Nearly three years after a derailment and months after the root cause of that incident was expected to be announced, the designer of Ottawa’s light-rail train system says it’s still not entirely clear what changes will prevent a recurrence.
The impasse between Rideau Transit Group (RTG) and its subcontractor, French trainmaker Alstom, has apparently shifted little since they failed to provide councillors with a fulsome solution in October.
And despite the frustration of all involved, it seems there’s no way to force a resolution.
The issue that caused a wheel to break off a Citadis Spirit train in August 2021 is undisputedly linked to excessive lateral force. But there’s no agreement on if that can be solved by changing the train, the track or both.
When asked if RTG can compel Alstom to work on redesigning components where the axle meets the wheel, RTG CEO Nicolas Truchon said “that’s the elephant in the room.”
“The challenge is they are the design authority on the vehicle. I cannot decide what modifications need to take place,” he told members of the transit commission and light-rail subcommission on Friday.
“All the data, all the science, all the models, all the know-how and the engineering, that’s all within their control.”
Truchon said he hopes that there will be a consensus after a June meeting with all of the system’s stakeholders, including city staff, Alstom, the authors of two independent reports and axle manufacturer Texelis.
Alstom not invited to meeting
Yet sources suggest to CBC News that this rift may prove difficult to bridge.
People familiar with the situation, who don’t have permission to speak publicly, tell CBC that Alstom did not give up on designing a new wheel hub assembly; it simply paused work after the pre-design phase to wait for RTG’s go-ahead.
RTG disputes that, saying Alstom stopped work in January “based on their own internal investigations.”
Councillors heard little about this friction, because Alstom was not invited to join the meeting — something a source calls “unfortunate.”
The city’s relationship is directly with RTG, which has the authority to bring whoever it wants to city meetings. It opted not to invite Alstom, telling CBC that the trainmaker needed more time to review the results of an independent engineering report written by James Boyle and Associates.
Frustration from councillors
The delay was a source of considerable frustration to councillors, who spent six hours questioning staff — first behind closed doors, and then in the public meeting with Truchon.
Coun. David Hill kicked off debate by expressing concern that the city’s contractors are attempting to solve complex and serious issues through trial and error, as if building a plane that’s already in the air.
“I’m sorry if it seems like we’re building the plane as we’re flying it. That’s clearly not the way we operate,” RTG’s Truchon responded.
“Whenever we do a change, it comes with careful analysis, it comes with detailed technical analysis, it comes with detailed engineering and it comes with a detailed safety risk assessment.”
He went on to tell Hill that outside experts have told RTG they do not recommend changing infrastructure as a solution to this issue, saying the report instead suggested focusing on the “robustness” and “dynamic elements” of the vehicle.
As for the idea of swapping out rail at the curves for something harder, RTG said there is no evidence that’s a solution.
Richard Holder, the City of Ottawa’s director of engineering services, backed up the assertion saying the switch has only been recommended once wear on the wheel has reached its “limit.”
WATCH | What’s holding up the agreement on an LRT solution?
It’s been nearly three years since Ottawa’s LRT had two derailments, but the people behind the system have yet to agree on the root cause or final fix. CBC Ottawa’s municipal affairs reporter Elyse Skura breaks the issue down.
What’s next?
Councillors received confidential legal advice, given the settlement agreement reached between RTG and the city. This was not shared in the public meeting.
CBC asked Renée Amilcar, the general manager of transit services, if the city has a legal avenue to press RTG to make certain moves. She did not provide a direct answer, but said the city wants to focus on delivering the service.
Holder said the financial consequences for RTG are enough to ensure the company works as quickly as safety allows.
“There is significant commercial pressure on RTG to find a sustainable solution,” said Holder, noting that every month there are speed restrictions in place is a month where the city withholds part of its payment.
Coun. Shawn Menard sees the situation somewhat differently, saying commercial interests could block Alstom and RTG from agreeing on costly redesigns when they meet later this month.
“This agreement that we signed with [RTG] is that they’re going to fix these underlying issues,” he said to CBC after the meeting.
“I’m concerned about our authority to be able to compel them to get these fixes, and whether they’ll just stick with the losses that come with breaking that [agreement] versus making the fix, which could be expensive.”
There was one thing absolutely everyone — from councillors to Amilcar to the builders — could agree on: the situation is frustrating.
But Coun. Glen Gower, who chairs the transit commission, argued that as frustrating as these disagreements are, they are “healthy” because they push people to fight for the best solution.
“I hope people aren’t mixing up uncertainty with a lack of transparency, or uncertainty with trying to hide something,” Gower said. “I don’t think that’s what’s happening here.”