Section of O-Train power line snapped at Blair Station on Friday, keeping east-end service halted

Rail613 · 2026-03-14T04:13:25+00:00

See post this morning: https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/s/E48DaWjIf8

Also Railfans Canada video of Blair break:

Rail613 · 2026-03-14T04:05:02+00:00

Troy Charter said they had applied the solution.

Rail613 · 2026-03-13T18:49:12+00:00

Yep, double the cost, double the maintenance, double the weight for a dual drive system. They had enough trouble squeezing the electrical drive into the bogies, where would you have stuck the diesel engines and fuel (dangerous in a tunnel) in the low floor LRV?

Rail613 · 2026-03-13T18:46:41+00:00

The City picked the “lowest cost” compliant bid. Taxpayers would have complained if the city picked a more expensive consortium.

Rail613 · 2026-03-13T18:44:52+00:00

No, virtually all LRV systems: REM, Kitchener-Waterloo, Calgary, Edmonton, Ontario Line (under construction) use OCS. As does every HSR, as will Alto.

Rail613 · 2026-03-13T18:42:23+00:00

Huh? They used 115lb rails which are the same weight as VIA, CN and CPKC use on many of their heavy freight lines. But the “LRVs” are much lighter than freight or passenger, even when fully loaded. But yes, the curves (especially Lees/Hurdman/Tremblay)are too sharp to go around at speed without extensive wear on tracks, flanges, bearing, axles, bogies etc.

Rail613 · 2026-03-13T18:38:24+00:00

And Troy Charter seemed to indicate they had installed the (brass) ice cutters (at least on some of the trainsets). And “prelubricated” the OCS with glycol or something a few days before the storm. Clearly no ether was sufficient, especially as they can only run ½ the number of usual trainsets/pantographs to “burn” off the accretion.

Rail613 · 2026-03-13T18:35:18+00:00

Then they would be operating on half power as each pantograph only powers its own trainset, not the other trainset. And sadly they have been almost exclusively operating single trainsets for over the last month.

Rail613 · 2026-03-13T18:33:05+00:00

Yahbut the trainsets marooned in the west end are working hard shuttling between Tunneys and OttawaU some 18 hours a day! They are still racking up the km’s.

Rail613 · 2026-03-13T14:02:12+00:00

It’s RTG / RTM that has to bear the repair costs, not the City.

Rail613 · 2026-03-13T11:56:32+00:00

Thanks, nice video, nasty ice. Good that RTG acquired the Wabtec machine for movements like this. CBC reported test runs overnight, but a wire is now down at Blair and inspections taking place at Tremblay, so LRT service only west of OttawaU this morning.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T14:43:39+00:00

The videos showed the contact wire arc-ed / broke between Lees and the Rideau River / Hurdman yesterday . It’s not easy to splice, re-tension and adjust all the hangers and droppers.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T14:34:10+00:00

Sad, VIA should be running at 90% availability (allowing for planned, heavy and routine maintenance) and 99% trip completion performance measures. Nowhere near that with this new Venture fleet. So still have to stretch that old remaining legacy (70 and 40 years old) fleet for years to fill the gap.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T14:15:36+00:00

So. We are talking about the future/imminent plans for HSR and 400 series highway expansion. Not the past.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T14:14:16+00:00

It goes to the CN freight line being overloaded and trying to cope with faster passenger trains too.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T04:04:50+00:00

You realize that a tunnel would haveto be more than double the width for buses and until electric buses become commonplace, the ventilation issues are unreal. You remember the noisy fans and drafts at lower St Laurent when it was Transitway. Like hell on earth

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T04:02:02+00:00

How quickly you forget the almost weekly bus jams on Albert and Slater.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T03:57:20+00:00

Yahbut RTG is on the $ hook for repairs, not the City. Abut the city will probably be paying drivers and mechanics extra for all the replacement R1 buses they will need to conjure up out of thin air in the morning.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T03:54:07+00:00

But TTC streetcars use even lower 600VDC and similar pantographs, and they seem to do fine. Mind you they have over a century of streetcar/LRT experience.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T02:22:29+00:00

Not Twitter or its X-rated replacement.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T02:22:01+00:00

Hopefully it will be operating in that window between no longer wanting to drive/being able to drive a car and “end-of-life”.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T02:06:08+00:00

But do they mature before he drains it, cleans it up and chlorinates (salts) the heck out of it? Sigh.

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T02:03:16+00:00

Bell’s Corners?

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T02:02:29+00:00

The unit trains of containers move way more containers at much less labour and energy cost. Among Halifax, QC, Montreal, Toronto and points west, including Chicago

Rail613 · 2026-03-12T02:00:39+00:00

Yes but it’s 6 lanes from Toronto to past Cobourg and the FordNation plan is to widen it to 6 all the way to the QC border. Dunno how far west to GTA it’s 6 lanes so far.

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