Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[rocketphish]

Councillor's mic cut off as debate over LRT inquiry turns heated
Council ultimately votes for auditor general to head up investigation

CBC News
Posted: Oct 13, 2021 7:28 PM ET | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Mayor Jim Watson says he supported the decision to mute one of his council colleagues who disagreed Wednesday afternoon with how he was handling the debate over Ottawa's problem-plagued light rail network.

The contentious moment involving Coun. Diane Deans came during a lengthy, heated debate over a possible judicial inquiry regarding the Confederation Line.

The line has been shut down since mid-September when a train derailed near Tremblay station, just the latest in a string of incidents going back to LRT's launch in 2019.

A few weeks earlier, Coun. Catherine McKenney had drafted a motion calling for a judge-led inquiry, one that could conceivably look into the actions of the mayor and members of council.

As McKenney was discussing it Wednesday, Coun. Glen Gower announced he had a replacement motion. Instead of a judge heading up the proceedings, they would be led by the city's integrity commissioner, Nathalie Gougeon.

As council's rules stipulate that replacement motions get dealt with first, that led to an outburst of anger from those who supported what McKenney had put forward.

Deans argued that calling in the integrity commissioner would be a substantial change to McKenney's proposal — too substantial, she said, to be bound by the replacement motion rules, which are intended for minor tweaks.

But Watson said he had ruled. After confusion from several councillors, Deans said she had "every right" to ask for the city clerk to clarify whether Gower's motion counted as a reasonable substitution — at which point her sound suddenly cut out.

"What a joke," said Coun. Shawn Menard, who'd earlier wanted more time to consider the new motion.

"Cutting women off, I love it," said McKenney, sarcastically.

After the exchange, several councillors switched to Twitter to express their disillusionment.



In the end, council voted 14 to 9 in favour of Gower's motion to have the auditor general investigate the LRT. McKenney's motion was never voted on.

After Wednesday's meeting, Watson told reporters it was his job to "maintain order" and make sure "that one person speaks at a time."

Watson said it was the deputy clerk who cut off the microphone, and he supported that.

"People have strong emotions on the best way to go and approach getting a remedy for the situation," said Watson.

"I'm very pleased that it was a good solid vote of confidence in our new auditor general."

With files from Joanne Chianello and Kate Porter

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/diane-deans-microphone-apparently-cut-off-1.6209924

[rocketphish]

Council scraps judicial inquiry in favour of city audit on LRT debacle
Motion for report on how to break contract with RTM unanimously approved

Joanne Chianello · CBC News
Posted: Oct 13, 2021 9:15 PM ET | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

An effort led by Coun. Catherine McKenney to launch a judicial inquiry into Ottawa's troubled LRT was thrown over Wednesday when council voted to ask the city's auditor general to investigate instead.

It's been three weeks since McKenney gave notice of their motion to call a inquiry, which would have been a long and public affair, costing millions of dollars, and would have looked into not just the LRT procurement and contract, but whether city staff or council breached the public trust.

But just as McKenney was preparing to discuss the motion at Wednesday's council meeting, Coun. Glen Gower moved a replacement motion calling for council to request that the auditor general look into the process that led to the city's contract with Rideau Transit Group to design, build and maintain the Confederation Line.

That procedural swap led to a testy debate at council, that ended with Gower's motion being voted on first, which was passed in vote of 14 to 9. McKenney's motion for an inquiry was never voted on.

But before the vote, councillors spent a couple of hours discussing the best process to delve into the LRT.

The city's auditor Nathalie Gougeon was on hand to answer questions on what she can and cannot do in an investigation. Although council cannot direct the auditor general to study a specific file, it's unusual for an auditor to ignore a request from council. And Gougeon said the LRT was going to make it onto her workplan for next year anyway — but it's not clear what the scope of the audit will be.

An audit will certainly take less time than an inquiry and Gougeon can summon witnesses under oath.

However, the audit process isn't public, like hearings at an inquiry. And Gougeon cannot look into the behaviour of councillors or the mayor.

"This audit will make sure that what you have to hide never gets out in the public because the auditor can't investigate you," Coun. Diane Deans said to the mayor. "That's why we need an independent process. That's why we need a judicial inquiry. That's why shutting this down today is not in the public interest."

