LRT east extension ‘pre-trial running’ expected in early October

OC Transpo officials say the long-awaited LRT east extension to Orléans is “progressing as planned” and a “pre-trial running” phase is forecast to begin in early October.

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Staff did not put forward a date for the east extension to open to passengers, which can only happen after completing a 21-day trial running phase with trains operating on the entire length of Line 1 from Tunney’s Pasture to Trim Station in Orléans.

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In an update to the transit committee on Sept. 10, Richard Holder, director of the rail construction program, said the actual trial running phase would be the “next major milestone” before completing final preparations for passenger service.

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“The focus on the east extension has shifted increasingly towards final readiness activities as we prepare for pre-trial running and trial running,” Holder said. “This work includes closing out deficiencies, exercising the system under increasingly realistic operating conditions, validating operational processes, and ensuring that our people, procedures and systems are ready for the next phase.”

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There are now eight trains travelling on the east extension without passengers to “exercise the system” between the east-end stations, including Blair, Montreal, Jeanne d’Arc, Convent Glen, Place d’Orléans and Trim stations.

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“Running these trains is part of exercising the system and allows for any final challenges to be identified and issues to be addressed ahead of time, in order to build system reliability for customers,” according to a staff report prepared for the committee.

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The east extension was delayed, in part, after inspectors discovered extensive “spalling” and “shelling” damage to the cartridge-bearing assemblies on the Line 1 train cars’ wheel hubs in January.

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Train cars exceeding 100,000 kilometres in travel distance were pulled from service, but they have been gradually fitted with new cartridge-bearing assemblies and outfitted with a “smart bug” monitoring system.

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OC Transpo associate general manager Troy Charter told the committee that 50 train cars now had conditioning monitoring systems installed and some further “refinements” were necessary to ensure any future spalling was accurately detected.

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Charter had previously said that OC Transpo would require 46 trains in service to begin the trial running phase.

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A staff report said work on the east extension had shifted focus to “final readiness activities,” which included repairs to items identified during previous phases as needing further work, operational readiness and “exercising all system elements.”

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OC Transpo is undertaking additional “readiness exercises to practice and validate operational responses to rail diversion scenarios that could occur in the east extension,” staff said.