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'Proactive' maintenance to interrupt nighttime LRT service

The maintenance work will be performed at night to minimize service disruptions, according to the city's general manager of transit services. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press - image credit)
The maintenance work will be performed at night to minimize service disruptions, according to the city's general manager of transit services. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press - image credit)

Evening LRT service on Ottawa's Confederation Line will be interrupted over two weeks this month while Rideau Transit Group (RTG) performs what the city calls "proactive track and maintenance work."

According to a memo issued Monday by Renée Amilcar, the city's general manager of transit services, the work will begin on Friday, Aug. 12, and wrap up Thursday, Aug. 25. It will be performed in segments along the length of Line 1.

"Where possible, partial service and single tracking will be implemented to minimize customer impacts," the memo said.

However, "full system service adjustments are required on certain days as it is not possible to perform some of the work required in specific sections on one track without disturbing train service on the other."

R1 buses will be used to replace LRT service as required. The schedule is as follows:

  • Aug. 12-15: All of Line 1 will be closed, beginning at 8 p.m. each evening. R1 buses will replace LRT along the entire line, matching train frequency.

  • Aug. 16: Regular LRT service will remain between St-Laurent and Tunney's Pasture stations. Beginning at 8 p.m., single-track LRT service will be in place from St-Laurent to Blair stations, with trains running every 15 minutes. There will be no R1 bus service.

  • Aug. 17-18: Regular LRT service will be in place along the entire line.

  • Aug. 19: Regular LRT service will remain between Lyon and Blair stations. Beginning at 8 p.m., single-track service will be in place between Tunney's Pasture and Lyon stations, with trains running every 15 minutes. There will be no R1 bus service.

  • Aug. 20: The entire line will be closed, beginning at 9 p.m. R1 buses will replace LRT service, matching train frequency.

  • Aug. 21-25: The entire line will be closed, beginning at 8 p.m. each evening. R1 buses will replace LRT service, matching train frequency.

Full LRT service will resume at the regular time the morning after each closure or partial closure.

According to the memo, the work was originally planned for June, but was postponed due to a delay in delivery of materials to RTG.

"Every light rail system requires regular, proactive maintenance annually to ensure the long-term sustainability and reliability of the system. The system is safe and this year's scheduled maintenance work, and in particular rail grinding and profiling, will ultimately improve ride quality, customer comfort and overall sustainability," according to Amilcar.

Amilcar said the work is being done at night and during the summer "when ridership is lower, to minimize customer impacts as much as possible."

The work will include repairing and replacing rails, inspecting tracks and rail grinding, and calibrating switch heaters to prepare for winter.