OC Transpo says trainmaker Alstom is getting back to work on a new wheel bearing assembly system that’s been hailed as a permanent solution to the ongoing problems that led to a derailment last summer.
The redesign has been under discussion since the shutdown of the Confederation Line in August 2023. Officials from both OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Group (RTG) say they’ve now arrived at a “sustainable solution.”
But friction between RTG and its subcontractor Alstom threatened to derail the fix.
OC Transpo surprised councillors in late May with news that the work was on hold, but Alstom was not invited to the meeting where the issue was discussed.
RTG had said Alstom’s decision to halt work was based on the trainmaker’s internal investigations on the cause of ongoing system problems, but a source without permission to speak on the matter later told CBC it had only paused to get RTG’s feedback on the pre-design phase.
On Thursday, OC Transpo told members of the transit commission that RTG has now directed Alstom to resume that work.
“This is fantastic,” said OC Transpo chief Renée Amilcar, who also told commissioners that RTG has committed to provide a consolidated report on the issue this December.
Richard Holder, the city’s director of rail construction, also confirmed that efforts to address the problem are continuing. That includes pinning nuts within the current cartridges, testing vibration monitoring equipment, adjusting restraining rails and lubricating the rails to reduce friction.
Staff provided no details on a new timeline for when the new bearing assembly system will be designed, tested and rolled out across the system.