Ottawa LRT

[jeffster]

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/mobile/o-train...-1.5601397

O-Train shutdown enters second week as investigation continues into Sept. 19 derailment

[...]

Last week, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said the LRT train actually derailed before entering Tremblay Station, approximately 500 metres from the station.

"The train then departed the station in the derailed condition and continued over the rail bridge that traversed Riverside Drive before striking a signal mast and switch heater that were adjacent to and north of track 1," said the TSB.

How did a train travel over 500m while derailed without the driver noticing and stopping? Or a passenger noticing? It seems like something that would make for a bumpy ride.

This is a more interesting case now -- what caused the initial derailment? And I have to wonder if only part of the bogie was derailed (likely the back wheels of bogie) if no one seemed to notice (though it seems that the O-Train isn't heavily used). Why are there no sensors to indicate issues with the bogies?

So as much as we complained about our own delays with our LRT and our trains (Bombardier), it seems that Ottawa got stuck with real lemons. They have such a nice system (with some tunnels and very nice stations), but the trains they got a pieces of junk.

[jeffster]

How did a train travel over 500m while derailed without the driver noticing and stopping? Or a passenger noticing? It seems like something that would make for a bumpy ride.

And how did it maintain an electrical circuit with the wheels off the tracks?

I think as long as there are some wheels on the track, you maintain your electrical circuit.

EDIT: Noticed that Dan already answered that question.....

[danbrotherston]

Some news today, apparently a wheel bearing had over heated hours earlier. The train was inspected (although maybe not that unit), and was cleared to operate again?

I mean, this seems like the trains are poorly maintained, and worse, difficult to inspect. I wonder if there are comparable standards with our trains.

Either way, the article discusses in detail:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ot...-1.6190842

[bgb_ca]

So as much as we complained about our own delays with our LRT and our trains (Bombardier), it seems that Ottawa got stuck with real lemons. They have such a nice system (with some tunnels and very nice stations), but the trains they got a pieces of junk.

How the tables have turned on this. Asked someone 4 years ago when everyone was trashing bombardier, and they would have said to switch to those units. As far as I know, the only major issues (besides the weld fixes) we have had was cars crashing into them.

[taylortbb]

Some news today, apparently a wheel bearing had over heated hours earlier.  The train was inspected (although maybe not that unit), and was cleared to operate again?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ot...-1.6190842

To be clear, that article is from the previous derailment in August, the cause of the September derailment still isn't known.

[danbrotherston]

Some news today, apparently a wheel bearing had over heated hours earlier.  The train was inspected (although maybe not that unit), and was cleared to operate again?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ot...-1.6190842

To be clear, that article is from the previous derailment in August, the cause of the September derailment still isn't known.

Sorry, misread that.

Of course, I forgot that they had a derailment a few weeks earlier as well.

[jeffster]

When digesting more information about this latest derailment, it had said that there were 12 passengers and operator aboard the train before it left the tracks. O-Train has two vehicles, with 4 fairly large sections in each. There is a very good chance that no one was on the section that derailed, and likely this is why no one felt it. Now you would think there would have been additional noise, but perhaps the bogie levitated (suspended) a bit from the other sections holding it up.

[dtkvictim]

Some news today, apparently a wheel bearing had over heated hours earlier.  The train was inspected (although maybe not that unit), and was cleared to operate again?

I mean, this seems like the trains are poorly maintained, and worse, difficult to inspect.  I wonder if there are comparable standards with our trains.

Either way, the article discusses in detail:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ot...-1.6190842

According to wikipedia, OC Transpo operates the o-trains. I don't know if that includes maintenance, but if it does then no surprise here. They run the absolute most dysfunctional transit system I've had the displeasure of using (or not using, since half the buses on the schedule aren't real).

[taylortbb]

According to wikipedia, OC Transpo operates the o-trains. I don't know if that includes maintenance, but if it does then no surprise here.

It doesn't, all maintenance for the system is done by RTG, the consortium that built the system. Pretty standard part of these big contracts, so that the private company doesn't design an unmaintainable system, as they'll be the ones maintaining it.

Unfortunately in this case it seems RTG is pretty incompetent. They've not received a number of payments from the city due to their poor performance.

[taylortbb]

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/mobile/ottawa-...-1.5626876

RTG is claiming Nov 1 they can have a few trains ready for a partial return to service, but Ottawa appears pretty skeptical. RTG had originally said the system would only be down for 3 weeks, so I don't blame the city. The city is also looking for a testing phase after RTG clears the trains to operate, which makes sense after two derailments in a month.

Overall it's looking like it'll be a 7-8 week shutdown to passengers, and only partial service when things do resume.

It's really seeming like Ottawa has a lemon. I can't imagine the political situation here if ION was down for 7-8 weeks.

[nms]

What's Ottawa's plan for replacement shuttle buses? I think in Waterloo Region, the system has a low enough ridership due to Covid, that shuttle buses could handle any long term shutdown. The difficulty I understand with Ottawa is that they reoriented most of their transit so that any longer trip had to travel through the LRT spine which meant that there was a lot of transit users who needed to be accommodated with a shuttle service (if at all)

[jeffster]

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/mobile/ottawa-...-1.5626876

RTG is claiming Nov 1 they can have a few trains ready for a partial return to service, but Ottawa appears pretty skeptical. RTG had originally said the system would only be down for 3 weeks, so I don't blame the city. The city is also looking for a testing phase after RTG clears the trains to operate, which makes sense after two derailments in a month.

Overall it's looking like it'll be a 7-8 week shutdown to passengers, and only partial service when things do resume.

It's really seeming like Ottawa has a lemon. I can't imagine the political situation here if ION was down for 7-8 weeks.

I'd imagine that the Kitchener-Cambridge leg of the ION would be a very hard sell.

[ac3r]

Lucky for us, the ION basically goes too slow to get derailed...hah. I joke, of course. I admire the Ottawa LRT for being totally grade separated and underground - it'll always move more people than ours - but the trains they got seem to be absolute junk. It has been nothing but bad luck, from the entire system grinding to a halt because someone tried to hold a door open so they didn't miss their stop or this.

[taylortbb]

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...ce-sept-19

Partial service has resumed in Ottawa, a few days short of a 2 month shutdown. Apparently won't have full service back until the end of the month.

[KevinL]

Apparently OC Transpo will be providing free fares for all of December to make up for this.