The O-Train is closed between Blair and Tremblay Stations today, as crews assess an “area of concern” on the south side of the tunnel at St. Laurent Station.
Line 1 was operating on the westbound platform only at St. Laurent Station during the morning commute, with transit riders required to change trains at St. Laurent Station to travel between St. Laurent and Blair and St. Laurent and Tunney’s Pasture stations.
As of 9 a.m., the O-Train is out of service in both directions between Blair and Tremblay stations while contractors assess issues with the tunnel.
“OC Transpo and Infrastructure and Water Services Department (IWSD) are working quickly to respond to the area of concern identified on the south side of the tunnel during the ongoing Ontario Structure Inspection Manual (OSIM) inspection of the aging structure,” Renee Amilcar, Transit Services general manager, said in a memo to Council.
“A contractor has been retained to further inspect the area of concern and determine if mitigation measures may be required to resume full, safe Line 1 service.”
Amilcar says once the contractor has assessed the area over the tracks, an update on any required work or mitigation measures, as well as an estimated timeline for the resumption of full Line 1 service will be released ahead of the afternoon peak period.
Line 1 will continue to operate between Tunney’s Pasture and Tremblay stations every 5 minutes. R1 bus service is running between Hurdman and Blair stations.
Earlier today, Amilcar said OC Transpo and staff with the Infrastructure and Water Services Department were working in an “agile mode to respond to new information” following an inspection.
“Engineering teams have identified an area of concern over a section of the track on the south side of the tunnel,” Amilcar said.
“IWSD needs to finalize and implement a mitigation measure in this location to ensure ongoing, safe operation of the O-Train.”
Some areas of “concrete delamination” were found in the St. Laurent tunnel and in the ceiling above the station platform in January and May.
In May, the station was closed for five days after water infiltration into the tunnel caused some damage to ceiling tunnels over the LRT station platforms. The city removed the ceiling tiles from the tunnel, and some mesh nets were placed in select areas above the platforms.
“Areas had been identified where the underside of that roof slab had some very thin slices of the concrete below the reinforcement steel that has become loose,” Richard Holder, former director of engineering services, told reporters on May 22. “Through the investigation of the ceiling panels, we discovered some of the supporting elements that are attached to the concrete slab were corroded.”