As OC Transpo continues to grapple with a shortage of trains on the new LRT system on Tuesday, the transit agency says 10 of the usual 13 trains will be running during the afternoon rush hour.
The update comes after a rough morning for the problem-plagued Confederation Line, which only started the day with eight trains on the tracks.
According to OC Transpo, 13 light-rail trains (a train is technically a pair of train cars) are needed for the morning and afternoon peak hours, while 11 are needed during midday service.
On Tuesday morning, OC Transpo deployed “special buses” to shuttle riders non-stop between Hurdman and Tunney’s Pasture stations and downtown so the train wouldn’t get jammed up.
A plan to have those buses return riders to those stations from downtown Tuesday afternoon — between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. — will go ahead, said a brief afternoon update from OC Transpo boss John Manconi.
This is the second day in a row the $2.1-billion LRT system has had a smaller fleet than needed to carry riders along east-west tracks.
On Monday, Manconi said only 11 of the required 13 trains were running during morning peak hours, which shrunk to 10 for the afternoon commute.
Two trains had to be pulled off service due to compressor- and wheel-related issues, Manconi said in a statement that afternoon.
The chair of the city’s transit commission told two morning talk shows that the consortium the City of Ottawa hired to maintain the Confederation Line has had problems completing maintenance work on the wheels.
Coun. Allan Hubley said in separate interviews aired Tuesday morning that the wheels have developed flat spots and need to be taken out of service.
Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) — the maintenance arm of Rideau Transit Group, which designed and built the LRT system — has a 30-year maintenance contract with the city.
-
![]()
Carney announces GST credit top up to tackle grocery costs -
![]()
Carney responds to Trump’s 100% tariff threat, says China deal consistent with CUSMA -
![]()
Piper James identified as Canadian found dead on Australian beach, surrounded by dingoes -
![]()
New Ipsos poll ‘stress tests’ Alberta, Quebec separatism sentiments
Global News sent questions about the train shortage to the consortium and will update this story if a response is received.
Get daily National news
A spokesperson for RTM sent a written statement in response on early Wednesday afternoon.
“RTM is working day and night to get more trains back onto tracks and restore full service,” spokesperson Jodi Rogers said.
Senior city and transit leaders have met with the consortium’s CEO “to get briefed on what the issues are and demand that the issues with the trains and track be immediately rectified,” according to Manconi’s statement Monday afternoon.
The transit commission is expected to convene for a special meeting on Thursday – “solely” to get an update on the state of the LRT system, Hubley tweeted.
The train shortage is the latest snafu in what has been a difficult week — and four months — for Ottawa’s LRT system, which launched mid-September.
Service on the eastern end of the Confederation Line was crippled for most of the day Thursday because an overhead wire supplying power to an eastbound train broke and fell as the vehicle pulled into St-Laurent station shortly before 11 a.m.
Then, problems with track switches and switch heaters on the LRT line on both Saturday and Sunday meant replacement bus service had to be called in, according to OC Transpo.
Since October, however, service on the Confederation Line has been repeatedly brought to a halt by problems with stuck doors on trains as well as onboard computers that have failed.
The city’s transit agency, OC Transpo, apologized to riders on Tuesday morning for trains and platforms that were extra crowded, as well as longer-than-usual waits.
The eight LRT trains in service this morning represent fewer than half the whole LRT fleet, which has 17 trains in total.
The city previously said 15 trains would be needed during rush hours — and later decreased that number to 13 — and that two of the trains would be reserved as backup vehicles.
OC Transpo has mobilized a replacement fleet of buses to keep on standby during the morning and afternoon rush hours in cause there are service delays on the Confederation Line.
The city has said it’s charging the consortium for the cost of operating the supplementary bus service and transit officials confirmed last week that the city continues to withhold monthly maintenance payments to RTM.
-With files from The Canadian Press
Comments