OTTAWA, Ontario — No timeline has been set for resuming service on Ottawa’s light rail Confederation Line, officials said during a Tuesday press conference. The line was shut down Monday afternoon because of equipment concerns [see “Ottawa light rail line shut down …,” Trains News Wire, July 18, 2023].
Discovery of a bearing issue on one of the Confederation Line trainsets require transit agency OC Transpo to inspect every axle on every train, Richard Holder, city manager of systems and operations integration, said during the press conference, according to a CBC report. As of the press conference, inspection of five trainsets had been completed, along with inspection of all track on the 7.8-mile, 13-station system.
The CBC also reported that the bearing issue was discovered during a routine 50,000-kilometer (31,000-mile) inspection, and detailed the history of bearing issues that have plagued the Confederation line. Bearings played a part in derailments in August and September 2021. and led to advisories from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada over failures of bearing assemblies.
A public inquiry into the Confederation Line issues last year also raised the possibility that the wheel-rail interface on sharp curves may be putting excessive stress on components including the bearings.
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