An Ottawa Light Rail Transit train travels along the tracks in Ottawa on June 22.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Ottawa’s light-rail transit service is expected to remain shut down for at least another two weeks, with officials estimating today that it won’t reopen until Aug. 14 at the earliest.
The train service was shut down in the middle of rush hour on July 17 due to an issue with a train’s axle bearing that was discovered during a routine inspection.
OC Transpo committed to a detailed inspection of every vehicle and originally speculated the LRT would be back on track by Monday.
But it scrapped that plan last Friday, saying an additional 10 days of repairs and testing were needed.
Now the transit provider says that more work needs to be done to reposition the rails.
An alternate bus route was established for commuters who would normally take the train, but it has been heavily criticized for being less reliable.
Two separate derailments in 2021 that stemmed from maintenance and assembly issues had led to temporary shutdowns.
A public inquiry into the issues plaguing Ottawa’s LRT resulted in a scathing report released last fall, which drew specific attention to problems with the machinery.
The report faulted both city officials and companies hired to build the $2.1-billion project system for delivering an unreliable system more than a year behind schedule.
In 2019, months before the LRT opened to the public, the city approved a $4.66-billion budget for a second stage of the project, which is under way but facing delays.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.