Axles for the O-Train: Metrolinx sending parts at 'critical time,' Ottawa mayor says

OC Transpo took 41 train cars out of service in January for inspection and replacement of the cartridge bearing assemblies in the axles. That left Line 1 with 18 available train cars, which has since increased to 23. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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Help is on the way for OC Transpo’s beleaguered LRT service as provincial partners at Metrolinx are sending axles to Ottawa at a “critical time,” according to a social-media post from Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

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“Thank you to our provincial partners at Metrolinx for sending us axles for our LRT vehicles at this critical time,” Sutcliffe posted on Bluesky on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 14.

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“These axles will help us restore full service on Line 1 faster. This demonstrates the value of having Metrolinx as a partner to improve transit for Ottawa residents.”

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The mayor also touted the pending upload of Ottawa’s LRT to the provincial government, which Sutcliffe has called a “game-changing” deal that has yet to be finalized.

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“The upload of Ottawa’s LRT to the provincial government and Metrolinx will increase that collaboration and lead to a more reliable service,” Sutcliffe said in the post. “The team at OC Transpo is moving as quickly as possible to safely restore full service and expand LRT.”

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OC Transpo’s communications team confirmed the upload was still pending and said the mayor’s post expressed how the deal would be “beneficial” to the city once it was finalized.

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OC Transpo’s east-west Line 1 service has been hampered by a “spalling” issue identified in January, forcing the transit authority to take all train cars that exceeded 100,000 kilometres out of service on Jan. 21.

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OC Transpo took 41 train cars out of service for inspection and replacement of the cartridge bearing assemblies in the axles. That left Line 1 with 18 available train cars, which has since increased to 23.

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The Rideau Transit Group recently discovered a more severe stage of spalling called “shelling,” which caused a delay in restoring full service until the end of May.

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The much-anticipated east extension to Orléans was likewise delayed, with a time frame of two to five months before the next testing phase can begin.

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Transit committee chair Glen Gower said the new axles from Metrolinx were mentioned as part of an update to the committee on April 9, when transit authorities also announced the more severe shelling damage.

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Gower said he had no update on the LRT upload, but said Sutcliffe and city staff had held “ongoing discussions” with the province.

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The delivery of axles will help RTG and manufacturer Alstom “bolster the supply of parts,” Gower said, as more trains are gradually returned to service.

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OC Transpo requires 26 available trains, or 13 double-car trains, to restore full service, and it will require 46 available trains to perform trial running to the east extension.

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Line 1 has continued to operate with single-car trains every three to four minutes during peak periods.