But Watson said that the city should have one goal: get the trains running safely. And he said that a public inquiry only guarantees that "a lot of lawyers will get very very rich."

Council also considered Deans' motion to ask the city manager to report back to council about what it would take legally for the city to end its 30-year contract with Rideau Transit Maintenance and how to build capacity at the city to take over the LRT system and trains.

There was little debate on that issue — council unanimously approved the motion.

Late last month, the city issued the builders of the Confederation Line with a second notice of default, and gave senior city staff the authority to have the default validated by a court, necessary steps to opening up other options in the contract — including one that could allow the city to sever its relationship with RTM.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-council-scraps-judicial-inquiry-lrt-1.6210213

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

That is a very bad silver lining.

It is, but that's what counts for hope these days

I wonder if this whole experience will result in a reconsideration of P3s. Despite all the hand wringing in council meetings, really all that they can do is being done. They have no additional power over RTG that they aren't already wielding


In the old school models, the city at least would have control at this point of maintenance, and wouldn't be bound by contracts to confedentiality. The city would at least be in control of the situation rather than only being able to withold money and write sternly worded letter's

[daud]

This exchange between Deans/Watson/Menard/Leiper/McKenney is insane. What a clusterbleep or roberts rules of order:

https://twitter.com/notachickpea/status/1448363125565267971?s=20

not sure how to embed this but the link is well worth a watch.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by kmcamp

It is, but that's what counts for hope these days

I wonder if this whole experience will result in a reconsideration of P3s. Despite all the hand wringing in council meetings, really all that they can do is being done. They have no additional power over RTG that they aren't already wielding


In the old school models, the city at least would have control at this point of maintenance, and wouldn't be bound by contracts to confedentiality. The city would at least be in control of the situation rather than only being able to withold money and write sternly worded letter's

Does this mean people will stop the whining that the LRVs are the wrong ones for the system?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by daud

This exchange between Deans/Watson/Menard/Leiper/McKenney is insane. What a clusterbleep or roberts rules of order:

https://twitter.com/notachickpea/status/1448363125565267971?s=20

not sure how to embed this but the link is well worth a watch.

Watson has apologized for cutting off Deans' mic. I think this is the first time he ever apologizes for anything.

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/mayor-apologiz...s-microphone-during-lrt-debate-1.5622904

[DEWLine]

I watched that mess play out live over YouTube as it happened. Horrible, and in that context Mayor Watson could certainly have done better. In that specific context, he definitely owed an apology to Councillor Deans.

[rocketphish]

RTG gives city a plan to return Confederation Line to service
Staff will study detailed plan over the weekend, give more details Monday, says city manager

Joanne Chianello · CBC News
Posted: Oct 15, 2021 7:55 PM ET | Last Updated: October 15

Almost four weeks after a train derailed on the Confederation Line, shutting down the mass-transit service, the builder of the LRT has given the city a plan to get the light rail system up and running.

"Late this afternoon, Rideau Transit Group (RTG) provided the city with a return-to-service delivery plan," city manager Steve Kanellakos wrote in a memo sent to council Friday evening.

"This document is quite detailed and staff will be reviewing the contents and conducting a preliminary assessment over the weekend. I will share details of the plan and RTG's proposed timeline on Monday."

There's no indication of when RTG believes the Confederation Line could be running again.

At council this past Wednesday, Kanellakos said that even when RTG did file its plan — he suggested at the time the plan could come as early as this week — it would have to be reviewed carefully not only by the city's own staff and safety officers, but by the independent consultants TRA Inc. that the city hired after the latest derailment.

The city has challenged RTG's plans in the past, so there's no guarantee it would accept this return-to-service plan.

A train derailed twice in as many months on the Confederation Line — on Aug. 8 and Sept. 19. According to a report put out by the Transportation Safety Board less than 48 hours after the second incident, a westbound train had derailed just east of Tremblay station, then continued to travel though the station, across a rail bridge that goes over Riverside Drive, before coming to a stop.

That information was not disclosed at the transit commission meeting of Sept. 20. At the same meeting, then transit boss John Manconi suggested that the cause could have been from a piece of sanding equipment.

But this week, Kanellakos said RTG's maintenance arm told him the cause of the derailment was a loose gear box. CBC reported that on Sept. 21.

