O-Train suffers damage from freezing rain on east portion of system
Posted Mar 12, 2026 01:53:01 PM.
Last Updated Mar 12, 2026 03:34:40 PM.
“As precipitation increased, Line 1 started to experience issues,” a memo from OC Transpo’s top brass reads.
On Wednesday, the city received 22.7 mm of rain and freezing rain, which coated wires, vehicles and roadways with some ice accretion. Troy Charter, interim general manager of transit services, said that around 12:30 p.m., is when the issues started happening.
“Staff reported observing arcing on trains travelling between Hurdman and Lees stations, and subsequently damage to the Overhead Catenary System (OCS) was also reported in the same corridor,” he said. “These impacts appear to be related to the severe weather event.”
Rideau Transit Maintenance is on site to repair the system, with the work expected to continue on Thursday.
To account for the work, R1 bus service is helping customers from Blair to Lyon stations.
The O-train is running between Tunney’s Pasture to uOttawa stations, the memo states.
Charter said that more overhead catenary system investigations are underway, which could prompt more disruptions as “the situation evolves.”
