OC Transpo will suspend operation of the new north-south light rail line for the next three days for “minor construction activities” after the Trillium line arrives at the station to complete the test period of 21 days.

In a memo to council Monday morning, Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar said the work was completed over the weekend “bringing to a close the second phase of testing,” and that further Further information on next steps before launch will be released later today.

OC Transpo and TransitNext launched the 21-day trial period on October 7, which included a 14-day simulation of daily passenger service, followed by a seven-day period to run through a series of simulated problem scenarios to see how staff react. to the problems on lines 2 and 4.

OC Transpo says the 14-day rolling average on-time performance was 99.5 per cent, ahead of the target of 98.5 per cent.

Once the 21-day trial period is complete, OC Transpo says there will be a three-week period to prepare for launch, including final preparation work and regulatory approvals.

Amilcar said the Trillium line is expected to open in mid-November.

Scenarios during testing

Over the past seven days, OC Transpo and TransitNext have been working on 15 different test scenarios to simulate potential issues once the Trillium line launches.

The scenarios included:

• A report was received of a broken rail. Service continued on one track between Carleton and South Keys stations while staff carried out inspections and required work.
• One report indicated that a train was contaminated and needed to be taken out of service.
• A train came to a stop on the southbound platform at South Keys station, requiring single track service.
• A train has stopped near Walkley station. Service continued on two loops, one from Limebank to Greenboro stations and one loop from Walkley to Bayview stations.
• A train has stopped at Mooney’s Bay station. Service continued in two loops from Walkley stations to Limebank stations and from Carleton stations to Bayview stations.
• There were reports of a protest at Carleton Station that impacted the southbound track. Service continued on one track from Mooney’s Bay to Corso Italia.

Construction activities

Amilcar says OC Transpo is suspending traffic on the Trillium line until Wednesday, with a “temporary pause” in train movements.

“During this period, we will suspend train movements so that TransitNext can safely conduct minor construction activities, including track maintenance, graffiti removal and other required work as we work to substantial completion,” Amilcar said.

“This is planned work and an important step in moving us forward on the road to serving passengers on Lines 2 and 4.”