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OC Transpo says the overhead wire issue on Wednesday that halted a Line 1 train at Lees station and prompted the suspension of service between uOttawa and Blair will likely impact service going into Thursday morning.
At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, staff reported “arcing” on trains travelling between Hurdman and Lees stations, according to a memo to city councillors from interim OC Transpo general manager Troy Charter later in the day. One passerby shared video with CBC showing sparking wires above a stopped train at Lees.
Damage to the overhead catenary system — which powers the LRT network — was also reported in the same corridor, Charter said.
“These impacts appear to be related to the severe weather event,” Charter said, referencing the rainy and icy conditions that prompted a number of closures in Ottawa and surrounding regions.
There are some out-of-service trains stopped at various locations on Line 1 due to the impacts to the catenary system, he added.
Repair work ongoing
Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM), which maintains Line 1, sent technicians to inspect and repair the overhead wire system.
That work will continue Wednesday evening “and likely into tomorrow morning’s peak period,” according to Charter’s update. Service on Line 1 has already been reduced due to a wheel assembly issue that was detected in January.
While LRT service between uOttawa and Blair remains offline, OC Transpo is offering R1 (replacement) bus service between Rideau and Blair stations. A bus shuttle is running between St-Laurent and Cyrville stations too.
“We anticipate there will continue to be replacement bus service required and we will provide further updates later this evening,” Charter’s afternoon note indicated.
“Further [overhead catenary system] investigations are being conducted, and additional service adjustments may be required as the situation evolves.”
OC Transpo interim general manager Troy Charter said it is working on resolving the LRT disruption. (Frédéric Pepin/Radio-Canada)
Charter said Line 1 was running well for most of the morning until the issue with the overhead wires.
“When you get into these extreme weather events with the freezing rain, it’s a challenge for overhead catenary systems like we have here,” he said in a news conference earlier in the day.
Lines 2 and 4 are running without issue, according to the transit service.
Para Transpo and regular bus service are experiencing some delays due to the road conditions.
Previous issues with overheard wires
It’s not the first time the overhead catenary system has been the source of problems on the LRT network.
In February 2022, the city said a broken wire led to a train losing power. Later that year, a lightning strike brought down 900 metres of overhead wire.
An accumulation of ice during a storm in January 2023 triggered a series of failures that knocked Ottawa’s LRT system out of commission for days.
A year later, in February 2024, a westbound train near Lees lost power after a mechanical problem with the pantograph — the metal structure atop the train that helps connect it to the power line — damaged the overhead wire.
