LRT unlikely to be finished by next Friday, sources say

A week before Rideau Transit Group (RTG) is supposed to deliver the $2.1-billion Confederation Line to the city, it's not clear how the 12-day trial of the 12.5-kilometre LRT system is proceeding,or whether the project will be finished by the Aug. 16 deadline.

Indeed, CBC sources familiar with the project say the light-rail handover will be more than a week late.

• City agrees that Confederation Line is substantially complete
• No LRT by Canada Day, city confirms

The consortium building the east-west LRT line of whichSNC-Lavalin is a key playeris more than a year late delivering the system that will run between Tunney's Pasture and Blair stations. It has missed four target datesso farand will be penalized $1 million for three of them.

Last winter, there were problems with the trains operating during winter storms, and more recently, issues with the brakes and doors on the Alstom Citiadis Spirit trains.

But last month, RTG saidfor the second timethat the Confederation Line was substantially complete, meaning that all construction and systems testing was finished, and that the systemwas more or less ready for public use.

On July 27, the city agreed, triggering a $60-million payment to RTG.

Where is RTG in 12-day trial run?

The last major step is the 12-day trial run, where the Confederation Line is supposed to operate as if it's in full service without any major problems. If there is a major issue, the trial run is supposed to begin again at Day 1, although it's unclear exactly what circumstances would cause the clock to start over.

The trial officially began on Monday, July 29, according to John Manconi, the city's general manager of transit services. That means the 12th day should be Friday, Aug. 9.

But the city is refusing to answer any questions about the trial run, so it's impossible to know if the trial run is on Day 2 or Day 10.

However, according to CBC sources, there have been some hiccups in the trial run. Operations were suspended temporarily for a day or two and other issues come up daily. On Thursday, for example,only 14 trains were launched for morning rush hour instead of the required 15 because one train wasn't working properly.

WhenRTG says it's finished its 12-day simulation, an independent certifier will be asked to give it a stamp of approval before the city accepts the Confederation Line. It's now looking like that will occur closer to the end of the month.

Once the handover is complete,RTG will receive its final payment of $202 million, and the city will take about four weeks to prepare to launch the system for the public.