All Confederation Line trains that have traveled more than 175,000 kilometers have been pulled from the tracks after an inspection found a “failure” in the wheel hub assembly of one vehicle.
In a memo Saturday evening to Ottawa city hall, transit services general manager Renée Amilcar said the vehicles were taken out of service “for additional inspections out of an abundance of caution.”
The problem was found after an operator reported vibrations on his train, Amilcar said.
In his memo, Amilcar said train maker Alstom had already indicated the failure affected the train’s axle and bearing, but in a different way than the problem that caused an out-of-service train to derail in near Tunney’s Pasture station in August 2021.
In that incident, the wheel broke off the axle due to a problem with the bearing, the device installed at each end of the axle that helps the wheel rotate without resistance.
Amilcar said both Alstom and Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) were conducting “in-depth testing” to find out what caused the wheel hub assembly to fail.
Both have confirmed “verbally and by letter that all trains in operation” on the Confederation Line are safe, he said.
Train service continues
There are currently 10 trains running on the Confederation Line, Amilcar said, making stops roughly every five to six minutes.
The trains will return to the line once they have been inspected and deemed safe, according to his memo.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has also been notified, Amilcar added. OC Transpo and RTM are expected to provide another update on Tuesday.