Kanellakos said he was told the bolts that secured the gear box were not properly tightened "or verified," which led the gear box to become dislodged and drag along the track and ultimately led to "the derailment of the wheel of the train."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lrt-plan-to-return-service-1.6213540

[rocketphish]

Extent of gearbox problem key part of LRT return-to-service plan
City staff are reviewing the plan proposed by Rideau Transit Maintenance and expect to have a response on Monday.

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Oct 16, 2021 • 3 hours ago • 3 minute read

The city will zero in on the status of the Alstom Citadis Spirit fleet this weekend as it assesses a return-to-service plan proposed by the maintenance affiliate of the Rideau Transit Group.

While the city will want to know if the rails and trackside infrastructure is repaired, management will also want to understand if the Sept. 19 derailment near Tremblay Station is a one-off or a widespread defect.

Rideau Transit Maintenance, which is the maintenance arm of RTG, sent the city its latest return-to-service plan on Friday. City staff are reviewing the plan and expect to have a response on Monday.

The latest derailment happened when a gearbox under the train came loose and dragged along the tracks, the city said this past week.

As of Wednesday, though, the city wasn’t sure if the problem was train-specific or if it was an issue that needed to be addressed on the entire Citadis Spirit fleet.

“That’s the issue and that’s what the return-to-service plan is going to have to include,” city manager Steve Kanellakos said after a council meeting.

“Now that they know it’s related to bolts that came loose on the gearbox on one particular train, the issue is going to be how extensive of a fleet check do they have to do on all the parts and safety systems on the rest of the fleet to ensure that fleet is safe to return to service.”

Kanallakos said the maintenance contractor would need to make sure components were installed properly on trains, “especially on the trains where the bogies were replaced.”

(A bogie is the component of the train that includes the wheels.)

After the Aug. 8 derailment of an out-of-service train near Tunney’s Pasture Station, the Transportation Safety Board released a safety letter that identified the cause (an overheated axle bearing assembly, leading to a severed wheel), while also revealing there was a fleet-wide bogie retrofit program between late 2019 and early 2020.

The Confederation Line launched in September 2019.

The TSB hasn’t released its findings on why the train derailed on Sept. 19. The agency is assessing what kind of investigation is required as it dissects the train components, including the affected bogie. The TSB has said it’s not standing in the way of the city returning the LRT system to service.

A city-hired consultant will help a regulatory safety officer and city management decide when it’s appropriate to reopen the Confederation Line after reviewing the return-to-service plan.

OC Transpo’s R1 bus service is moving customers who would normally take LRT. Buses are being diverted from other routes to service the R1 route.

The new general manager of Transpo, Renée Amilcar, starts her job with the city on Monday, two days before the next scheduled transit commission meeting.

One big issue for Amilcar, aside from the out-of-order LRT system and when it comes back online, is the ability for Transpo to continue delivering bus services with a potentially reduced workforce.

Last week, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 president Clint Crabtree confirmed information offered to council by Coun. Carol Anne Meehan, who said 20 per cent of Transpo operators might not be available after Nov. 1, when the mandatory vaccination policy kicks in for the municipal government.

“It’s possible, and be prepared,” Crabtree said, adding there had already been a shortage of operators during R1 service, which he said is relying on staff overtime.

The union also represents bus mechanics.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...m-key-part-of-lrt-return-to-service-plan

[daud]

Shawn Menard twitter....LRT tentatively returning partial service Nov 1 then hopefully full service 2 weeks later

[rocketphish]

Ottawa LRT expected to return in early November, city says
7 trains, plus 1 spare, to potentially run on Confederation Line in partial resumption

Trevor Pritchard · CBC News
Posted: Oct 18, 2021 2:16 PM ET | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Ottawa's light rail line is expected to partially resume operations at some point in early November, according to a memo from the city's manager.

Rideau Transit Group (RTG), the consortium that built the Confederation Line, proposes running up to seven trains plus one spare as early as Nov. 1, Steve Kanellakos told councillors Monday afternoon.

However, those plans are contingent on RTG carrying out an "intensive inspection program on the vehicle fleet," Kanellakos wrote, meaning a partial return to service will likely happen "within the first two weeks of November."

The line has been shut down since a train derailed on Sept. 19 before entering Tremblay station.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has said the train came off the rails before arriving at the station. It then travelled across a rail bridge while a wheel remained off the track.

