OC Transpo officials acknowledged they were considering a full shutdown of the O-Train Line 1 as a contingency plan after a technical analysis revealed “additional damage” to the cartridge bearing assemblies on the train car axles.
Union officials said a
potential shutdown of Line 1 was a “possibility”
in late March as OC Transpo and the Rideau Transit Group continued to search for a solution to the “spalling” issue that has hampered rail service for more than two months.
A safety order was issued on Jan. 21 after the spalling issue was detected, forcing OC Transpo to remove all train cars that had exceeded 100,000 kilometres out of service for analysis and repairs. OC Transpo removed 41 train cars from service in January, leading to longer wait times and crowded platforms at O-Train stations.
OC Transpo has since returned four train cars to service, with 22 train cars now available on the east-west line, which continues to operate with one car every three to four minutes in peak periods.
Interim general manager Troy Charter said the recent discovery of additional damage means the transit authority will not be able to reassess or remove the 100,000-kilometre limit and those train cars will remain out of service.
RTG and train manufacturer Alstom performed “teardowns” to examine the cartridge bearing assemblies in detail, Charter said, and “discovered additional damage that was not anticipated.”
The discovery prompted “a full review of the containment measures already implemented, further interim mitigation measures to be put in place, as well as additional actions,” Charter told the transit committee on April 9.
OC Transpo developed contingency plans “to ensure we could keep everyone moving should Line 1 be impacted,” Charter said.
One of those contingency plans involved a potential shutdown and running R1 replacement buses.
“We anticipate, we plan and we mitigate for any scenario that could come forward, and that was the work that we were doing,” Charter said. “Ultimately, we did not need to implement those contingency plans. Service continue to operate safely and at those current service levels. But I fully acknowledge that, yes, we were taking actions and steps to plan for various scenarios.”
More to come…
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