Service has resumed on the O-Train Lines 1 and 4 after OC Transpo suspended the lines due to staffing issues on Saturday evening. In a post on its social media platforms Saturday evening, OC Transpo advised riders that it was suspending service on Line 1 from Tunney’s Pasture to Blair stations until the end of the night Saturday. The notice came several hours after O-Train Line 4 connecting South Keys station and the Ottawa airport was “temporarily suspended.” In a statement issued late Saturday night, Rick Leary, the general manager of Transit Services, said the closures were due to staffing issues. “Due to a temporary shortage of controller staff that are required for safe operations, Line 1 service was temporarily suspended at approximately 9 pm,” Leary wrote. “Due to low customer volume and reduced staffing availability, Line 4 service has been replaced with Route 105. Route 105 is running well with low ridership.” The Ottawa airport said it was told a staffing issue on Line 4 was to blame for the closure. “Heads up: we’ve been advised that LRT service to/from #YOW is unavailable for the rest of the night due to @OC_Transpo staffing issues. Bus service remains unaffected,” the airport said in a social media post. R1 buses were running between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair stations. Bus 105 was running between the airport and South Keys station. Rail lines ‘consistently understaffed,’ union says The union representing OC Transpo drivers, mechanics and other frontline staff said in a statement that Line 1 was shut down because there were not enough certified rail controllers on shift to operate the line safely. “The rail lines have been consistently understaffed, often operating below 75 percent of built work. That did not happen by accident,” said Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 president Noah Vineberg in a social media post. Vineberg says understaffed jobs in the control room are due to several factors, including unresolved pay disputes despite added responsibilities, unfair scheduling practices and a lack of advancement opportunities for rail workers. The union says it has previously warned OC Transpo of the staffing issues. “Experienced professionals have choices. If the compensation and conditions do not reflect the classification, those professionals will go elsewhere. Building the workforce this system needs requires understanding that and acting on it,” Vineberg said.
