Software bugs a key challenge stalling Trillium Line's opening

Impatience is growing as OC Transpo refuses to offer a date for opening the north-south Trillium light rail line while it continues to work out "bugs" in the system.

"We don't know exactly when, because we need to continue to run the system," transit services general manager Renée Amilcar told a meeting of Ottawa's light rail subcommittee on Thursday. 

"We need to continue to build reliability. We need to continue to identify gaps, issues, and address them before opening the line."

Richard Holder, the city's engineering director, said OC Transpo must meet nine conditions before it can begin trial running — a crucial stage that allows it to test the reliability of its trains.

I don't want to get stressed, because we want to succeed.- Renée Amilcar, transit services GM

Holder said even once trial running begins, it will take another four to six weeks before passenger service can start.

OC Transpo has only met two of the nine conditions to far, but Holder said the other seven are very close to being met. One key challenge is the reliability of data coming from the trains, which he said contains "anomalies."

"What is reported within the report does not seem to line up with what our field staff are seeing out in the field," Holder said. "We do not believe we're in the position where we're replacing equipment, we're replacing hardware. It's just a software issue."

Without accurate data, Holder said OC Transpo will not know whether it's meeting its goal of achieving 98.5 per cent reliability during trial running.

Transit service delivery and rail operations director Troy Charter said OC Transpo also remains short of trained drivers. It needs between 54 and 58, but only has 48 right now, though several more are in training.

Charter said the training is more complicated because, in contrast to the largely automatic east-west LRT, Trillium Line operators must manually drive the diesel trains and follow signals.

'Failure is not an option'

At the subcommittee, the updates triggered repeated requests for some kind of timeline, or even a rough guess, for when OC Transpo will be able to open the line, now delayed about two years.

River ward Coun. Riley Brockington said adding up all the requirements led him to conclude opening will be impossible before December. He asked Amilcar if his estimate was correct, but she did not provide a direct answer.

"It's very, very difficult to determine for me to commit to a date because those priority stages are so important," she said. "I don't want to get stressed, because we want to succeed. We don't want to fail. Failure is not an option for us."

Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo worried that at a certain point, the delays could verge on "ridiculousness." He asked Amilcar for, at least, a best-case scenario "ideal timeline."

"With respect," Amilcar responded, "I prefer to be ridiculous today instead of giving something that you would like to hear. We are not ready to do so."

The Carleton University Student Association's vice-president of student issues, Artur Estrela da Silva, addressed the subcommittee to call for a specific timeline, but he had no more luck than Brockington.

Estrela da Silva said students often contact him with transit concerns, and they want a more concrete estimate of when they can expect service.

"There is a feeling of frustration or anxiety, for sure," he said.

The case for caution

Riverside South–Findlay Creek Coun. Steve Desroches, who chairs the subcommittee, agreed that Carleton University is "the epicentre of the impacts" of the Trillium delays.

But he told Estrela da Silva that the city does not want a repeat of the issues that have plagued the east-west LRT line since its opening.

"There is considerable letdown and disappointment in the community," Desroches said. "So do you agree with the approach that we should do our best to have as close to 100 per cent confidence that they're ready to go, so that we avoid the situation that Ottawa U went through with the LRT?" he asked.

Estrela da Silva agreed, and later told reporters he was satisfied with both Desroches's answer and the update from OC Transpo staff.

Several councillors said they, too, understand the need for caution.

"Obviously, everyone's impatient about when thing are going to start," said Bay ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh. "I appreciate the updates and I appreciate that you're being cautious about dates, personally … I think it's better to have all the ducks in line."