OC Transpo is on track to launch the O-Train East Extension this spring, as the extension of Line 1 reaches a significant milestone on Wednesday, according to the interim head of the transit service. Transit Services interim general manager Troy Charter tells CTV News Ottawa substantial completion of the O-Train East Extension between Blair Station and Trim Station will be achieved today or Thursday. “We’re getting very close,” Charter told CTV News Ottawa’s Patricia Boal in interview Wednesday afternoon. “We should be able to make an announcement later today or tomorrow on that. It’s an exciting time; it’s exciting that the East Extension is almost here. I know our customers in the east end are looking forward to that.” A report for the March 12 transit committee meeting says, “the most recent forecasted substantial completion date is March 4.” “Following Substantial Completion, there will be a familiarization period for Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) staff and a technical briefing held prior to the start of the Trial Running phase,” said the report. “Following the completion of Trial Running, the project’s final system preparations will take place. Final Safety Approval from the Independent Safety Auditor will be required before Revenue Service can begin.” The substantial completion would come as OC Transpo deals with a shortage of vehicles available for service after a “spalling” issue was detected on some axles of LRT vehicles. OC Transpo is currently running single-car service on O-Train Line 1 while it replaces the axles with more than 100,000 km of service and works on a plan with Rideau Transit Maintenance and Alstom to address the issue. Charter says OC Transpo is working with Rideau Transit Maintenance and Alstom to come up with a plan to add more trains to service. “We need to make sure that we return our fleet; so, we need to address the spalling issue that’s happening right now and have the right processes in place and containment measures so that we can expand the fleet to get into trial running,” Charter said. “We still are on track for Q2 of this year to be able to launch the service and that’s our focus. A couple of things need to happen.” The substantial completion validates that the system’s infrastructure, designed and built by East West Connectors, meets the requirements of the project agreement, according to the report. In February, OC Transpo announced the trial running period has been delayed while the builder works to address several issues on the line from Blair Station to Trim Station. OC Transpo currently has 21 LRT vehicles available for service on Line 1, with 38 vehicles out of service for maintenance. Charter wouldn’t provide a timeline for opening the O-Train East Extension while speaking with reporters last week. “I’d love to be able to give a date for the East Extension; obviously, that’s highly contingent upon the work that we’re doing right now to address the spalling and increase the capacity of vehicles,” Charter told reporters last Friday. “Once we have these containment measures validated and confirmed that they will produce the results we expect, then we can increase our fleet of vehicles and then that would be the opportunity to get into the trial running aspect and getting service going in the east extension.” Charter says Rideau Transit Maintenance and Alstom are working on containment measures for the spalling issue, which would allow OC Transpo to safely increase the number of trains available. According to the report for the transit committee, OC Transpo now has occupancy permits for the five stations, and the “testing and commissioning of key system infrastructure is complete.” “The East Extension Substantial Completion stage is a significant contractual milestone; however, it does not mean that the extension is ready for customer service,” staff said. “Rather, it is a formal step that allows the City, and the Independent Certifier, to thoroughly review the system and confirm that all requirements have been met before the system is accepted from the contractors.” The 21-day trial running period is intended to “validate that the fully integrated system functions as intended,” according to the report. During the 21-day trial running period, the O-Train will run service between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair Station, with passengers disembarking at Blair Stations and empty trains continuing on the East Extension to Trim Station. “Trial Running will evaluate the performance of system infrastructure, subsystems, vehicles, operating and maintenance personnel, as well as operating procedures to demonstrate the reliability of the system and its ability to deliver passenger service without interruptions,” staff say.
