OC Transpo officials say 56 of 103 recommendations from LRT inquiry have been implemented so far

Published Oct 09, 2023 • Last updated 8 hours ago • 2 minute read

A report submitted last month by general manager of transit services Renée Amilcar is to be tabled at this week’s council session. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

The City of Ottawa and OC Transpo have implemented 56 of the 103 recommendations identified in last year’s Light Rail Transit Inquiry, a report stated, and officials said they expect to have another 19 recommendations completed by the end of this year.

The light rail sub-committee was formed in April to address the recommendations made by the public inquiry, which were issued in November 2022. At the time the sub-committee was formed, 36 of those recommendations had been completed or integrated into revised corporate policies, according to a report submitted last month by general manager of transit services Renée Amilcar.

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The report is to be tabled at this week’s council session.

The recommendations “reflect directly” on the Confederation Line and span several areas, including procurement models, contractual arrangements and the project agreement, design of the system, testing and commissioning, and the timing of “substantial completion.”

Eight of the 103 recommendations fall within the responsibility of provincial or federal governments, according to the report, with the remaining 95 under the city’s jurisdiction.

Amilcar noted the “collaborative approach” to address the inquiry recommendations has been “very successful with significant progress made” since the city’s plan was presented to the sub-committee in April.

As of Sept. 20, 56 of the 103 recommendations “are considered complete or have been incorporated into ongoing City policies for implementation in future projects,” Amilcar said in the memo.

Another 14 recommendations that are currently listed as “in progress” will be considered complete following a Finance and Corporate Services policy update later this year.

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“Staff expect to have approximately 75 of the 95 recommendations complete by the end of 2023 with the remaining well in progress or incorporated into ongoing work or processes,” Amilcar stated.

City staff led councillors on an “orientation session” and technical briefing in August to address the status of LRT issues related to the wheel hub assembly, axles and bearings, according to the report.

“Staff confirmed that a final fix had been identified and a framework to replace the bearing hub assembly and reposition the restraining rails was underway,” the report states. A “Root Cause Analysis” report is scheduled for this week’s meeting of the transit commission Thursday.

A second report will be tabled at the same meeting updating members on other issues that have caused problems on the LRT line, such as freezing rain and lightning strikes.

Amilcar stated the “key recommendations” of last year’s public inquiry centred around “ensuring transparency with the public and elected officials.”

“Transit Services agrees with the recommendations and is currently communicating in a manner to restore public trust,” Amilcar stated.

“Staff expect to close out more recommendations at the next update,” Amilcar stated, which is expected at the end of the year or early in 2024.

“Although there will be a few remaining items that are considered ongoing or sufficiently in progress, staff anticipate being able to close out the Action Plan, identifying those actions which will be taken over the longer term, or which will be incorporated into future infrastructure projects.”