Months of work undone on O-Train west extension, councillor says
Posted Aug 11, 2026 01:23:47 PM.
Last Updated Aug 11, 2026 01:32:06 PM.
“It’s truly a disaster.”
That’s what City of Ottawa Councillor Laine Johnson said after she toured Moodie Station on the O-Train west extension. She met with staff at the Stage 2 station on Monday to see the damage the area suffered after the July 1 torrential downpour.
“First, I want you to know that Moodie Station was designed to handle flood waters,” Johnson wrote in a Facebook post. “It has an underground holding tank and a pump to move water away from the station. There are other features, too. But none of it was enough to protect the station from that amount of water coming that fast.”
On Canada Day, the nation’s capital experienced a once in 200-years storm that saw severe impacts across the city. According to Environment Canada’s data, 118.4 millimetres of precipitation fell, which is double the previous record — 58.9 mm — that was first set in 1959 at the Ottawa International Airport.
The event has been called historic and caused thousands of basements to flood.
The storm caused damage to the tracks and work being done at Moodie Station. Johnson said it appears that months of work have been undone.
“The tracks will have to be removed, the catenary system will have to be removed,” she said. “And some electrical equipment was flooded and will have to be replaced, too. It will take time to get that manufactured and shipped to Ottawa.”
Some of the photos shared by the councillor show the rocks underneath the tracks completely washed away. It helps hold the tracks in place and insulates them from the ground, Johnson wrote.
Another photo shows the group standing in the tunnel area of the station. Above their heads is a brown line, which Johnson says is from when the water rushed in on July 1.
Last week, a memo was shared with city council from the director of the rail construction program, Richard Holder. In it, he admitted that the severe storm slowed the work on the extension and forced crews to make repairs.
An external consultant is looking at the schedule for the system to open, which is set for 2027.
“This includes looking at many ways to mitigate project timelines, including the potential for a staged opening,” he added in the message.
The assessment by the consultant is expected to be released early next year.
“It’s truly a disaster. We are all anxiously awaiting the assessment to know what the impact will be,” Johnson said.
