Memo: Rail Safety Advisory Letter 03/21 – Work Procedures for Ottawa Light Rail Transit Vehicle Maintenance

The purpose of this memo is to advise Members of Council and the Transit Commission that on Tuesday, November 2, the City received a Rail Safety Advisory (RSA) letter from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) in reference to work procedures that contributed to the September 19 derailment on O-Train Line 1 (attached).

The RSA letter details TSB's view that the root cause of the derailment was due to inconsistent and incomplete maintenance of the light rail vehicle components by Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) at the maintenance facility. Specifically, that some of the 12 bolts that connect each gearbox to light rail vehicle bogie assemblies were not adequately torqued when they were installed during refurbishment work that took place on nine light rail vehicles in response to the earlier August 8, 2021 derailment near Tunney's Pasture Station.

The City agrees with TSB's findings and recommendations with regards to maintenance processes and the root cause of the September 19 derailment. The findings outlined in the RSA letter are aligned with the analysis from the independent third-party review conducted by Transportation Resource Associates (TRA).

TSB's advisory letter also includes recommendations to conduct an in-depth review of all work performed on safety-critical components in order to prevent a similar re-occurrence. This aligns with the work currently underway by TRA in reviewing RTG's return to service plan, work procedures and maintenance processes in order to ensure the safety and reliability of the light rail system and to prevent events like the August 8 and September 19 derailments from happening again.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Brandon Richards, Chief Safety Officer at ext. 52550.

Steve Kanellakos