Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service

[J.OT13]

Although the slowness is quite frustrating, at this point, this should not be the permanent state of the system. It may take 2 or 3 years, but we should get to a point where speeds return to what they were initially, which was quite respectable.

Furthermore, Stage 2 has long stretches of straight track trough Orleans, Scott Street trench, Byron Linear Park... so those slower stretches, which are almost exclusively in the east end between Lees and Cyrville, won't seem as bad.

[ottawaballa]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

I was driving SB on the Vanier Pkwy tonight and noticed a Line 1 train going WB much faster than what I'm used to seeing for this stretch of track. Usually I see trains crawling across that overpass.

Wondering if the TSR for that stretch has been lifted? It was a one-car train if that matters at all. I ride Line 1 almost daily but almost never go further east than Rideau station so I haven't been keeping up with what speeds are like on that brutal stretch between Lees and St. Laurent stations.

Interesting. I haven't ridden in that section for a couple of weeks but will check it out when I do.

I do notice that, although the trains are still going very slow in the tunnel between uOttawa and just west of Rideau station, the speed has picked up between Rideau and Parliament stations.

I also notice that there seems to be a new slow zone just east and west of Bayview station. I noticed this in the last couple of weeks.

It seems like when certain slow zone areas are lifted, more slow zones pop up in other sections.

[SL123]

From CTV News MTL

'Is it going to be working tomorrow?': Montreal's new REM had 41 service interruptions since it opened

"There was another service interruption Wednesday morning on Montreal's new Réseau express métropolitain (REM) — the fourth breakdown on the light-rail line in three days."

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/is-it-go...ened-1.6625960

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by SL123

From CTV News MTL

'Is it going to be working tomorrow?': Montreal's new REM had 41 service interruptions since it opened

"There was another service interruption Wednesday morning on Montreal's new Réseau express métropolitain (REM) — the fourth breakdown on the light-rail line in three days."

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/is-it-go...ened-1.6625960

Makes the O-Train seem pretty good. We get weeks long shut-downs once every 4 months, but maybe half a dozen 5-40 minute delays in between (rarely full shut-downs).

This is the reality of most new lines. There's an adjustment period. Vancouver is the only city that doesn't experience such problems, at least with Canada Line and Evergreen Extension as far as I know (though there was a period of adjustment with Expo, but that WAS new technology).

[DTcrawler]

If I can sound like a Line 1 sympathizer for a minute, it's funny to read this article and see that conditions that Ottawans would assure you only exist in Ottawa, do in fact exist elsewhere. The unfortunate, regular, breakdowns on the brand-new REM aside, there's also mention of 1.5 hour cross-town commutes on transit, while Ottawans claim such is a unique condition of our city, and expect that travelling from your far-flung suburb to your place of employment should be a one-seat, door-to-door service with travel time that's competitive with driving.

'Is it going to be working tomorrow?': Montreal's new REM had 41 service interruptions since it opened

[Kitchissippi]

Maybe there’s a common denominator in both these systems’ problems. <cough> ALSTOM <cough>.

[BlueJay]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Maybe there’s a common denominator in both these systems’ problems. <cough> ALSTOM <cough>.

Alstom Diesel Trains are fine. The issue is obviously with their Electric fleet.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Maybe there’s a common denominator in both these systems’ problems. <cough> ALSTOM <cough>.

I was going to point to Montreal, but the Azure's are a Bombardier-Alstom (well before merger) product. But then there's the TTC Rockets and Streetcars, Bombardier, that had major issues.

NYC had issues with their new Kawasakis. Boston with their new CRRC rolling stock. Pretty much all train manufacturers build deficient electric vehicles nowadays.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by ottawaballa

It seems like when certain slow zone areas are lifted, more slow zones pop up in other sections.

It's like a game if whack-a-mole.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

I was driving SB on the Vanier Pkwy tonight and noticed a Line 1 train going WB much faster than what I'm used to seeing for this stretch of track. Usually I see trains crawling across that overpass.

Wondering if the TSR for that stretch has been lifted? It was a one-car train if that matters at all. I ride Line 1 almost daily but almost never go further east than Rideau station so I haven't been keeping up with what speeds are like on that brutal stretch between Lees and St. Laurent stations.

The Temporary Speed Restrictions around the Hurdman Station area is still in place and has never been lifted.

Although recently, there has been some partial lifting of speed restrictions at the following location:
- Between uOttawa and Rideau in the westbound direction only
- Cyrville Station, the area between Cyrville Station and half-way between Cyrville and St. Laurent in both directions (note that the area between half-way between Cyrville and St. Laurent is still in place)

The bad news is that they recently implemented a new speed restriction in the Bayview Station area.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I was going to point to Montreal, but the Azure's are a Bombardier-Alstom (well before merger) product. But then there's the TTC Rockets and Streetcars, Bombardier, that had major issues.

NYC had issues with their new Kawasakis. Boston with their new CRRC rolling stock. Pretty much all train manufacturers build deficient electric vehicles nowadays.

There's another common denominator though, Eglinton too: Atkins Realis.

