LRT riders suffered 'unacceptable' delays in Thursday breakdowns, transit boss says
"We experienced three events that caused us to roll out multiple responses at different locations," Manconi wrote in a message.
Norman Provencher, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: February 21, 2020
Some passengers on Ottawa’s $2.1-billion LRT system suffered “unacceptable” delays of more than an hour in Thursday’s afternoon commute due to a series of train breakdowns, Ottawa transportation general manager John Manconi said in a message Friday.
“We experienced three events that caused us to roll out multiple responses at different locations,” Manconi wrote in a message to councillors, transit commission members and others.
“Three disruptions at different locations is frustrating for our customers and impacted their commute … to varying degrees,” he wrote. “Operationally, the demand on resources was intense and communicating all the impacts, service responses etc. in a short period of time with changing situations was a challenge.
“The delays to affected customers were extensive and not acceptable.”
According to Manconi’s note, the problems began at about 4:20 p.m. with an unexplained “fault” on an eastbound train at Rideau Station. The operator was able to get the train running, resulting in delays of about 10 minutes. The train following the stricken train was also delayed.
Thirty minutes later, the stricken train “experienced another fault” just outside Blair station. This time, the operator could not clear the issue and technicians from the RTG consortium were dispatched.
Just after 5 p.m., OC Transpo implemented R1 replacement bus service between St. Laurent and Blair stations.
It took almost 30 minutes to slowly move the stricken train into Blair Station.
Quote:
Nathalie Boivin @MrsBoivs
Stuck on this train like sardines. Then they tell us we won't be moving for a while. Now we have to take a rescue bus to Blair to to take another bus home! Way to go #Ottlrt way to go!! Makes commuting to work a nightmare!!!
|
“We recognize that this would have been frustrating delay for customers on the train, especially after experiencing a delay earlier in their trip at Rideau Station.
“Combined, this resulted in these customers having a trip time of one hour on compared to a total end-to-end trip time of 24 minutes,” Manconi wrote.
Full service resumed shortly afterwards, with a spare train dispatched. The broken train remained at Blair until after the end of rush hour when it was returned to the maintenance yards.
While all this was going on, “a separate train experienced a door fault at a downtown station,” Manconi said. “This resulted in an additional delay for some customers of approximately five minutes.”
Manconi’s Friday message was much more complete than a release he issued Thursday afternoon: “We had 13 trains out this afternoon. Unfortunately we experienced two delays impacting customer. The first was a train issue at Rideau that caused some delays as that was cleared up, the second issue occurred which is a brake issue at Blair that just cleared up. We had to ask some customers to offload and use buses until full service has been restored.”
Citizen transit commissioner Sarah Wright-Gilbert said Friday she doubts the Friday message would have been sent had she and Coun. Carol Anne Meehan and others not “held Transpo’s feet to the fire” for more details on the breakdown.
Wright-Gilbert issued an exasperated nine-tweet thread Thursday evening.
“It is time to hold RTM/RTG accountable for the system they built and maintain, not just through financial penalties, but through public pressure and leadership at City Hall, Transit Commission, and OC Transpo,” she notes in one of the tweets.
“I was hoping this thread would be a call to action,” Wright-Gilbert said Friday. “It’s not just about the failures and breakdowns. It’s the lack of information, even at the very basic levels. There is next to no communication.”
Meanwhile, city council’s outgoing transportation committee chairman Allan Hubley said his “patience is gone” as the LRT breakdowns continue.
“It’s time to get in there ahead of time, do the preventive maintenance that’s been prescribed for these trains,” he told CTV news.
Quote:
Sarah Wright-Gilbert @smwgilbert
*THREAD*
I have had enough. Brakes, doors, onboard computers, power connectors, flat wheels, odours, transponders, freezing stations, pieces coming off of the trains. 1/9
|
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...nsit-boss-says
Prev
Linear Mode
