By Claude & Parth on 2026-04-10, City: Ottawa, View Transcript
The Transit Committee met to address ongoing safety and reliability issues on the Confederation Line as the city manages a wheel-bearing (ERC) failure that has triggered speed restrictions and reduced rail capacity. Members also received the annual report from the Light Rail Regulatory Monitor and Compliance Officer, which outlined the scope of oversight and flagged several incomplete or delayed maintenance and training items. Staff provided updates on the electric bus rollout at the Saint-Laurent campus and on-system reliability results for March 2026. Delegates raised accessibility concerns about Para Transpo’s lack of late-night service, and new transit director Rick Cleary said his priority is to “rétablir le lien de confiance avec la clientèle” in the bus and rail systems.
Staff described ongoing “crumbling” and “spalling” damage affecting wheel bearing assemblies (ERCs), which led to a safety order limiting bearings to 100,000 km before replacement. Sabrina told the committee, “La sécurité, c'est toujours notre première priorité… et c'est ce que sur quoi je me concentre.”
The committee heard that the city came close to a full shutdown of Line 1. Staff outlined interim measures including additional monitoring and testing while root-cause work continues. One update projected that replacements could restore full Line 1 capacity “d'ici la fin du mois de mai,” while acknowledging the work depends on what is found through ongoing technical investigations.
The Light Rail Regulatory Monitor and Compliance Officer presented the annual compliance report and emphasized that oversight involves multiple layers. In the French-language presentation, the officer said the delegation agreement requires the city to hire outside experts for annual safety audits and submit reports to Transport Canada: “le régime réglementaire a plusieurs paliers de surveillance.”
The committee was told the program’s approach is risk-based and cannot cover every sub-element continuously: “Le contrôle, la surveillance doit être continue… [mais] il faut procéder avec une démarche… axée sur les risques.” The report period included review of “plus de 300 documents et dossiers” related to the system under review.
Several items were highlighted as taking significant time to complete, including “trois des 11 choses vérifiées qui n'ont pas été terminées presque 1 an après l'identification.” The committee also heard that some elements were re-checked to confirm progress after issues were found, including components that were “surveillés deux fois… pour suivre les progrès et les problèmes identifiés.”
Staff reported continued expansion of the electric bus fleet and described the transition as a multi-year operational change affecting charging infrastructure, garage operations, training, and maintenance. Since 2022, staff said the electric fleet has accumulated “plus de 2 millions de kilomètres,” with reported savings of 9,300 litres of diesel and 2,360 tonnes of CO2 avoided.
Officials also said early industry assumptions about replacing diesel buses with electric buses at a 1:1 ratio were not holding during rollout. One staff update said the 1:1 approach was “trop rapide pour la phase de la mise en œuvre,” and that additional fleet capacity is needed during the transition to handle disruptions and weather events.
Staff presented March 2026 performance figures and broke down missed service by cause. One update stated: “En mars, on était à 87,6 %… À peu près 10 % des déplacements… c'était à cause d'un manque de véhicules… 21 %… à cause de bris mécanique.” For rail, staff reported: “pour le train, le résultat était à 61,8 %… comparativement à 92,9 % l'année dernière.”
Rick Cleary told the committee his focus is rebuilding confidence: “Ma priorité c'est de rétablir le lien de confiance avec la clientèle dans notre système d'autobus et système ferroviaire.”
Delegate Kyle Humf asked the committee to address the lack of late-night Para Transpo options, saying riders must leave events early or risk being stranded: “Les usagers de par transport doivent soit quitter plutôt ou seront pris dans un stationnement sombre sans solution.” Another delegate framed the issue as end-to-end accessibility: “Accessibilité ne termine pas à l'entrée d'un bâtiment… [elle] se termine quand tout le monde est de retour chez eux de façon sécuritaire. Arrêtons… les couvre-feu de minuit.”
Humf proposed a time-limited pilot, including expanded weekend hours and operational changes intended to use capacity created by cancellations.
No formal motions were passed, rejected, or deferred during this meeting. The committee received the annual regulatory compliance report and its recommendations. Members also referenced a prior council decision on bus-lane pilot hours that did not come through the Transit Committee.
The transcript indicated full committee attendance except Vice-chair Brockington, who joined late. Councillor Liper was referenced in questions, along with the chair and vice-chair, but the excerpts provided did not include a complete roll call.