O-Train service slowed for 90 minutes on Friday after stopped train near station

An east-bound O-Train pulls in to Rideau Station on the Confederation Line of the Light Rail Transit system in Ottawa, Ont. (Brenda Woods/CTV Ottawa)

OTTAWA — A stopped train slowed down service on the Confederation Line for over 90 minutes on Friday afternoon, after an issue with the vehicle's brakes.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Director of Transit Operations Troy Charter says a westbound train came to a stop between Tremblay and Hurdman Stations at approximately 2 p.m. Friday.

"While approaching the station, the train's brakes activated, the train came to a sudden stop, and the brakes did not release," said Charter.

"The operator attempted to rectify the issue, but troubleshooting could not resolve it. A Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) technician was required to attend the train to release the brakes in order to remove it from service."

Charter says the affected train will undergo diagnosis and repairs at the OC Transpo Maintenance and Storage Facility, adding the work is "unrelated to the axle-bearing issue impacting other trains."

One person on Twitter said they were trapped on the train for an hour because of the issue.

O-Train service continued to operate on a single track between Hurdman and Rideau stations while the train was taken out of service.

"Some customers would have experienced delays, including increased travel times and wait times at stations, as some trains were held temporarily in order to proceed through the single tracking section," said Charter.

"Customers were notified via announcements in the trains, in stations, on our social media accounts, as well as our other regular channels.  Service returned to normal operation at approximately 3:45 p.m."

AXLE ISSUES WITH THE O-TRAIN

Nine cars on the Confederation Line are undergoing additional analysis and repairs for axle issues after inspections were carried out following an O-Train car derailed near Tunney's Pasture station on Aug. 8.

In a memo to council Friday afternoon, Transportation Services General Manager John Manconi said Rideau Transit Maintenance has begun implementing repairs to the nine single cars identified in the inspection process.

"As work on each train car is finished and, as on-going inspections are done, they will be returned to service," said Manconi.

"The car involved in the initial incident on Aug. 8 is part of the root cause investigation and requires more thorough inspections before repairs can be made to return it safely to service."

The root cause investigation into the derailment on Aug. 8 continues. The Transit Commission will receive an update at its meeting on Sept. 20.

On Friday morning, 14 double-car trains were in service, with trains arriving at stations every three to four minutes.

Manconi says service was operating approximately every five minutes during peak periods this week.