Repairs completed on O-Train Line 1, but R1 buses to still run in afternoon commute

Repairs have been completed on the overhead wiring of the O-Train Line 1, but part of the line is still out of service. CTV’s Leah Larocque reports.

Service on the eastern leg of O-Train Line 1 will remain offline for the afternoon and possibly into the evening after an overhead wire snapped during the freezing rain on Wednesday.

In an update Thursday afternoon, interim general manager of Transit Services Troy Charter said repairs on the damaged wire had been completed and Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) was continuing to remove ice buildup on the line between Blair and uOttawa stations and in the rail yard.

“This work is expected to continue throughout the afternoon and this evening,” he wrote in a memo.

Viewer video captured the moment when the pantograph on top of a train started sparking during the wet weather, before a small explosion caused it to break. Service east of uOttawa Station has been halted since approximately 1 p.m. Wednesday.

OC Transpo says trains will continue to run from Tunney’s Pasture to uOttawa, but service in the east end is being replaced by R1 buses. The R1 is running between Blair Station and Lyon Station downtown.

Speaking at Thursday morning’s Transit Committee meeting, OC Transpo interim general manager Troy Charter said additional inspections would be undertaken before service on the full line is retored.

“At this point, it’s pretty early in the investigation into what occurred, but I think it’s safe to assume that weather was a significant contributing factor to it,” Charter said. “At this point, all I can really commit to in saying is that it definitely seems weather related and we need to move forward with the root cause investigation. Right now, the team is focused on resuming the service as quickly as possible.”

Workers were at the site of the damage near Lees Station Thursday morning to repair the damaged wire. The stopped train had been removed.

Charter said Wednesday that he anticipated Line 1 service to Blair Station would be restored by Thursday afternoon.

“All efforts are being made to restore Line 1 service between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair stations, and we will continue to provide Council and customers with updates on the resumption of service,” he said on Thursday afternoon.

Ottawa was under an orange-level freezing rain warning on Wednesday. The city saw 22.7 millimetres of precipitation, with a mix of freezing rain and rain.

In January 2023, ice buildup and a late start to ice-clearing measures were blamed for a six-day service outage in the same area of the line.

Charter said measures have been taken since that time to avoid similar issues, but something was different on Wednesday.

“One of the things RTG does during the winter months is they apply a glycol product on these areas of the line that are prone to higher icing where we’ve had challenges and, for the most part, that’s been effective” he said. “Obviously, something was unique with this weather event because it did affect that area and, as well, it affected some of the yard operations, as well, too.”

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Leah Larocque

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