City aiming for Sunday service on Trillium Line by end of April

The city is aiming to launch Sunday service on the Trillium Line and airport link by the end of April, OC Transpo's managing director Renée Amilcar said Thursday.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the city's transit commission, Amilcar said the delay in Sunday service on lines 2 and 4 is due to a shortage of train operators, and because passenger information screens are still malfunctioning.

She said taking a break from service on Sundays gives OC Transpo time to update their computer systems and allows contractor TransitNext to continue running drills.

"We are trying to do those things before we launch the 'New Ways to Bus,' which will be, I would say, the mark to start the real opening of lines 2 and 4," Amilcar said. 

New Ways to Bus is what OC Transpo is calling widespread changes to the transit system that will be implemented on April 27. Amilcar said seven-day-a-week service on the Trillium Line would begin before then.

The newly extended Trillium Line began reopening on Jan. 6 with weekday service. At the time, city officials said it would be at least two weeks before Saturday service began, and another two weeks before Sunday service could start. Saturday service was launched Jan. 25. 

Short 23 operators

The update comes just days after the city's auditor general tabled an investigation showing the instructors who trained Trillium Line operators themselves lacked the experience and necessary training. 

Those findings were circulated internally before Jan. 6, and Amilcar said earlier this week that when the Trillium Line opened the system was "safe and all operators have been properly trained."

At the transit commission meeting on Thursday, OC Transpo reported 53 operators are currently available for service on the diesel Trillium Line and airport link, also known as lines 2 and 4. Twenty more operators are currently completing training, the city said Thursday.

The city said it needs at least 66 operators available before Sunday service can begin. Ultimately, OC Transpo plans to train 76 drivers to cover sick leave and other unexpected situations.

The passenger information screens have been experiencing problems since at least last July, both aboard trains and on station platforms.