On the day of the derailment, the maintenance arm of the consortium said the line would likely remain out of service for at least a week, which then changed to an estimated three weeks the very next day.

"RTG has also committed to providing the City with a date to return to full service by the end of this week," Kanellakos wrote in his memo.

"The [line] will only resume service once the City deems RTG can relaunch light rail service safely and reliably."

The city has hired Philadelphia-based firm Transportation Research Associates (TRA) to review any proposal to resume service on the Confederation Line.

Kanellakos said TRA had already completed its "preliminary assessment" of the derailment and would now turn its focus toward the plan submitted by RTG.

Once TRA recommends the trains are ready to run again, the city will take steps to "verify RTG's ability to safely and reliably relaunch LRT," Kanellakos said.

That includes one or two days' worth of testing, he said.

As the line remains out of service, the city is escalating its legal dispute with RTG, while Ottawa's auditor general will examine the lead-up to the contract.

Transit riders, meanwhile, have expressed frustration with the cramped shuttle buses used to ferry people around during the shutdown. A month of free transit is expected to come after trains are back.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-lrt-running-service-date-1.6214884

[rocketphish]

City expects partial LRT service to return in early November, but critics frustrated

Megan Gillis, Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Oct 18, 2021 • 1 hour ago • 3 minute read

It could be three weeks, and maybe even longer, before partial service resumes on the Confederation Line after the September derailment near Tremblay Road.

In a memo to city council Monday, city manager Steve Kanellakos said Rideau Transit Group (RTG) is proposing that limited service with “up to seven trains” begins Nov. 1. But that doesn’t include the time needed for an independent safety audit that the city has ordered before the LRT can start carrying passengers again.

“Based on the steps necessary to verify the safety of the system, the City anticipates that partial service will resume within the first two weeks of November,” Kanellakos wrote.

The LRT has been sidelined since Sept. 19, when a westbound train derailed near Tremblay Station, damaging about 400 metres of track before coming to a stop. The train was carrying passengers at the time, but there were no injuries. OC Transpo has been running replacement buses for nearly a month along the Confederation Line.

RTG has committed to providing the city with a date to return to full service by the end of the week, Kanellakos wrote.

But LRT critics were frustrated by the lack of detail in Monday’s memo and urged more transparency.

“It’s not really a plan. It’s just a timeline,” said Coun. Diane Deans.

“We have trust issues with the whole service and keeping all this under a veil of secrecy doesn’t help,” Deans said. “You want to restore trust and confidence? You want people to feel safe riding the train? Let them look at the report themselves to see what the issues are and how they’re being fixed.”

Councillors will be allowed to see the full RTG plan Tuesday in the city clerk’s office, but won’t be allowed to reveal any more details.

“If I can’t talk about it, what good is it?” Deans asked. “I have to be able to tell the public what it says and what the plan is to ensure we’re going to have real fixes in place for these big problems we have.”

City-hired consulting firm Transportation Research Associates (TRA) has been in Ottawa since Oct. 1 doing a preliminary assessment and will develop a detailed work plan now that RTG has proposed a return-to-service date.

Both TRA and RTG will be available to address questions at Wednesday’s transit commission meeting.

TRA will review RTG’s relaunch plan and make recommendations to city hall, but RTG is responsible for implementing the plan. Once TRA gives its OK, the city will require one or two days of testing before passenger runs begin.

Transit Commission chair Coun. Allan Hubley says he also has questions he wants answered at Wednesday’s public meeting.

“I’m pleased we finally have some dates to talk about. Last week, we didn’t even have that. I think it’s fair to call that progress,” Hubley said. “However, I think there’s much more information we need before we get to a definite date when service will resume.

“We don’t have all the information about what work has been done on each of the cars. That’s the missing piece that I’m really curious about. What have you guys been doing while this system is down?”

The city and the commission have been as open as they can about the LRT problems, Hubley said.

“I’d like to think we’re being transparent as we can be. There’s obviously commercial requirements that prevent us from dropping all the documents into the public domain. That’s not unique to this project. But we’re certainly telling (the public) everything we know as we know it.”

Sarah Wright-Gilbert, a volunteer citizen transit commissioner, likened Monday’s news as a “shiny object” meant to distract people.

“This memo says a whole lot of nothing. The first paragraph is the ‘shiny object’. They’re talking about Nov. 1, but really, the city thinks it’s going to be the second week of November. The rest of the memo just backtracks on everything they’ve said.”

