Monday target for LRT return to service hinges on Friday report

The expected Monday return to service for Ottawa's light rail system depends on a report from a French axle manufacturer, OC Transpo says.

Repeatedly this week, the city's director of transit services ReneAmilcar said three targets must be metbefore LRT service canresume.

First, alltrains mustbe inspected. Second, a safety notefrom the train's maker and the consortium that built the Confederation Line must be delivered.

Both conditions were met earlier this week, asOC Transpoannounced all trains had been inspected and ithad receiveda draft version of the safety note.

The remaining unmettarget isa report from French axle manufacturer Texelisdetailingthe disassembly and analysis of the problem wheel hub.

"If all milestones are not met, we will not resume Line 1 service, because safety is paramount," Amilcar said at a Thursday afternoon news conference."I'm still confident, but I cannot speculate because I don't know what this report will say."

The full briefing is available in the video player above.

The shutdown

The LRT has been shut down for more than a week after it was pulled out of serviceonJuly 17. A bearing problem is behind the latest shutdown, but the city has not explainedwhy it keeps happening.

OC Transpo said at a Wednesday news conference it expects Ottawa's light rail systemto return to serviceMondaywith just eight single-car trains,a fraction of its total 45-car fleet.

The eight carswill run approximately every seven to eight minutes, OC Transpo said, and combined with a full replacement bus service running in parallel, the transit agency says the arrangement will meet current consumer demand.

WATCH |Amilcar 'confident' about Monday LRT return:

Amilcar 'confident' about Monday LRT return, but depends on manufacturer report

1 year ago

Duration 0:35

During an update Thursday, Ottawa's director of transit services Rene Amilcar said three targets must be met before LRT service can resume.

The train's maker, Alstom, and the consortium that built the Confederation Line,Rideau Transit Group (RTG), areredesigning the wheel hub assembly as part of a permanent solution, though the root cause of the issues still hasn't been identified.

The full length of that process including design, testing and deployment is expected to take up to three years.

Bearings have beena central part of the problemsplaguing Ottawa's light rail system over the last two years.

During the current shutdown, buses have been running the length of the line.Riders have complained aboutfacing longer commutes and crowded buses, renewing questions about whether compensation would be offered, somethingthe head of OC Transpo wouldn't address at a media briefing Monday.

In the meantime, a university student has come up withinnovative waysto helpothers avoid the delays and overcrowded buses.