OC Transpo introduces new R1 Para option as LRT shutdown drags on

OC Transpointroduceda new R1 Para service Wednesday as the LRT shutdown dragson.

The full length of the Confederation Line from Tunney's Pasture to Blair stations will be available for same-day booking for Para Transpo customers,Rene Amilcar, thecity's general manager of transit services, said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

The full conference is available in the player above.

Rami El Feghali, OC Transpo's manager of customer service, said Wednesday the R1 Para service will not affectPara Transpo service elsewhere in the city.

Same-daybookingwould not normally be possible, Amilcar said, because it would strain the agency's resources.

Ottawa'slight rail system has been shut down since July 17, when it was pulled from service during afternoon rush hour after a routine inspection uncovereda problem with a bearing.

Amilcar said WednesdayOC Transpo hopes to get the system up and running for Aug. 14.

The problem behind the current shutdown is"similar to what was found" to have caused a derailment in August 2021 and a wheel hub failure in July 2022, OC Transpo said Monday.

The transit agencyoriginally set July 31 as its target date for reopening the servicebut scrapped that plan last week, saying a new risk assessment mustbe completed.

Amilcar said that assessmentis expected to be complete by Thursday.

After that, an additional 10days of repairs must bedoneto thetracks and the system must undergo testing. The repairs and testing can take place at the same time, Amilcar said.

The consortium that built the Confederation Line, Rideau Transit Group (RTG), is also in the process of replacing the wheel hub assemblies across its entire train fleet. To date, it has changed wheel hub assemblies on 15 vehicles.

In the meantime, OC Transpolaunched a newexpress shuttle serviceMonday in an effort to speed up rush-hour trips from Blair station to downtown.