As repairs continue, trains on Ottawa’s Confederation Line will continue to skip St-Laurent Station on Tuesday.
OC Transpo closed the station on Saturday, May 18, after a visual inspection of ceiling tiles at the LRT station the day before found evidence of possible concrete damage and corrosion.
In an update to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and members of council, OC Transpo says crews have completed the removal of the suspended ceiling panels over the two rail platforms.
“An inspection of both the concrete roof slab and the infrastructure supporting the suspended ceiling has been completed and recommendations have been made for remedial work on the concrete and for the removal of corroded portions of the suspended ceiling infrastructure,” says Renée Amilcar, the general manager of the Transit Services Department.
Amilcar said the remedial work and removal would continue through the engineering hours Monday evening after the end of rail service, as some of the areas flagged are in proximity to the Overhead Catenary System (OCS) and could not be safely addressed while the system is energized.
“Once the remedial work has been completed, a final inspection will be conducted to confirm that any hazards associated with the concrete roof slab and the suspended ceiling have been fully mitigated,” Amilcar said. “The final inspection may require some further remedial work to be completed.”
Also, once inspections and remedial work have been completed to the city’s satisfaction, significant cleaning of the station platforms will be required before the rail platforms can be reopened.
With all that considered, Tuesday service will run similar to Monday, with trains running from Tunney’s Pasture to Blair Station and skipping St-Laurent Station.
Bus shuttles will continue to operate between St-Laurent and Cyrville Stations.
“The earliest we anticipate opening the platforms is Wednesday, based on anticipated scheduling for final inspections and engineering sign-off,” Amilcar said