Ottawa

Woe-train: Ottawa's LRT troubles, by the numbers

In the seven and a half weeks since Ottawa's Confederation Line opened to the public, there's been nearly a full day's worth of service disruptions — that we know about.

Confederation Line service disruptions add up to 21.5 hours of headaches for commuters

LRT by the numbers

5 years ago
Duration 0:53
Since Ottawa's Confederation Line opened to the public, there's been nearly a full day's worth of service disruptions.

In the seven and a half weeks since Ottawa's Confederation Line opened to the public, there's been nearly a full day's worth of service disruptions — that we know about.

The new light rail line has broken down 31 times in the last 53 days for a total of 21.5 hours out of service, according to OC Transpo alerts.

Add the Trillium Line to the mix, and there have been more than 24 hours and 15 minutes of disruptions since Oct. 6 alone.

Trains on Lines 1 and 2 were halted on 20 of the 31 days since parallel bus service ended and dozens of routes were retired, forcing commuters to transfer onto LRT to complete their rides downtown.

Frustration among riders has boiled over, prompting Mayor Jim Watson to promise $3.5 million to bring back buses that had been put out of service. OC Transpo managers will have more to say at a transit commission meeting today.

Here's a look at Ottawa's troubled transit system, by the numbers.

How often does the LRT break down?

Longest disruptions since Sept. 14

Most frequent trouble spots

Known causes of O-Train issues


Facts and figures are from OC Transpo, plus city sources whenever possible.

CBC News has asked for more information about nine known incidents where a cause wasn't listed, and 17 incidents where a precise location wasn't given, and was told OC Transpo staff would answer those questions at Wednesday's meeting.