OC Transpo replies to commuters crowdsourcing train numbers hours after morning commute

'One of the worst commutes I've had' Complaints mount as electrical problems pull more trains off line, and Ontario's premier is 'concerned'. CTV's Claudia Cautillo reports.

OTTAWA — OC Transpo has replied to reports from commuters, who were attempting to determine the number of LRT trains in operation Thursday morning.

OC Transpo was revealing how many trains were provided ahead of each peak period for the first half of the week, but those numbers stopped being provided. In OC Transpo General Manager John Manconi’s nightly memo about the state of the LRT, he did not provide a number of trains expected to be in service for Thursday.

But as delays and problems piled up, riders started taking the issue into their own hands.

Twitter user Miranda Gray suggested riders tweet the car numbers of the trains they’re on, in an attempt to see just how many numbers they get.

Each train is made up of two cars, with numbers that range from 1101 to 1134. Twitter users started providing the car numbers they were on.

At around 9:20 a.m., user James said the count was at 13 car numbers.

Another user, "Occasional Transport", who collects and retweets comments from riders, suggested someone set up a community CCTV camera overlooking the tracks.

OC Transpo replied to CTV's Graham Richardson just after 11:00 a.m. to say this information was incorrect, and that between 8 and 9 trains were in operation this morning. OC Transpo considers 9:00 a.m. the end of the morning peak period.

Supplemental bus service will continue to run Thursday afternoon, to supplement the LRT, which remains below capacity.

In a memo, OC Transpo General Manager John Manconi said OC Transpo was expecting 10 trains, but one had an issue with its wheels and another was proactively removed.

"Planned service for this morning included 10 trains on Line 1, however service operated with 8 and 9 trains at different times during the morning peak period. One train was unable to be put into service due an issue with the wheels," Manconi said. "At approximately 8:15 am this morning, a second train was proactively removed from service at Blair Station due to a mechanical issue. Service continues on Line 1 with 8 trains."

Manconi said the number of trains in operation at any given time is "fluid" and is based on vehicle availability, scheduling, and customer volumes.

"We know that what matters to our customers is when their next train is going to arrive," Manconi said. "Answering this question will be a focus of our updates to you and our customers going forward."