Ottawa insists LRT is safe despite safety board saying wheel hub issues not fixed

Ottawa transit officials say the city’s beleagured light- rail system is safe following concerns raised earlier this month by the Transportation Safety Board.

The safety board said Feb. 3 that the problems that caused a train derailment in 2021 and an axle wheel hub failure last summer haven’t been resolved and still pose a risk to safety.

But Ottawa transit services manager Renee Amilcar says in a memo sent this week that OC Transpo and the Rideau Transit Group has met with the board since then to confirm that the LRT is safe to use.

The city has yet to show what it plans to do in response to recommendations made last fall following a public inquiry into Ottawa’s LRT challenges.

Inquiry commissioner William Hourigan made 103 recommendations most of which need to be dealt with by the City of Ottawa.

Amilcar says an update on the city’s response will be ready at the next LRT governance committee meeting.