Ottawa’s LRT system remained partially closed downtown Thursday afternoon while Rideau Transit Maintenance investigated whether freezing rain and “rainbow” damage caused significant damage to the overhead cable system.
The problems occurred after ice built up due to freezing rain late Wednesday night, transit general manager Rene Amilcar said in a memo Thursday. Frozen wires resulted in two stranded trains that had not yet been cleared from the tracks by late Thursday afternoon.
Amilcar says a portion of the overhead catenary was damaged near Lees Station, and Rideau Transit Maintenance is concerned that sparks seen along the LRT line Wednesday night may have damaged the overhead power system.
Amilcar told Council late Thursday afternoon that an update on the status of repairs and plans for Friday’s service would be released later in the evening.
A video posted on Twitter just after 11pm on Wednesday showed sparks flying from the overhead catenary as a train approached Hurdman station.
The overhead catenary transmits electricity to the trains.
Trains began running between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa stations around 6:15 a.m. Thursday. Previously, replacement bus service ran along the entire Confederation line.
Passengers in stopped trains for nearly an hour
The problems began when an eastbound LRT train stopped between Lees and Hurdman stations around 11:45 p.m., Amilcar said in the memo.
As technicians from train manufacturer Alstom tried to restore the service, trains continued to run on the reverse track, but another stopped shortly afterwards.
“There are no reports of injuries in either train,” Amilkar said. “Additional Alstom technicians were dispatched to the second train while support was provided to customers on the two stationary trains.”
Amilcar said staff had decided to leave passengers on trains while Alstom worked to restore service. But at 12:40 a.m. special constables escorted 37 passengers from the two stranded trains to Herdman stations, where they were transferred to a bus.
“The preliminary analysis shared with the city administration … indicates that the cause of the halted trains is the accumulation of ice on the catenary,” Amilkar said.
As rail service was disrupted, ice began to build up on the overhead catenary. Crews and trains with ice scrapers were dispatched to remove the ice, which delayed the removal of the two stuck trains, Amilcar said.
In additional information late Thursday morning, Amilcar said crews were still working to clear the ice buildup that was delaying the removal of the two trains from the line, as well as a third train that stopped at Tremblay station.
ONGOING Line 1: Train service has resumed between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa. R1 bus route between Rideau and Blair. Bus transport between Saint Laurent and Sirville. The on-site staff is helpful. Updates to come.
— OC Transpo (@OC_Transpo) January 5, 2023
Loss of strength
Shortly after midnight, the system temporarily lost power between the Blair and Tremblay stations. Backup buses ran between Blair and Rideau stations, with train service still running on a loop between uOttawa and Tunney’s Pasture.
Amilcar said the cause of the power loss is under investigation.
“Although power was restored around 12:30am, R1 was left in place until the end of the service as a precaution,” she said. The R1 bus service still runs between Rideau and Blair stations.
System failure
In an update to Council late on Thursday afternoon, Amilcar said part of the overhead catenary that powers the train was damaged near Lees station while crews were returning a stationary train to the maintenance facility.
“The cable will need to be repaired and then a full inspection of the entire OCS system will be done before full service can be resumed,” Amilcar said.
Meanwhile, Rideau Transit Maintenance is now concerned that flashes of light seen on the trains, known as the “sparkling arc,” may have damaged the OCS.
“While arcing is a contributing factor to the current situation, the root cause investigation is ongoing to identify the full scope of any issues and the corrective actions required.”
The LRT’s overhead catenary, which transmits electricity to the trains, is seen above this car Thursday, Jan. 5, 2022. (Jim O’Grady/CTV News Ottawa)
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