And she wants more details about what’s meant by “partial service”.

“They say up to seven trains, but that’s like saying something is ‘up to 100 per cent leak proof’. Up to seven trains means some days we could have seven trains, some days we could have two. Some days we could have none. That’s not really helpful for people trying to plan.”

In an emailed statement, Mayor Jim Watson said: “I am pleased that we now have a timeline for a return of LRT service. I will only support the resumption as long as myself and my Council colleagues are satisfied that all safety precautions have been taken.”

The September derailment remains under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/city-expects-lrt-to-return-to-service-in-early-november

[rocketphish]

Details of TSB Confederation Line derailment investigation to stay secret — for now
"The information that is collected for an investigation is the exclusive jurisdiction of the TSB."

Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Oct 19, 2021 • 5 hours ago • 2 minute read

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board has a message for those looking for inside info on its investigation into the Sept. 19 Confederation Line LRT derailment.

“Talk to the hand.”

“The TSB does not consent to share any information relating to an ongoing transportation investigation for the following reasons,” Paul Treboutat, TSB’s director of investigations, rail/pipeline, said in a letter to Ottawa’s city manager, Steve Kanellakos.

After outlining the board’s mandate in its accident investigations, Treboutat said: “The information that is collected for an investigation is the exclusive jurisdiction of the TSB.”

Some of that information is protected by the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act, he said.

“The TSB would also like to advise that, in the event that the City of Ottawa receives access to information requests relating to the TSB investigations, the TSB should be consulted prior to any potential release as required by municipal, provincial and federal access to information laws.”

Treboutat emphasized that the TSB investigation “is not intended to attribute blame or determine civil or criminal liability.”

“Experience has shown that an independent and thorough safety-focused investigation usually offers the best chance of finding out what really happened and why, thereby providing the answers that everyone is asking for.”

Treboutat’s letter was released Tuesday by city solicitor David White. The city had asked the TSB whether the information could be made public in response to media queries about the federal investigation of the derailment. Any further requests will have to go though the city’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy office, White said.

Meanwhile, the city says it’s still waiting to hear from the LRT operator, Rideau Transit Group, whether the city can release more details of the back-to-service plan for the Confederation Line. But in a memo to the mayor and members of council Tuesday, Kanellakos said the plan was probably protected by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act since it could contain “trade secrets or scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information that were supplied in confidence by a third party.”

“The City’s external legal counsel has also confirmed that releasing the plan without RTG’s consent would be detrimental to the City’s legal position in ongoing negotiations, as RTG would likely claim the City is not acting in good faith,” Kanellakos said in the memo.

Ottawa’s $2.245-billion LRT has been out of service for more than a month and is not expected to be back in business before the first or second week of November at the earliest. An independent consultant, Transportation Research Associates, must first do a safety review of the return-to-service plan before the city will let commuters back on board. Officials from TRA and Rideau Transit Group are expected to answer questions at Wednesday’s public Transit Commission meeting.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...ent-investigation-to-stay-secret-for-now

[rocketphish]

Two years after LRT launches, maintenance contractor commits to supervisory 'uplift' and better tools
On the 31st consecutive full day without LRT service, Ottawa's transit commission heard that supervision of the maintenance regime could use an "uplift".

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Oct 20, 2021 • 1 hour ago • 4 minute read

On the 31st consecutive full day without LRT service, Ottawa’s transit commission heard that supervision of the maintenance regime could use an “uplift,” two years after the Confederation Line launched.

City management, Rideau Transit Group, Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) and the city’s return-to-service consultant, TRA, had representatives on the hot seats during the transit commission meeting on Wednesday.

Commissioners and councillors wanted to know why the maintenance regime was so inadequate, only to hear from RTM that the LRT maintenance program will improve.

“I have a hard time believing you,” Coun. Catherine McKenney told RTM’s top boss, Mario Guerra.

“I think ultimately there’s enough blame to go around when something like this happens,” Guerra replied.

Here’s what transit commissioners and councillors learned during the meeting:

Alstom improving oversight of Ottawa operation

Train builder and maintainer Alstom will “uplift competencies of the leadership and supervision teams” in Ottawa, according to city staff.

