Only about 30 per cent of OC Transpo’s Line 1 cars are available for service, according to interim general manager Troy Charter.
At the end of last week, OC Transpo said it was forced to pull trains after a new issue was discovered.
The transit operator said a problem was discovered with the cartridge bearing assemblies on the train vehicles, forcing the agency to pull all trains with mileage higher than 100,000 kilometres from its fleet.
In an update Friday, OC Transpo said it had 18 vehicles available for service, representing just 30 per cent of it’s total cars.
To deal with overcrowding, the transit operator increased service from every 10 minutes to every three to four minutes. As a result, Charter said there were a large number of people on the trains but no unsafe crowding.
Still, he said, “we can and we will do better for our customers”.
Heading into Monday, Charter said he estimates up to 20 vehicles will be available for service.
He said the transit authority has more vehicles than are needed for regular service due to vehicles that are available for the west and east end extensions. Currently 26 vehicles are needed for peak operations.
OC Transpo is currently working with outsourced experts to tend to the issue as quickly as possible, but Charter said the authority will never compromise on safety.
“We have made progress,” he said, “but more time is needed before we can bring service levels back to normal on Line 1.”
