LRT wheels won't all be replaced despite TSB advisory

The head of OC Transpo says despite advice from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) to replace all the wheels on Ottawa's LRT trains, that's not about to happen.

The TSB is still investigating aftercracks were discovered on several wheels this summer, butissues safety advisories when it uncovers "serious safety deficiencies"that can't wait until the final report.

In a letter made public Tuesday, the TSBwarnsscrews protruding from the wheel hubs could be to blame, and said the problem could be morewidespreadthan originally thought. The defects might even go undetected despite daily inspections, the letter said.

• Protruding screws possible cause LRT wheel cracks, TSB says

"It is suggested that [Rideau Transit Group]and [train maker] Alstom expedite the removal of all [wheel manufacturer] Lucchini resilient wheels that were originally installed on the [light rail] fleet and were equipped with jacking screws," wrote the TSB's director of rail and pipeline investigations, Paul Treboutat, in a letter dated Nov. 4.

John Manconi, the city's general manager of transportation services, assuredthe transit commission Wednesday that safety is paramount, and saidso far, 13 of the 38 train cars in the fleet have had all their wheels replaced with new onesthat didn't have thejacking screws pre-installed.

But Manconialso said the city is awaiting"specialized equipment" that can adjust thejacking screws to their correct position, sosomewheels won'thave to be replaced.

"None of the safety experts have expressed any concerns with the path forward," Manconi said, noting TSB officials take part in those conversations.

The TSBsaid Wednesday it's aware of the plan to maintain some wheels, but said it's not within itsmandate to approve such a course of action.

Ridership continues to slump

Transit commissioners also heard that ridership onOC Transpo remained at just 28 per cent of pre-pandemic levels at the end of November, a figure that has stayed relatively flatoverthe fall months.

OC Transpo's Pat Scrimgeourparsed that figure, explaining that ridership on the Confederation Line sits at just 20 per centbecause downtown office workersand university students are the main users. Bus routes have seen an average decline in ridership of about 40 per cent, he said.

The transit commission also heard more abouteffortsto reduce the noise the LRT makes as it rounds a curved section of tracknear Hurdman station. The noisewon't fully disappear, but should diminish, said Manconi.

Finally, gas-powered track switch heatershave now been installed on the Confederation Line. The old switches created serious problems when they froze last winter.