Alstom will also “improve process and tools” for maintenance and “strive to regain a professional and productive work environment by injecting fresh, qualified resources,” transit operations director Troy Charter told commissioners.

Guerra, the CEO of RTM, said Alstom has brought in “an army of people to Ottawa,” with resources increasing by 60-70 per cent. Most of those workers worked for Bombardier, Guerra said.

Alstom, which is RTM’s main subcontractor, acquired Bombardier Transportation earlier this year.

Guerra said RTM is also reorganizing with help of a third party to improve the maintenance program.

“No cost will be spared,” Guerra said.

There’s no indication when LRT will be fully functional again

RTM says it can have some Alstom Citadis Spirit trains ready for testing on Nov. 1. The city doesn’t buy it.

“It may be achieved. We’re not sure at this point,” city manager Steve Kanellakos said.

The city thinks that partial return to service could happen in the first two weeks of November. Seven trains would see a train arriving at a station every seven and a half minutes.

For RTM, there are millions of dollars riding on any kind of train service running quickly and safely. The city pays RTM between $4 million and $5 million each month for LRT maintenance.

The LRT system has been closed since the Sept. 19 derailment near Tremblay Station.

Track corridor repaired after September derailment, attention turns to fleet

RTM completed repairs on the rail corridor on Monday, but there needs to be a fleet-wide inspection of the trains after the gearbox problem that caused the Sept. 19 derailment.

Guerra said based on his decades of experience in the industry, there hasn’t been a similar issue involving low-torqued bolts on Alstom vehicles in other cities.

RTM believes the improperly torqued bolt happened during a shift change.

Kenneth Korach, the president and CEO of TRA, said properly torqued bolts have been a “significant issue” in the rail industry, calling into question areas like training and quality of workmanship as possible reasons for the problems.

For expert reviewers in these cases, it leads to the question, “What else is going on?” Korach said.

Korach said he didn’t know of another LRT system that has shut down this long because of an improperly torqued bolt.

Axle heat detection not common on LRT systems, experts say

TRA said it’s not common to see LRT systems have thermal detection systems on train axle bearing assemblies.

Daniel Hauber, vice-president at TRA, told the transit commission that he doesn’t know of another LRT system that has such a monitoring device either on the train or on the track wayside.

The Aug. 8 derailment near Tunney’s Pasture Station happened when an axle roller bearing overheated, severing a wheel , the Transportation Safety Board discovered. The TSB suggested that a heat-detection system should be in place.

A proper maintenance regime was supposed to be designed to monitor the axle bearing assembly without a heat-detection device. RTM and Alstom, along with the city, have been looking into the TSB’s suggestion.

For now, Alstom has increased train inspection frequency to every 7,500 kilometres to detect any axle failures.

R1 replacement service sucking buses from Trillium Line replacement service

Pat Scrimgeour, Transpo’s top planner, revealed which bus routes are losing the most trips to feed the Confederation Line R1 replacement service.

Thirty-eight trips on the Line 2 bus route have been cancelled during the recent LRT replacement bus service. The Line 2 bus route is a replacement service for the closed Trillium Line currently under expansion.

Other routes with double-digit trip cancellations include Route 7 (17 cancellations), Route 15 (11 cancellations) and Route 24 (10 cancellations).

Transpo expects R1 buses might be required if there isn’t enough train capacity as LRT service gradually returns.

Councillors Glen Gower and McKenney received the transit commission’s support to recommend extending customer bus transfers by 60 minutes during the R1 service. Council would need to approve the proposal next Wednesday.

Currently, bus transfers are valid for between 90 minutes and 105 minutes, depending on the time of day.

Meanwhile, McKenney was urging the city to buy 11 scrap articulated buses on auction in St. Louis, Missouri to bolster service in Ottawa. In fact, McKenney was offering to buy them. Around 3 p.m., a single lot of 13 buses had a bid of $1,525.

“I’ve got my credit card ready to go,” McKenney said.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...s-to-supervisory-uplift-and-better-tools

[rocketphish]

A couple of loose bolts, a city dead in its tracks
Neither the operator nor OC Transpo's control centre immediately knew a train had begun to derail on the LRT line on Sept. 19.

Kelly Egan, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Oct 20, 2021 • 51 minutes ago • 3 minute read



There were at least five things said before Wednesday’s transit commission to clang an alarm or — like our shiny, new trains — stop us in our tracks.

