'Very strong start' to trial running on Trillium line, OC Transpo reports

Ottawa's north-south Trillium light rail line fell just a hair short of OC Transpo's reliability target on its first day of trial running, though it still has plenty of time to make up the gap and stay on track for a mid-November opening.

Monday marked the start of at least two weeks of reliability testing. OC Transpo says its goal is to have trains leave their terminus stations on schedule 98.5 per cent of the time over a 14-day rolling average.

A report to city council on Tuesday said the result for Monday was 98.3 per cent.

• Final round of Trillium line testing puts opening at mid-November — at the earliest

"This is a very strong start and we are working with TransitNext to see where improvements can be made," said director of rail construction Richard Holder, referring to the contractor that built the system and is now maintaining it.

The report pointed to issues with the train vehicles. In a media availability Tuesday afternoon, Holder said there was an issue with a brake on one train that delayed a departure on Monday morning.

"It took some time for a technician to provide a release for that brake before it could be launched," he said.

Holder said there was a separate issue with CCTV cameras that operators use to watch for customers. He said that issue was unexpected, but occurred on only two trains.

"We still need to work with the TransitNext team and the vehicle supplier, Stadler, to determine what went wrong," he said.

He said the initial response was to replace hardware.

"That's expected to resolve the issue, but we will monitor over the next few days," he said.

Regular updates promised

OC Transpo has promised to provide regular updates on reliability testing to city council each weekday for two weeks. It has said it will not rush the process, and a major issue — even on the 14th day — could mean starting over again.

Trial running will continue for seven more days after reliability testing, as OC Transpo puts the system through a week of challenging scenarios such as a medical emergency or a stopped train. 

After trial running, OC Transpo must still get regulatory approval from Transport Canada to operate the Trillium Line, which will link Bayview station with the airport and Riverside South. 

Ottawa Morning9:59Testing for the north-south Trillium Line begins

We've seen OC Transpo running trains for months along Line 2 and 4. They've also been training operators, checking systems and fixing problems. Now TransitNext needs to prove that it can run service on schedule for two weeks straight. The head of OC Transpo, Renée Amilcar, joins host Hallie Cotnam in studio to talk about this next – and potentially final – stage of the Trillium Line testing process.

The system would then enter a "final readiness phase" that will take a minimum of three weeks.

If everything goes smoothly, that could mean the line will be ready for passenger service in mid-November.

The previous, shorter version of the north-south rail line closed in the spring of 2020. The plan was to reopen with expanded service in August 2022, but there have been several delays getting it built and ready.