Full LRT service may not be restored until mid-December: City

The City of Ottawa says the plan to restore partial service to the Confederation Line LRT is proceeding towards its November target date, but it could be another month before full service is restored.

In a memo to city councillors, sent Tuesday, City Manager Steve Kanellakos said the plan to restore partial LRT service to the line following the Sept. 19 derailment is proceeding and some service should be restored within the first two weeks of November.

"We can advise that significant progress has been made to prepare for the resumption of partial Line 1 service since the Transit Commission was updated last Wednesday. Additional RTG technicians have been deployed to inspect the trains and conduct necessary work to relaunch the system. The independent rail safety expert, Transportation Research Associates (TRA), is actively monitoring their progress," Kanellakos wrote.

The Confederation Line has been out of service since Sept. 19, when an LRT car derailed at Tremblay Station, damaging the car, the track, the station platform and track infrastructure. Council heard that improperly torqued bolts on one of the train cars led to a gear box becoming loose, which then led to the derailment. There were 12 passengers and the operator on board at the time. No one was hurt.

Kanellakos said RTG has provided a Nov. 29 target date to have full service restored, which includes 15 trains in the morning rush period and 13 in the afternoons. That, however, is dependent upon the same vetting process that is needed for the resumption of partial service using seven trains plus a spare.