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The testimony presented in the investigation of the province foreshadows a large number of notes with the finger on the problem of the light rail system of 2.2 billion dollars
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June 11, 2022 • 5 hours ago • 5 minutes reading • 7 comments Stock photo: An LRT train is inactive on the OC Transpo Belfast Yard track. Photo by Errol McGihon / Postmedia
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French train manufacturer Alstom told the provincial LRT consultation that the city of Ottawa and the Rideau Transit Group contractor knew that the $ 2.2 billion Confederation line was not ready to be fully launched, but the city went ahead anyway.
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In an opening statement presented to the commission of inquiry, Alstom, a subcontractor of RTG, said: “Instead of further delaying the start of the revenue service, the city preferred to start the system. on September 14, 2019, whatever happens.
“In addition, the city refused to increase revenue service through a soft launch, an industry-standard operating approach to allow a new system to address operational and maintenance issues before assuming full capacity. ‘user’.
The result was predictable, says Alstom; the city went after RTG for deficiencies.
Alstom has not directly addressed issues with the LRT system so far. The company’s most public response was when Mayor Jim Watson summoned the CEO to Ottawa City Council in June 2019 for assurances about when the trains would be ready.
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Jim Watson, from the far left, met with Alstom and RTG executives in 2019. Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge is on the far right. Photo by Jean Levac / Postmedia News
The commission of inquiry, set up by the provincial government, is tasked with investigating Phase 1 LRT breakdowns and the city’s choice of Rideau Transit Group (RTG) as a contractor. Judge William Hourigan is the commissioner who will preside over the hearings scheduled to begin on Monday. Stacks of evidence gathered by commission attorneys through witness interviews and document submissions predict the kind of finger pointing that could come out of investigative hearings.
Alstom designed the Citadis Spirit train for the Ottawa LRT project, the first time the train manufacturer provided “rolling stock” for a Canadian rail system. Alstom is also the main subcontractor of RTG-affiliated Rideau Transit Maintenance in the 30-year maintenance agreement with the city.
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In his initial statement to the commission, Alstom explains why some of the train problems have occurred.
“The first results of the investigation indicate that the design of the non-compliant track has contributed to an excess of stress in the vehicles that has caused this accelerated failure rate of the axle,” says Alstom as he addresses the derailment of the August 2021 near Tunney’s Pasture.
According to Alstom, “the design of the track generates an excessively high transverse tension in the vehicles during operation, especially in certain curves, which causes excessive fretting under the axle bearing.”
There are sharp curves on the 12.5-kilometer railway line between the east gate of the city center tunnel and Tremblay station.
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Alstom also reveals how it got involved with RTG’s offering.
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Originally, Alstom tried to be part of a different offer that did not go beyond the qualifying stage. Alstom then applied to be part of two of the qualified consortia, but the consortium refused.
In June 2012, as time went on in the city’s LRT acquisition process, RTG approached Alstom to be its train supplier after RTG’s original supplier, CAF, was disqualified by the company. city, according to Alstom.
Alstom says it only took three months to write its bid as part of RTG’s proposal in the city, but that the industry standard for such works is between nine and 18 months.
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Alstom had to reconfigure its Citadis train, which was used in other parts of the world, in response to city demands. The city’s vehicle design requirements were “at the absolute edge of what an LRV (light rail vehicle) can do,” Alstom says.
After RTG won the tender, the city took 12 months to complete the design options, delaying train production and validation testing, according to Alstom, and all parties, including the city and RTG, decided to manufacture and try the trains at the same time. to avoid delays.
“The risk, known and accepted by all parties, was that the engineering problems identified during the validation tests would lead to adjustments to the vehicles already produced,” says Alstom’s initial statement.
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“Predictably, that’s exactly what happened in this project.”
On September 19, 2021, an LRT train derailed west of Tremblay station that shut down the system for a month and 23 days. Photo by Errol McGihon / Postmedia
The team of engineers hired by RTG’s construction contractor to design most of the tracks and stations submitted their own opening statement to the commission last week.
RTG Engineering Joint Venture, a partnership of SNC-Lavalin and WSP Canada, says that “the provision of engineering services did not cause or contribute to the maintenance, breakdown or derailment issues that are the main topics of this consultation.”
In its own opening statement to the investigation filed Monday, Ottawa City Council says it was in no hurry to open the LRT system.
“The city’s focus was and is on public safety, reliability and the customer experience for the light rail in Ottawa,” the city statement says.
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During the trial period, the city agreed to reduce the number of dual-vehicle trains required for peak periods from 15 to 13, after checking that the number of passengers did not reach the levels set out in the contract. The city thought it would also give RTM some leeway with more spare vehicles.
While RTG argues that a soft launch is the “best practice,” the city says a “smooth start” was not required under the contract.
“The City Council had a right to wait until, once the system was delivered, it was ready to go into service,” the city’s opening statement says.
The city noted that “it remains concerned about the ability and commitment of RTG and its subcontractors to properly maintain the system.”
Meanwhile, RTG criticizes the city for not properly managing the public expectations of a new public transportation system.
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The city exacerbated these challenges by failing to make users aware of the possibility and normality of service outages. Instead, the city promoted the system to Ottawa travelers as a “turnkey” system when an operator Experienced Traffic Officer knows that any new traffic system of this complexity is experiencing “growth pains”, according to RTG’s opening statement also presented on Monday.
RTG says Alstom was “disappointed” by the delay in delivering trains and the slowness in establishing a maintenance workforce.
“Given Alstom’s extensive resources, market power, and the global scale of its operations and experience, RTG parties expected more from Alstom,” says RTG.
The investigation hearings are expected to last four weeks. They will be held at the University of Ottawa, where the public will be able to see them via a live stream that will also appear on the commission’s website. Audiences will also be broadcast on Rogers TV. A calendar of testimonials, subject to change, is available here.
jwilling@postmedia.com
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