OC Transpo says bus availability improving, more trains available on Line 1

A rider boards an LRT train at uOttawa station on the Confederation Line. (Jackie Perez/CTV News Ottawa)

OC Transpo says 25 light rail vehicles on O-Train Line 1 are now below the 100,000-kilometre mileage threshold that has been in place since January because of the spalling issue.

This marks an uptick of two vehicles compared to last week but is still below the number of available trains needed to run regular service or perform trial running for the Line 1 east extension to Orléans.

It comes after the reported delivery by provincial Crown agency Metrolinx of 11 axles for the Alstom Citadis Spirit trains that run on the line.

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Director, of Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operations Troy Charter said in an update on Friday that OC Transpo continues to work toward restoring full service on Line 1 by the end of May.

“OC Transpo is working closely with Alstom and Rideau Transit Group to safely restore full capacity on Line 1 by the end of May 2026. This work includes the ongoing replacement of (cartridge bearing assemblies) above the mileage limit, sensor installation to more precisely monitor the condition of in-service trains and continued technical analysis,” he wrote.

“O-Train Line 1 operations continue with a frequency of three to four minutes during peak periods.”

Earlier this month, transit committee members heard reduced service on the line would remain in place for at least another six weeks. The line has been running single-car service since late January, when it was discovered that metal on the axles was flaking off, a process called spalling, which prompted OC Transpo to direct all trains with axles that have 100,000 km or more of mileage be pulled from service to have the affected cartridge bearing assemblies replaced.

At committee, it was revealed that some trains had a more advanced version of spalling called “shelling.”

A plan laid out for dealing with the spalling problem involves the installation of conditioning monitoring system, called a “smart bug,” that monitors for abnormal vibration on trains in almost real-time. OC Transpo expects all vehicles to be equipped with the smart bugs in two to five months, allowing the full fleet of vehicles to resume service.

Regular peak period service requires 26 trains, running as 13 double-car vehicles, every five minutes.

Trial running of the east extension, a key test requiring 21 consecutive days of peak performance to succeed, requires 49 vehicles, meaning it likely won’t begin until after all vehicles have the smart bugs installed. Prior to the discovery of the spalling issue, OC Transpo anticipated the extension could open by the end of June.

Some cancelled bus trips restored

Charter said bus availability improved during the week of April 12, with an average of 551 buses available each weekday, a noticeable increase from earlier this year when fewer than 500 buses were on the roads each day, leading to thousands of trip cancellations.

Despite the increase in available buses, OC Transpo still failed to reach its target of no more than 0.5 per cent of trips being cancelled. Charter said 935 planned trips were not delivered the week of April 12, accounting for just under 2 per cent of planned trips. The peak was 6 per cent in early January.

On-street issues like traffic or collisions, and mechanical breakdowns remained the primary reasons why trips were cancelled.

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Charter said that as of the start of spring service on Sunday, five daily weekday trips that were removed from the schedule over the winter to reduce the number of buses needed each day have been reinstated. This means OC Transpo now has a minimum requirement of 505 buses every weekday to provide service, which is still below its usual target of 520.

Seven more zero-emission buses were added to service, bringing the total in the city to 99.

Last week, OC Transpo announced a plan to refurbish 30 older buses to extend their lifespan and improve fleet availability.