1) Neither the operator nor OC Transpo’s control centre immediately knew a train had begun to derail on the LRT line on Sept. 19 near the Tremblay Road station, the most serious accident in the system’s short history.

In answer to a question from Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, and a good one it was, RTM’s chief executive Mario Guerra said the system only knew something was amiss when a piece of switching equipment was broadsided by the dislodged train, knocking out the signal. One or more of sets of wheels had already travelled hundreds of metres off the track, even crossing a bridge, with about a dozen passengers on board. Absent hitting the switch, Leiper asked, could it have just kept going, no one the wiser? “Definitely a possibility,” Guerra said.

2) Then came, for lack of a better comparison, the Homer Simpson moment, elegantly expressed by citizen commissioner Michael Olsen, who used the “for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost” reference. Early indications are a gear box fell off or rattled loose on Sept. 19 because some bolts were not tightened properly in an inner circular ring of fasteners, thus allowing the heavy piece of equipment to come off the wheel, begin a cascading havoc that brought the whole system to its knees, now 31 days and counting.

A couple of bolts? We are in transit hell over a couple of bolts? “It just seems like a minute problem to have shut down the entire LRT for six to eight weeks,” Olsen said. RTM is narrowing its investigation to a particular day when maintenance was being performed on this train. “We understand when it happened,” Guerra said. “It was actually during a shift change, where the assumption was that something was done and it wasn’t. So we know that.” He said RTM is looking at training, tools and quality control measures to ensure it never happens again.

3) “Now? Now, after two years of constant dysfunction on the system. Now?” Somerset Ward Coun. Catherine McKenney remarked in something approaching disbelief. The councillor was referring to a slide presentation that referred to “Additional Alstom Commitments.” The French-based train-maker, a major subcontractor to RTM, has committed to “Uplift competencies of the leadership and supervision teams” and “strive to regain a professional and productive work environment by injecting fresh, qualified resources.”

How is it, McKenney wondered, that, after two problem-plagued years, this is where we’re at, with leadership that needs its competency “uplifted”? And, the councillor continued, is the main problem, as outgoing general manager John Manconi apparently suggested, “Alstom, Alstom and Alstom?”

Guerra did not answer directly. “I think, ultimately, there is enough blame to go around.” Any new system has start-up problems, he said, and Ottawa had the misfortune of having two “high-profile” incidents (derailments on Aug. 8 and Sept. 19) close together.

4) It will take some luck — and when has LRT ever had any? — for the trains to be operating in the middle of November. RTM is committing to have seven trains and a spare ready by the end of the month, but it’s uncertain whether this is merely for testing, which could take days, or actual service. The skeptics around the table were many: RTG/M never saw a deadline it didn’t like to miss, like in finishing the build-out. A third-party consultant, TRA, is to review RTM’s plan for return to service to ensure it covers the bases and doesn’t compromise safety. It has, however, a lengthy to-do list. “It’s possible” the trains could be operating on the November timeline, TRA vice-president Daniel Hauber said.

5) OC Transpo’s bus system is enduring a perfect storm. The R1 replacement runs, which roughly mimic the train route, were designed as a stop-gap when trains are briefly out of service — not a robust parallel system that does the same job. Because OC has reduced its bus fleet — the whole idea with the switch to trains — it is scrambling to create enough capacity on the R1 spine. This involves robbing from other routes and asking drivers to work lots of overtime. Yet OC is already trying to help the crippled school bus system, which can’t find enough drivers, and looking at possibly losing personnel by Nov. 1 for lack of COVID-19 vaccinations.

“We try to be a voice for Ottawa transit riders,” passenger advocate Kari Glynes Elliott said, “and right now everyone is screaming.”

To contact Kelly Egan, please call 613-291-6265 or email [email protected]
Twitter.com/kellyegancolumn

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/egan-a-couple-of-loose-bolts-a-city-dead-in-its-tracks

[ponyboycurtis]

Without trying to sling doodoo on anyone.. What is the purpose of those people that sit on the platform and blow a whistle? Did they(Apppache attack helicopter) not notice that the friggin train was derailed and draggin against the platform?

We haven't heard a single word about this yet.

If you recall Councillor McKenney from a month ago... (the first meeting after the Sept derailment) she shared a storey of her daughter being on the train witnessing a women whose jean jacket was caught in the train doors and the train was allowed to carry on.

