O-Train Line 1 service halted east of uOttawa after trains stopped during freezing rain

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Caught on camera: Sparks seen on wires on O-Train Line 1

Ottawa’s freezing rain storm causes LRT disruptions

OC Transpo head on LRT Line 1 disruption

OC Transpo says service on O-Train Line has been replaced with R1 buses between Rideau and Blair stations due to stopped trains, after the overhead wires on the line were damaged Wednesday afternoon.

Video shared with CTV News Ottawa shows the pantograph at the top of the train that connects to the overhead power line sparking and exploding before falling off.

The stoppage was first reported just after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

In a statement released Wednesday evening, OC Transpo interim general manager Troy Charter said staff noticed arcing on trains travelling between Hurdman and Lees stations, and the Overhead Catenary System was also damaged.

By 12:50 p.m., OC Transpo said R1 bus service would be running along the eastern end of the line, while Line 1 train service continues in both directions between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa stations.

According to Charter, technicians are working to repair the damaged Overhead Catenary System. The repairs will likely continue “into tomorrow morning’s peak period” and replacement bus service will continue to be provided.

R1 buses at Rideau Station can be found at the Mackenzie King Bridge.

CTV News Ottawa has seen two stopped trains on the line between Lees and Hurdman stations.

Speaking at a media availability at Ottawa City Hall on Wednesday afternoon, Charter said it was likely related to the weather.

“It’s early but it does appear that it’s likely related to the weather. When you get into these extreme weather events with the freezing rain, it’s a challenge for overhead catenary systems like we have here,” he said.

“There’s technicians on two trains at Lees Station. They’re currently managing the situation right now.”

Ottawa is under an orange level freezing rain warning. A mix of rain and freezing rain has fallen across the region.

On Tuesday, Charter said preparations for the storm included a plan to run Line 1 trains every four to five minutes during the morning peak period, to help mitigate possible ice buildup.

Charter said Rideau Transit Maintenance had applied de-icing fluid to the overhead wires and would be running trains with special pantographs that would scrape ice off the wires as vehicles pass by.

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.

LRT overhead wires “snapped in half:” witness

Sophie Vincent, whose office overlooks the Line 1 tracks, says she heard and saw the aftermath of the damage to the overhead wires.

“I basically heard some commotion and my coworker said, ‘the train’s electrical blew,” Vincent told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron.

“We did see the cables that were down and we think we saw the driver come out of the train.”

Vincent says she saw extensive damage to the overhead wires.

“They were down you could tell. It just snapped in half basically. Both sides of the cable were down,” she said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, she says at least one of the trains was still stopped on the tracks.

With files from Newstalk 580 CFRA

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