Information: O-Train Service Interruption of January 16, 2020

The City of Ottawa released this overview to accompany today's press conference on the service interruption that occurred today at St-Laurent station.

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O-Train Service Interruption – January 16, 2020 (3:15pm Media Availability)

Troy Charter, Director of Rail Operations

• Today at approximately 10:50am, a train in the eastbound direction at St. Laurent Station was unable to continue and service was disrupted.
• As the root cause is still being investigated, it appears that the OCS or overhead wire that supplies power to the train broke and fell onto the train as it entered in the station.
• Both the vehicle and power systems functioned as intended in that as soon as the overhead wire broke, the power was immediately cut to the overhead wires and to the train.
• The Operator made announcements to the customers advising them that the train could not continue and that they would need to exit train.
• Customers were able to safely exit the train at St. Laurent Station.
• R1 replacement bus service was implemented between Hurdman and Blair Stations. This will continue throughout the afternoon peak period and into this evening. Support personnel in terms of our O-Train Ambassadors, and on-street Supervisory staff were immediately notified and dispatched to assist customers.
• Staff will continue to be on-site during this event to assist customers
• For customers travelling between Hurdman and Tunney's Pasture stations Line 1 service continues with minimal delays.
• At this time, RTM is making every effort to restore service as quickly as possible. However, it is anticipated this disruption will continue throughout the day today and possibly into tomorrow as the repairs are underway.
• R1 bus replacement service will continue to operate. As the situation evolves and service, either full or partial, is restored, we will continue to provide updates.
• We know this is difficult for our customers and rest assured we are doing everything we can to restore service as soon as possible
• I will now turn things over to my colleague Pat Scrimgeour who will provide the details on how we will keep our customers up to date as this situation progresses

Pat Scrimgeour, Director of Transit Customer Systems and Planning

• As you know, O-Train Line 1 is currently closed between St-Laurent and Blair Stations
• R1 replacement bus service is running and will continue to run between Hurdman and Blair Stations
• Trains continue to run between Tunney's Pasture and Hurdman Stations
• The service disruption is expected to continue this afternoon through the Thursday afternoon peak period
• Every afternoon we carry about 18,000 to 20,000 customers to east end destinations
• These customers travelling to the east end from downtown should expect significant delays and should consider leaving late or making alternative travel arrangements
• Customers travelling to the west end from downtown may notice some delays to train service
• We are gathering approximately 70 buses from across the system to provide R1 replacement service
• But replacement buses are not able to provide the capacity or the fast travel time of the regular train service
• There may be some delays to bus service in other parts of the city as we reassign buses to the replacement bus service
• R1 buses will be running from Hurdman Station in groups every few minutes
• OC Transpo staff are on site at all stations to help customers
• Some of the R1 buses to Blair Station will skip Tremblay and Cyrville Stations in order to get customers to St-Laurent and Blair faster—these R1 "express" trips will be identified on the front of the bus and by OC Transpo staff on the bus platforms
• Customers are being informed through all of OC Transpo's information channels, including social media, and the news media
• As you've heard, RTM and OC Transpo are working to fix the problem at St-Laurent Station as quickly as possible
• We will provide more information on the expected duration of the service disruption through the evening and night
• Customers should visit octranspo.com and @OC_Transpo on Twitter for the latest updates on the evening's service and the Friday morning commute
• In the event that the service disruption continues into Friday morning, customers should consider working from home or making alternative travel arrangements

Peter Lauch, Rideau Transit Maintenance

• Mr. Lauch will provide an update on service restoration (...Not provided in this release)

​Source : City of Ottawa​

Updates provided by the city will be posted below. 

Update: Stopped train on O-Train Line 1 at St-Laurent Station - UPDATE 1 (2:26pm)

Sent on behalf of John Manconi, General Manager, Transportation Services

We have a stopped train on O-Train Line 1 at St-Laurent Station. Trains are running between Tunney's Pasture and Tremblay. R1 replacement buses are providing service between Hurdman and Blair Stations.

Passengers on stopped train at St. Laurent have exited the train.

The overhead wire that supplies power to the train has broken. The vehicle, the system and customer support procedures all function as designed and per safety protocols. The current status is as follows:

Service

Service continues as per the update below. Trains continue to run between Tunney's Pasture and Tremblay Station. R1 bus replacement service is being provided between Hurdman and Blair.

Repairs

RTM is on site assessing repair work. No ETA at this time as to when it will be completed.

Information Customers

Customer updates are continuing. Station staff are assisting customers.

Media

Media will be sent this update and details will be shared as they come available. Updates to follow.

Update: Stopped train on O-Train Line 1 at St-Laurent Station - UPDATE 2 (2:19pm)

The stopped train at St. Laurent Station needs to be moved from its current location to allow crews to assess damage to the overhead wire power system.

Once the train is moved, assessment and repairs can begin. The scope, scale and timing required to complete repairs is still not known at this time. All efforts are being made to move as expeditiously as possible to restore service.

R1 replacement bus service continues to operate.

Additional updates will be provided as new information is received.

Update: Stopped train on O-Train Line 1 at St-Laurent Station - UPDATE 4  (5:27pm)

The train at St. Laurent Station has been moved away from the affected area and returned to the maintenance facility. Crews are now inspecting and assessing the extent of the damage and the scope of repair work. The current service plan will remain in effect for the rest of the day and evening.

Currently, we are experiencing heavy volumes at Hurdman Station. Buses are and will continue to provide frequent service.

At this time, we do not have an estimated time for full-service restoration.

Service plans are in development for Friday morning's commute to provide the best service possible for customers depending on the state of repairs and readiness by RTG.

The next update will be provided at approximately 9:30 pm.

Update: Stopped train on O-Train Line 1 at St-Laurent Station - UPDATE 5  (9:37pm)

Repairs to fix the power line system at St. Laurent Station are progressing. We do not have an ETA on service restoration at this time, but RTG is reporting that repair work is proceeding well and that they have not encountered any unforeseen issues.

The sequence of the repair work to be done is as follows:

• Remove the damaged equipment (nearing completion);
• Assemble the replacement wire system (currently underway);
• Install the replacement wire system;
• Re-energize the system; and
• Conduct numerous tests to confirm that the replacement is fully functional.

Once these steps are all completed successfully, full train service will be restored.

Service plans are in development for Friday morning's commute to provide the best service possible for customers depending on the state of repairs and readiness by RTG.

Update: Stopped train on O-Train Line 1 at St-Laurent Station - UPDATE 6  (11:40pm)

Removals of damaged infrastructure is complete. Assembly of new infrastructure is complete. Installation is commencing. No ETA on when this work will be completed.