OC Transpo will be holding a news conference this afternoon to update the city on progress made in the St. Laurent tunnel, five days after the station was closed to LRT riders because of issues with the concrete ceiling.
Trains on Line 1 started skipping St. Laurent Station on Friday after an inspection of ceiling tiles found evidence of corrosion and possible damage to concrete in the underground station. Trains continued to run through the tunnel, but riders had to take buses to connect to the St. Laurent Shopping Centre. OC Transpo said Monday that crews had to remove suspended ceiling tiles above the rail platforms and inspect the tunnel concrete. Rail service was suspended and replaced with R1 buses between Hurdman and Blair stations Tuesday night for repairs and additional work.
An email Tuesday afternoon said a “virtual situational update on St. Laurent Station” would be provided Wednesday at 1 p.m. Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar and Infrastructure and Water Services general manager Tammy Rose will be present, alongside officials from Rideau Transit Maintenance.
As of Tuesday night, there was no indication when the platform at St. Laurent would reopen to passengers. An update was expected Wednesday morning.
Issues east of uOttawa raise concerns for Stage 2: Tierney
Line 1 has experienced regular issues since it launched in 2019, including stopped trains, derailments, and multi-week shutdowns, but at least one city councillor in the east end says a pattern has emerged that negatively impacts his constituents.
Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron on Tuesday that the east end of the line seems to have more problems than the west end does.
“I think we’re hitting the end of the road when it comes to any kind of faith in the east end past the University of Ottawa,” he said. “Think about how many times we’ve had train issues and it’s always east of Ottawa U.”
There have been numerous issues on the LRT tracks east of uOttawa Station. Issues so far this year include damaged wires in February and falling pieces of concrete at St. Laurent Station in January. Last summer, the east end took longer to get back online following a full system shutdown that lasted four weeks because most of the curves in the line are east of uOttawa. The September 2021 derailment happened near Tremblay Station. Freezing rain and moist air over the Rideau River (east of uOttawa) suspended service for several days in early 2023.
City and transit staff have implemented several fixes to mitigate many of the problems seen on the line in recent years, including more de-icing measures for freezing rain, lubrication on curves, speed changes, a more stringent vehicle inspection regimen and, eventually, a full redesign and replacement of the axle hubs on all trains.
Tierney says any future suspension of rail service between Blair and uOttawa stations because of regular problems on the line will harm ridership once Stage 2 service out to Trim Road has launched.
“When you’re hearing about people having to get on buses to get on trains, you can only imagine with Stage 2 light rail coming into play, if people have to get on trains, get off, get onto a bus, get back onto a train in minus 40, the highest modal split of people getting onto public transit in the east end is going to evaporate overnight,” he said. “If you can’t tell, myself and my east-end colleagues are pissed off now. We’ve hit a new turning point.”
Tierney said he feels very good about the eastern extension past Blair Station, but that “doesn’t solve the missing middle” of Stage 1.
“People are tired in the east and we’re going to lose ridership if we don’t get the major spine corrected, as well as Stage 2, when it comes online. This all has to be buttoned up so that we’re ready to roll.”
This story will be updated. Please check back later for new information.