[Andrew_G]

Originally Posted by JCL

The Temporary Speed Restrictions around the Hurdman Station area is still in place and has never been lifted.

Although recently, there has been some partial lifting of speed restrictions at the following location:
- Between uOttawa and Rideau in the westbound direction only
- Cyrville Station, the area between Cyrville Station and half-way between Cyrville and St. Laurent in both directions (note that the area between half-way between Cyrville and St. Laurent is still in place)

The bad news is that they recently implemented a new speed restriction in the Bayview Station area.

I cannot for the life of me understand why some of these temporary speed restrictions are in place. The curves through Bayview Station are almost non-existent, while other areas on the line with tighter curves don't have restrictions. I can understand the Hurdman track and a couple of other areas, but other spots that are essentially straight have significant slow downs. It is extremely frustrating to experience during daily commuting.

[Uhuniau]

From councillor Brockington:

https://twitter.com/RiverWardRiley/s...42956882989080

Riley Brockington
@RiverWardRiley

Pleased to join OC Transpo GM Renee Amilcar at Hurdman Station this morning at 730am to discuss a number of issues: Passenger exposure to the elements at various points at both the LRT and bus platforms, distance from LRT station to final bus bay, lack of benches, trees.
10:00 AM · Nov 6, 2023

[rocketphish]

Confederation Line LRT deploys new measures for freezing rain
Freezing rain twice knocked the LRT line out of service earlier this year.

Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Published Nov 14, 2023 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 1 minute read

With the first freezing rain of the winter, OC Transpo has begun spraying anti-ice chemicals on the overhead catenary that powers Confederation Line LRT trains. The move was one of the recommendations in an engineering report after freezing rain twice knocked the LRT line out of service earlier this year.

Richard Holder, the city’s director of engineering services, gave an update to the transit commission Tuesday morning. OC Transpo has also begun installing heavy-duty “winter carbon” scrapers on the trains that are more effective at knocking ice build-up off the overhead power lines.

The stretch of track between Hurdman and Lees stations where the Confederation Line crosses the Rideau River has been a headache during ice storms. During an ice storm last January, ice fog from the still unfrozen river amplified the ice build up from the freezing rain on the power lines. That triggered a fault that cut power to the entire system. Even when power was restored, attempts to tow two stranded trains caused even more damage when severe arcing melted the wire. The breakdowns caused a six-day partial shutdown. A freak spring ice storm in April caused a second shutdown along the same section of track.

Another issue was that without power, there was no way to tow the stopped trains from the track. Holder told councillors on the commission that the city has now acquired a diesel-powered tug that will be able to tow stopped trains even when there’s no electrical power available. The tug is currently undergoing testing and should be available for service soon, Holder said.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...-freezing-rain

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

From councillor Brockington:

https://twitter.com/RiverWardRiley/s...42956882989080

lol. What a bunch of stupid bastards. Has anyone who calls a shot ever looked out the window before?

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

lol. What a bunch of stupid bastards. Has anyone who calls a shot ever looked out the window before?

Maybe we can implement the old hurdman, run the buses in a loop with the overhead train line being the roof, just like we've ALL BEEN SAYING since the beginning? What's the cost there, $1, $2 milly?

Edit: Thinking even further on this: Imagine the bus portion of the station was oriented centred on the current pedestrian entrance, with bus stops on either side of the tracks. Sure the car drop off loop and bike paths would need altering, but it's a big area to work with.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

Maybe we can implement the old hurdman, run the buses in a loop with the overhead train line being the roof, just like we've ALL BEEN SAYING since the beginning? What's the cost there, $1, $2 milly?

Edit: Thinking even further on this: Imagine the bus portion of the station was oriented centred on the current pedestrian entrance, with bus stops on either side of the tracks. Sure the car drop off loop and bike paths would need altering, but it's a big area to work with.

A lot of the problems are being resolved, because we are substantially reducing the number of buses going to Hurdman.

[eltodesukane]

from https://twitter.com/RiverWardRiley/s...42956882989080
"I was pleased to hear that OC is developing a plan to revamp the entire bus bay stretch at Hurdman."

Nobody thought about that when they did the initial design...
(like they say, "Measure Twice Cut Once")

[J.OT13]

Yup, quite ridiculous that they didn't take the time to design something functional right off the bat. It can somewhat be forgiven for Blair and Tunney's since both are "temporary", but not Hurdman.

As others have said, loop buses around the station. One side can be drop-off, the other pick-up. Would love to have seen the concourse enclosed with benches and next bus arrival screens.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Yup, quite ridiculous that they didn't take the time to design something functional right off the bat. It can somewhat be forgiven for Blair and Tunney's since both are "temporary", but not Hurdman.

As others have said, loop buses around the station. One side can be drop-off, the other pick-up. Would love to have seen the concourse enclosed with benches and next bus arrival screens.

Like, use the elevated way as shelter, incorporate it into the structure.

The reason for that not happening was apparently some future reservation for future land use changes by a future NCC way off in the future.

So... build it that way now and demolish/replace when that far-off future comes to be? Or change that future plan?