OC Transpo will be suspending east-end service this evening to complete remedial work to the damaged concrete roof slab that has kept St. Laurent station closed since Friday, but remains confident the service can return to normal Wednesday.
In a memo to council on Tuesday, OC Transpo said Line 1 service will be suspended after 10 p.m. tonight between Blair and Hurdman stations until the end of service as fixes to the damage on the concrete roof slab above the platform requires additional time to complete.
R1 service will operate between Blair and Hurdman stations and train service will run in both directions from Tunney’s Pasture to Hurdman station.
“Crews will continue to work in the station today to support the remaining remedial work, and final inspections to confirm that any hazards associated with the concrete roof slab and the suspended ceiling have been fully mitigated,” said OC Transpo’s general manager of transit services Renee Amilcar and the general manager of Infrastructure and Water Services, Tammy Rose, in the memo.
“The final inspection may require some further remedial work to be completed. The cleaning of the station will also begin today to support the reopening of the station.”
In an earlier memo on Monday, OC Transpo said crews had to remove suspended ceiling tiles above the rail platforms and inspect the tunnel concrete after a regular visual inspection on Friday found evidence of corrosion on the tiles and potential damage to the concrete.
Rail service continues to run on a normal schedule, with trains running from Tunney’s Pasture to Blair Station, and skipping St. Laurent Station. Shuttles are operating between St. Laurent and Cyrville stations.
It’s unclear if the station will reopen on-time for Wednesday service, but an update will be provided to passenger at a media availability with OC Transpo and councillors on Wednesday.
Amilcar and Rose add that more inspections will be taking place of the other Line 1 tunnels.
“Given the state of the suspended ceiling infrastructure in St-Laurent Station, out of an abundance of caution, OC Transpo has asked Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) to conduct proactive inspections of the suspended infrastructure at Parliament, Rideau and Lyon Stations. More details on the timing and impact of those inspections will be announced once plans are finalised,” the memo added.
It’s the second time this year the tunnel has created problems for the transit service.
In January, a section of the east-end O-Train line was shutdown after a structural inspection found pieces of concrete on the tracks of St. Laurent Station.
Staff found the concrete had chipped off the main slab inside the tunnel and crews performed “sounding and scaling” to remove small concrete pieces that had separate from the main slab.
Line 1 service was able to return to normal after a seven hour shutdown.