LRT disruptions continue Sunday after crews fail to tow stuck trains

The partial closure of Ottawa's LRThas stretchedintoSunday as repair efforts Saturday morningcaused further damage to the system, the third time that's happened since the initial breakdown several days ago.

According tothe latest update Sunday morning, Confederation Line trains continue torun on two loops: between Blair and Tremblay stations in the east andbetween Tunney's Pasture and uOttawa stations in the west.

R1 bus serviceremains in place between St-Laurent andRideau stations.

Sunday's service is expected to be the same as Saturday, transit services general manager Rene Amilcarsaid in a memo Saturday evening to council.

Officials have not given any indication as to when they expect the line to fully reopen.

In an earlier update Saturday,Amilcarsaid crews successfully removed ice from the overhead wires Friday night.

But when Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) sent a train at low speed to tow one of the trains stuck near Lees station,it insteadcaused additionaldamage to the overhead wire,Amilcar wrote.

3rd time repair attempts caused more damage

The wire was first damaged Thursdaywhen crews triedto move one of the immobilized trainsto a maintenance facility.

The towing attemptSaturday morning was the second time since thenthatRTMhadsent a train into that section of the track, and the second time it resulted in damage to the wire.

The first time,RTMdispatcheda train with a special attachment called a winter carbon strip to remove ice from the overheadwire. That didn't work, and what's more, it damaged a short section of the wirewhich Amilcar said would now need tobe repaired.

"RTMis now conducting a thorough inspection of that entire section of the OCS[Overhead Catenary System]before further attempts are made to move any trains in and out of that area," Amilcar wrote on Saturday.

Amilcar added OC Transpo is bringing in "additional external oversight"to closely monitor RTM's work. The newoversight will supplement the existing oversightfirmTRAInc. thatOC Transpo hired in Oct.2021.

In her Saturday evening memo, Amilcar said RTM crews were on pace to complete their inspection of a 2.8-km stretch of the catenary system by later Saturday night.

So far, no additional damage had been found, she said.

The plan for Sunday is to have crews out early in the morning, carryingout one more sweep of that stretch before trying again to move the stuck trains.

Throughout the day and into the evening, RTM would be inspectingother parts of the power system while also completing repairs to the section damaged earlier Saturday, Amilcar wrote.

"Should circumstances change, or if any step in the plan is unsuccessful, we will take immediate steps to inform council and to inform our customers via a media availability, as this will have a significant impact on Monday's service," Amilcar wrote.

'Inordinate' number of incidents

Stuart MacKay, a board member with transit advocacy group Ottawa Transit Riders, said he believes an "inordinate" number of incidents have occurred along the stretch between uOttawa and Tremblay stations.

In addition to the current stoppage, service along that stretch has been disrupted by a lightning strike, a broken wire, and a derailmentsince September 2021.

"I think we have to start having some serious questions about that stretch of track," MacKay said. "Are we doing everything in terms of preventative measures?"

Regular LRT passenger GabrielWhite was forced to take an R1 replacement buson hisway to work Saturday.

Speaking toCBC at a bus stop outside the Rideau Centre, White saidthe train is an important part of his routinecommutefrom Gatineauto the St. LaurentShopping Centre.

"I depend very much on these trains," he said. "They have to put the train back on service. It is more efficient, and it is more time-saving."

Out of service since late Wednesday

Two out-of-service trains near Lees station have prevented anytrains from running throughthe section of track between uOttawa and Hurdmanstationssince Wednesday night.

The cascading set of problems have been outlined in a series of memos from Amilcarsince then, as well as at a Friday afternoon news conference that includedthe CEO of RTM.

A freezing rain warning was issuedWednesday night by Environment Canada, and rain startedto fall around10 p.m. at the international airport, according to the agency.

Video tweeted just after 11 p.m.showed bright flashes and sparks around the system near Hurdmanstation. The city has said thatcan happen in challenging weather and isn'tnecessarily a safety risk.

Two trains stopped around 11:45 p.m.Wednesday between Lees and Hurdman stations. Amilcarsaid at the time the stoppagewas because of ice buildup on the power system.

RTM CEO Mario Guerra said once the trains were stopped, even more ice built up on the equipment to the point trains couldn't get through.

Guerra said Friday that after the ice was dealt with, thepower system would need to be repaired, the two stopped trains removed, and the systemtested to ensuretrains can runsafely.