Full O-Train Line 1 service could return by end of May, OC Transpo says

The O-Train Line 1 may continue running single cars until at least May and as CTV’s Leah Larocque reports, there’s still no timeline for the east extension.

Single-car service will continue on O-Train Line 1 for at least the next six weeks as OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Group work to address issues with axles on the light-rail transit vehicles.

In an update to the transit committee Thursday morning, Director of Rail Operations Troy Charter said double-car O-Train service could resume at the end of May, but there is still no timeline to begin final testing on the O-Train East Extension and open the line between Blair Station and Trim Station.

Charter said the installation of “smart bugs,” which is a sensor that can monitor the cartridge bearing assemblies and detect vibrations in real-time, is the key to boosting service on the line.

The O-Train has been running single-car service since Jan. 21 after the issue was identified in the cartridge bearing assemblies on the Line 1 vehicles.  The city issued a Safety Order to Rideau Transit Group, requiring any vehicle with cartridge bearing assemblies with 100,000 kilometres or more to be removed from service until the units are replaced.

As of last Thursday, 22 O-Train Line 1 vehicles were available for service with all axles under the 100,000-kilometre threshold.

Charter told councillors that “additional damage” has been discovered on the cartridge bearing assemblies during a technical analysis, changing the containment plan and interim measures to address the issues.

Councillors were told the plan to safely restore Line 1 capacity includes replacing the cartridge bearing assemblies over 100,000 km and the installation of the conditioning monitoring system, called a “smart bug,” that monitors for abnormal vibration on trains in almost real-time.

The timeline to restore O-Train Line 1 service is:

• Now to six weeks: Single-car service continues and cartridge bearing assemblies replacement and installation of condition monitoring begins.
• Minimum six to eight weeks: “Ongoing gradual increase of available Line 1 vehicles” and the first phase of condition monitoring installed and testing, according to staff
• Minimum two to five months: Condition monitoring installed on all Line 1 vehicles.

OC Transpo Chief Safety Officer Sabrina Pasian said it would take two to five months to install the smart bugs on the entire fleet, which would allow the full fleet of O-Train vehicles to be deployed.

Charter said the short-term solutions to address the issue is the conditioning monitoring and real-time sensors.

“Right now, it’s containment measures and mitigations; it’s not solutions,” Charter said.

He said the smart bugs will allow OC Transpo to reassess the 100,000 km containment measure and possibly remove itPasian told councillors the additional damage was “a more sever spalling that’s called shelling.”

Staff described shelling as “more depth of damage” with more material flaking off the axle bearing assembly.

Eleven vehicles have spalling, while shelling has been discovered on two vehicles during the investigation.

O-Train East Extension

The launch of the O-Train East Extension remains up in the air as OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Group continue to address the spalling issue with the axles.

Charter told Coun. Tim Tierney that OC Transpo that testing could begin in the next “two to five months.”

Substantial completion by the constructor, EWC, was achieved on March 5, but trial running has been delayed due to the issues with the O-Train vehicles.

Achieving substantial completion is the second of five steps before passengers can ride the extended line. The next step is trial running, where full service is simulated on the line for 21 days. Passengers on the active line will have to disembark at Blair Station, and empty trains will run the length of the extended line to validate system functions and test for any problems.

OC Transpo had previously said the O-Train East Extension would open by the end of June.

What is spalling?

Rideau Transit Group notified OC Transpo in January that “spalling was detected” on several cartridge bearing assemblies, according to Charter.

“Spalling is caused when flakes break off the metal surface inside the axle bearing, creating pits that grow over time,” Charter told council on Jan. 21. “If not addressed, this can lead to cracks and can result in bearing failure.”

Charter said the spalling issue is separate from other issues with the axle bearing assembly previously identified.

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