Full capacity will resume on Line 1 of the O-Train LRT system on June 8, the general manager for OC Transpo said Wednesday.
Restoration of Double-Car Trains
In a May 27 memo addressed to the mayor and members of city council, Rick Leary said this meant double-car trains would again be in operation on weekdays and trains would run every five minutes during peak periods. Single-car service would continue on weekends, the memo added.
Root Cause of Service Reduction
OC Transpo has been consulting with Rideau Transit Group and train manufacturer Alstom to determine the root cause of a spalling issue that was discovered in January. Those problems led to 41 of 59 trains on Line 1 being taken out of service. Spalling is flaking of the metal surface of the cartridge bearing assembly on the train's axles. In April, OC Transpo revealed that engineers had also discovered a more severe form of spalling called 'shelling,' meaning larger flakes of metal and deeper damage than previously detected.
Advancements in Monitoring Systems
Leary's memo on May 27 said restoration of full capacity was due to having an adequate supply of cartridge bearing assemblies 'and advancements in implementing a condition monitoring system on Line 1.' Leary also wrote that the number of Line 1 cars below the 100,000-kilometre threshold for being taken out of service for inspection and repair had continued to increase and was 'stable,' allowing for the return to full capacity.
'The condition monitoring system has been installed on several vehicles, and testing and validation exercises are in progress. Once the results from this phase are assessed, the system will be implemented across the remaining fleet,' the memo said. 'This system will provide near real-time monitoring of the CBAs, helping increase the number of trains available for service and strengthening the resiliency of Line 1.'
Ongoing Investigation and Extension Delays
Updates on the investigation into the root cause analysis by RTG and Alstom would continue to be provided at the city's transit committee, Leary wrote. The reduced availability of train cars for Line 1 has also pushed back testing of the long-delayed East Extension of Line 1 to Orléans.
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