has been “significant progress” in all of the areas.
- Software updates for the vehicle brakes and train control systems has had staff monitoring the ride comfort.
- RTG has made modifications to the overhead catenary system and inspected the wires across the entire line. Changing weather between seasons will require ongoing adjustments.
- Replacement of power inductors, which allow electrical currents to be filtered to the train, continues with 21 vehicles finished as of Nov. 18. RTG has told the city the work will continue into early next year.
- Updated software has drastically reduced the number of door problems. RTG is also improving the mechanical equipment in the doors.
- Better software also seems to be helping mend the vehicle auxiliary power units. Staff are monitoring the units over the long term.
- Tweaks to the vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems have staff monitoring the heating effectiveness during cold weather. Doors will continue to open automatically at stations, rather than making passengers press the door button to enter or exit.
An independent assessment of the rectification work is ongoing. Transit general manager John Manconi has told the transit commission that a preliminary review didn’t find major problems.
Meanwhile, the Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the cause of cracks found on train wheels. All wheels are being replaced and the work will last into 2021. As of Nov. 18, a tenth vehicle was undergoing the wheel swap.
Transpo and RTG have a winter operating plan for different types of weather, based on what they learned from last winter.
This time, staff are gathering and sharing as much intel as possible to have the right number of resources ready. Staff meet each week to look at the weather forecast to prepare for operations.
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With no Trillium service, a poor bus replacement and half the walk-in destinations at about the same distance as Tunney's, I would come to the same conclusion.
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