Platform closures and replacement buses are in place on the eastern section of Line 1 of the O-Train on Friday due to another overhead wire issue. Trains are operating in both directions from the usual westbound platform at Blair, Cyrville, and St-Laurent stations, necessitating a train change at St-Laurent. Additionally, R1 replacement buses are running between Blair and St-Laurent, with a standard shuttle service between St-Laurent and Cyrville.
West of St-Laurent, trains are running in both directions on both platforms. A malfunction in the overhead power wire system between St-Laurent and Cyrville was detected around 9:50 a.m. on Thursday, causing a train to come to a halt, as per a memo from Rick Leary, the general manager of transit services.
Initially, no trains were running beyond St-Laurent. The memo issued at 3:10 p.m. on Thursday indicated that regular Line 1 service would resume at the beginning of Friday’s service day, which did not occur. However, a subsequent memo at 7:40 a.m. on Friday stated that more extensive damage was found than anticipated, and repairs would resume in the evening after the peak period. If inspectors approve, normal service is expected to be restored on Saturday.
The LRT’s overhead catenary system utilizes suspended wires to provide the electric current that powers the trains. Past issues have occurred following freezing rain or lightning, although the exact cause is not always weather-related. OC Transpo has not yet provided an explanation for this recent damage.