OTTAWA — Reopening of Ottawa’s light rail Confederation Line has been pushed back yet again, with Aug. 14 as the new date for the resumption of service.
But the Ottawa Citizen reports that Renée Amilcar, the city’s transit services general manager, stressed that is an early estimate and subject to change, saying, “We continue to make progress to fix the disease, not the symptons of the issue that affects our rail system.”
The light rail line was shut down suddenly during the afternoon rush hour on July 17, after a defective axle bearing was discovered on one of the system’s light rail vehicles during routine maintenance [see “No timetable set for reopening …,” Trains News Wire, July 19, 2023]. Amilcar subsequently said three conditions would have to be met before the system could resume operation, and she continues to wait for completion of a risk assessment that is part of that process.
Officials have already said restraining rails must be adjusted at 16 locations on the 7.8-mile, 13-station line to avoid having train wheels strike those rails, and options for addressing that change are part of the assessment.
As of Tuesday, wheel hub assemblies containing the problematic bearings have been replaced on 14 of the system’s 45 Alstom Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles. That number will increase in the two weeks until service resumes, Amilcar said. Redesign of the axle assembly is the probable long-term solution to the bearing issue.
Since LRT service in Ottawa is not “Godot”, we continue to look forward to its resumption.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün