OC Transpo has now closed the eastern end of the Confederation Line after an “area of concern” was again found in the St-Laurent station’s ceiling.
There are no trains between Tremblay and Blair stations as a contractor looks over a section of the ceiling, according to the third in a series of memos from transit leadership. It said people can’t do that work unless both platforms are closed.
R1 replacement buses are running between Hurdman, Tremblay, St-Laurent and Blair stations, with the usual shuttle buses connecting Cyrville station to St-Laurent.
The memo said there would be an update before afternoon peak service.
Earlier on Tuesday, trains had been running about every 15 minutes between Blair and St-Laurent stations to facilitate closing one of the two St-Laurent platforms, with R1 buses on that same stretch of line.
‘Urgent’ repairs put off
Previous problems with the ceiling over St-Laurent station included debris falling onto tracks in January and “disrupted” ceiling tiles in May.
CBC later learned through a freedom of information request that some ceiling panels found littered with concrete chunks were being supported by “detached” and “heavily corroded” metal framing, directly above platforms where passengers waited for trains.
CBC News discovered some problem spots labelled “urgent” back in 2020 weren’t patched up until this year, after concrete fell. The city also skipped a full inspection of the tunnel structure when it was due in 2022, citing major construction on the bus station above.
The tunnel was used for buses before being converted for the LRT, which opened in 2019. The 2022 public inquiry found the Confederation Line was rushed into service.
Among the work planned during a series of closures was a tunnel inspection at the station.