Oct. 28: O-Train South Extension Trial Running Daily Performance Summary
Date: October 28, 2024
To: Mayor and Members of Council
From: Troy Charter, Director, Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operations Transit Services Department
The purpose of this memo is to provide the Mayor and Members of Council with a summary of the daily activities accomplished as part of the Operational and Maintenance Evaluations segment of OTrain South Extension trial running. During this time, both OC Transpo and TransitNext teams are working through various test scenarios to validate and finalize standard operating procedures and grow their understanding of and familiarity with the new system.
For further details on the overall requirements and framework of trial running please refer to Memo 20-2024 sent on October 3, 2024.
| Day | Date | Test Scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | October 21 | A report indicated that a train was soiled and needed to be taken out of service. Transit Operations Control Centre (TOCC) coordinated the removal of the train at Limebank Station and service continued from Walkley Station northbound using the spare train. |
| Report was received regarding a broken rail. Service continued along one track between Carleton and South Keys stations, while staff completed the necessary inspections and required work. | ||
| Day 2 | October 22 | A train became immobilized at the southbound platform of South Keys Station requiring service on one track only. |
| The Diesel Rail Controller was prompted to activate the tunnel ventilation system due to reports of smoke in the Dow’s Lake tunnel. | ||
| Day 3 | October 23 | A train became immobilized near Walkley station. Service continued in two loops, one from Limebank to Greenboro stations and one loop from Walkley to Bayview stations. |
| Reports were received of a switch malfunction along the west track of South Keys station. To allow the maintainer to inspect the switch, service continued on one track only. | ||
| Day 4 | October 24 | Computer systems detected flooding of the Dow’s Lake tunnel. Service continued from Limebank to Carleton stations and from Dow’s Lake to Bayview stations. |
| A train became immobilized at Corso Italia Station, service continued using one track from Carleton to Bayview stations and from Carleton to Limebank stations. | ||
| Day 5 | October 25 | A train became immobilized at Mooney’s Bay Station. Service continued in two loops from Walkley to Limebank stations and from Carelton to Bayview stations. |
| A train became immobilized at Bowesville station, service continued from Leitrim to Limebank stations on one track, and from Leitrim to Bayview stations in a loop. | ||
| Day 6 | October 26 | A train became immobilized on the southbound track at Corso Italia Station. Service continued along one track from Carleton to Bayview stations and from Carleton to Limebank stations in one loop. |
| Reports were received of a protest at Carleton Station impacting the southbound track. Service continued along one track from Mooney’s Bay to Corso Italia. | ||
| Day 7 | October 27 | During the launch of service, the sixth train became immobilized on the north connector rail line. Launch continued on one track and there were no impacts to the remaining eight (8) trains as they started service. |
| A fire alarm caused Bayview Station to close and required service to end at Corso Italia Station. Alternate service was implemented successfully. | ||
| An overall test of the emergency response gate at the Airport was performed by TOCC. This gate is used to allow emergency responders to cross the rail safely when responding to emergencies. Service continued in two loops, one from South Keys to Bayview stations and one loop from Leitrim and Limebank stations. |
With Trial Running activities having now successfully concluded, the O-Train South Extension project will move towards substantial completion, final readiness work, and regulatory approvals. This is expected to take a minimum of three weeks. This week, we will release a Memorandum to Council and conduct a media availability to share plans for next steps. In the coming days, we will be reporting formally to Council and providing a deep dive via a technical briefing on the full results of Trial Running and a confirmation of launch timelines. That should be the last formal briefing required prior to the opening of the O-Train South Extension for customers.
Should you have any questions about the information provided in this memo, please do not hesitate to contact me at extension 52160.
Original signed by,
Troy Charter
Director, Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operations
cc: Senior Leadership Team
Transit Services Departmental Leadership Team
Director, Public Information and Media Relations
Nathalie Gougeon, Auditor General
