OC Transpo says it will take at least six weeks to restore O-Train Line 1 service, but that there is no longer a risk of a long-term shutdown.
The agency updated Transit Committee on April 9, the first meeting with new general manager Rick Leary at the helm. Leary described the ongoing vehicle shortage as “a little shocking,” but committed to restoring reliable service.
Since late January, Line 1 has been running with single trains, rather than its normal twin sets, because metal flakes were discovered in the cartridge bearing assemblies on several trains. Those assemblies, which connect the axles to the wheels, are now being replaced every 100,000 kilometres, reducing the number of available trains. OC Transpo says that, at the current rate of replacement, dual-train service could be restored by May 31.
Rideau Transit Group, the consortium that maintains Line 1, is also procuring sensors that will monitor for damage and allow trains to run longer between replacements. Troy Charter, OC Transpo’s director of rail operations, said this will further increase train availability, but that it will take six to eight weeks for the first sensors to be installed. He said covering the full fleet could take more than five months. In the meantime, trains are being visually inspected as they leave the yard and technicians onboard are checking for vibrations that indicate problems.
Charter, the agency’s acting general manager until Leary’s hiring last month, said these practices have allowed OC Transpo to avoid a long-term closure. River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington said he was glad to hear the line would remain open.
“Shutting the line down has to be in extreme cases only,” he said. “This is our spine route in the city. We’ve eliminated crosstown bus routes. When Line 1 goes down, it’s absolute pain and agony.”
Beyond the service reduction, the lack of trains is also delaying the opening of Line 1’s eastern extension to the far end of Orleans. The extension achieved substantial completion earlier this month. Charter told the committee 46 trains are needed to complete testing on the new segment, twice as many as are currently available. There is no timeline for opening the extension, but Charter said it will not open this spring.
In the long-term, Rideau Transit Group and Alstom, the train manufacturer, are redesigning the cartridge bearing assemblies to fix the problem permanently. Charter said OC Transpo has seen drawings of the new design and that a prototype is being developed. The new assemblies would not be subject to the 100,000-kilometre limit, but Charter acknowledged it could take years to update every train.
He said Alstom has been working to strengthen the supply chain for replacement assemblies in the interim, and that the agency has also considered procuring spares from other cities like Toronto, where the recently opened Finch West LRT uses the same vehicles.
OC Transpo has committed to providing weekly updates on Line 1 until full service is restored. Leary, only a few weeks into his new job, said he was happy with what he’s seen so far.
“I’m impressed with the way it’s being managed,” he said. “I do see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
