Ottawa LRT remains partly shut down after freezing rain outage
CTV
Work was underway late Thursday evening to repair Ottawa's LRT system after freezing rain and "arcing" may have caused significant damage to the overhead wiring system.
Work was underway late Thursday evening to repair Ottawa's LRT system after freezing rain and "arcing" may have caused significant damage to the overhead wiring system.
The O-Train was partially shutdown in Ottawa's east end on Thursday after freezing rain caused ice to build up on the line Wednesday night, transit general manager Renee Amilcar said in a memo. Frozen wires led to two stuck trains, which had yet to be cleared from the tracks as of late Thursday afternoon.
A section of the overhead catenary system has been damaged near Lees Station, and Rideau Transit Maintenance is concerned the sparks spotted along the LRT line Wednesday night may have damaged the overhead power system, Amilcar told council in a separate email.
Late Thursday evening, Amilcar said repairs were underway on the overhead catenary system near Lees Station and would continue through the night.
"We continue to work to remove the ice from the OCS in the east end of the line," Amilcar said.
A video posted on Twitter just after 11 p.m. Wednesday showed sparks flying from the overhead catenary system as a train approached Hurdman Station.
The overhead catenary system transmits electrical power to the trains.
