Service for Ottawa’s O-Train Line 1 will not begin until noon on Sunday as OC Transpo implements a software update on the line. In place of the O-Train, R1 buses will run between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair stations beginning at 8 a.m. Shuttle bus service will run between St-Laurent and Cyrville stations, and between Lees Station and the Mackenzie King Bridge. OC Transpo is implementing the software update as part of its rollout for the Stage 2 East Extension. The transit service delayed pre-trial running for the extension after Hitachi, the train-control software subcontractor to East-West Connectors, detected issues with its safety-critical software. A software update will be installed Sunday morning. Earlier this month, OC Transpo general manager Rick Leary said the service will begin operating trains along the entire length of Line 1 on Nov. 22 as a dress rehearsal for the launch of the extension. While trains will run between Tunney’s Pasture and Trim stations during this exercise, customer will be required to disembark at Blair Station. OC Transpo has not stated when pre-trial testing, a crucial part of the testing phase, will begin. Pre-trial running will take at least a week and will be followed by a 21-day trial running period.
