New LRT Repair Might Not Be Sustainable Fix

Published 07/24/2023 · Updated 07/26/2023

Let’s fix light rail once and for all.

The Transportation Safety Board laid out these problems (one or all) in its report of Feb. 3. Those are problems with the new train design; difficulties with the bogies; and problems with a more powerful drivetrain than previous models. As well beyond the TSB conclusions, a number of experts are concerned about sharp turns on the track and incompatibilities between the train and the tracks.

So while redesigning the wheel hub assembly is much better than simply ripping out hundreds of faulty axles and tossing them in a pile, it might not be the answer. And those are underlined in the TSB recommendations. What happens if the new wheel-hub assembly can’t handle the more fundamental LRT problems above?

Then we’re back to square one.

The biggest issue with which the municipality is dealng is the unreliability and danger of the new light-rail system. The TSB doesn’t even mention new wheel-hub assemblies as the problem with LRT, but simply the result of basic design woes. Can Alstom and Rideau Transit Group solve these fundamental woes through new wheel-hub assemblies or must other basic problems be repaired. Something or more than one thing is causing perfectly good wheel-hub assemblies to break.

So fixing this train is likely more complicated than designing a better symptom of the problem.

Fixing the train is about finding a permanent repair to this dangerous and recurring situation.

Let’s hope that new wheel-hub assemblies will be the answer.

New OC Transpo LRT Slogans: TOP 10 LIST

But then the city has a long history of doing things that make it look good, rather than being good. LRT repair is not a PR game. We need a real and lasting fix and, at first blush, this might not be it … at least using the TSB recommendations as a guide.

It’s about making this train work. And if the people responsible for this mess … politicians, staffers, and contractors … can’t get this right, perhaps it’s time for new politicians, staffers and contractors.

This city must have a functioning rapid-transit system rather than an train that is the brunt of world-wide jokes and derision.

Get this repair right.

Ken Gray

Digital illustration on front by AI generator Bing Image Creator.

—

Pop Gossip Your Home Relax …

Bulldog Weather Full Local Sports

Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6

Other features: Full Bulldog Index Return to Bulldog Home

Tags: breakdown light rail Ottawa

Richard says:
07/24/2023 at 3:23 PM
“experts are concerned about sharp turns on the track and incompatibilities between the train and the tracks.”
That says it all doesn’t it? The sharp turns fix would be the most expensive and longest to accomplish. Hence the dithering by the city administrators and the consortium partners.
Is this not analogous to the Boeing 737 Max engine position design problem.? The proper and lasting fix there would have been to revere the corners that were cut and do a redesign of the airframe so the heavier engines could be placed in the aerodynamically correct position. Instead they use a vulnerable computer driven software to course correct. When it proved buggy, they just continued to play with this sub-optimal fix to the symptom of the root cause.