I know for myself if I were to watch a train come in at 5 minute headways my eyes would go sideways. But still.. what in the absolute heck are we paying these people to stand on the platform for if they can't even detect a derailed train?

There is clear cut evidence that Tremblay station had a friggin train dragging against the platform itself.

Is this just evidence that EVERY SINGLE aspect of the LRT is broken?

Last week when I got off the bus at Hurdman and once again elected to walk to downtown and avoid the R1... BOTH washrooms were out of service. I was mildly displeased.

[J.OT13]

Daniel Hauber, vice-president at TRA, told the transit commission that he doesn’t know of another LRT system that has such a monitoring device either on the train or on the track wayside.

This isn't the typical, slow running streetcar type system. It's LRT trains running at light-metro speeds and frequency.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

Without trying to sling doodoo on anyone.. What is the purpose of those people that sit on the platform and blow a whistle? Did they not notice that the friggin train was derailed and draggin against the platform?

Their purpose is only to clear the train for departure. They don't really have any mechanism to stop a train after it departs besides frantically blowing their whistle.

If you recall Councillor McKenney from a month ago... (the first meeting after the Sept derailment) they shared a storey of their daughter being on the train witnessing a women whose jean jacket was caught in the train doors and the train was allowed to carry on.

I wonder if OC Transpo ever followed up with them.

I know for myself if I were to watch a train come in at 5 minute headways my eyes would go sideways. But still.. what in the absolute heck are we paying these people to stand on the platform for if they can't even detect a derailed train?

There is clear cut evidence that Tremblay station had a friggin train dragging against the platform itself.

"We" aren't paying them, RTG is. Bla bla bla it's all taxpayer money and stuff, but it's coming out of RTG's profit margins.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by OCCheetos

Their purpose is only to clear the train for departure. They don't really have any mechanism to stop a train after it departs besides frantically blowing their whistle.

Agreed. One also has to remember that the train is 600m long. It was never made clear which wheel(s) derailed, but my gut feeling has always been that it was near the back of the train (I could be wrong though). If so, by the time it reached the front of the platform, where the "whistle blower" is, the front of the train would have been well out of the station and the driver would be well out of earshot (especially when you take reaction time into account).

That is all assuming they understood the severity of the situation. Sure they might have noticed that the train was making unusual noises (if they were paying attention, since the job they are paid for is done until the next train arrives), but while hind sight is 20/20, at the time it could easily have been dismissed (especially when, as you said, they don't have any tools other than a whistle to work with). Even if they did, unless they were confident that something was seriously wrong, would they have the confidence to order the train to stop, grinding the line to a stop?

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

Without trying to sling doodoo on anyone.. What is the purpose of those people that sit on the platform and blow a whistle? Did they(Apppache attack helicopter) not notice that the friggin train was derailed and draggin against the platform?

We haven't heard a single word about this yet.

If you recall Councillor McKenney from a month ago... (the first meeting after the Sept derailment) she shared a storey of her daughter being on the train witnessing a women whose jean jacket was caught in the train doors and the train was allowed to carry on.

I know for myself if I were to watch a train come in at 5 minute headways my eyes would go sideways. But still.. what in the absolute heck are we paying these people to stand on the platform for if they can't even detect a derailed train?

There is clear cut evidence that Tremblay station had a friggin train dragging against the platform itself.

Is this just evidence that EVERY SINGLE aspect of the LRT is broken?

Last week when I got off the bus at Hurdman and once again elected to walk to downtown and avoid the R1... BOTH washrooms were out of service. I was mildly displeased.

The "whistle blowers" are there in case there is an issue with the camera system, which transmits images from the platforms to the train cabs. It was unreliable for certain camera/station/train combinations, so this was the solution Alstom/RTM came up with. They thought they had reached reliability in February 2020 and removed the whistles, but 3 days later the entire system failed creating some havoc and they've been back ever since.

The system is generally very reliable - most trains don't have any issues, and it's often a certain train/station combo that creates an issue. This means that the operator is often paying no attention to the whistle at all, as the primary system is working just fine for them.

As for the staff themselves, they work for a security contractor (it was Cancom, it may have changed). They have no communication with the train/control room other than the whistle and regular emergency telephone, so there's not much they can do.