Some trains return to service

Good morning!

Welcome back to the Lookout after a lovely long weekend. What a surprise to come back to a semi-working train! Of course, the shutdown isn’t over, but it’s a step toward normalcy (at least for a while). Ironic that it partially restarted two years to the day after the first train derailment.

Hopefully soon, this newsletter won’t be an LRT update service, but the way things are going in this town… In any case, today is a very thin sliver of good news.

Anyway, let’s get to it!

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 27 🌡️ 14 | 🌦/⛈️

Thursday: 23 🌡️ 15 | 🌧

Friday: 24 🌡️ 14 | 🌦

TRANSIT

LRT partially restarts, half service at least until the end of August

What happened: Partial service along the western end of the LRT resumed yesterday morning, with single-car trains running between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa stations. Partial service on the whole line isn’t expected until Aug. 14. The city said in a memo that it expects to use only single cars for all of August.

• Because the trains are half-length, passengers will only be able to get them at the front half of the platform. The city has put down stickers on the floor to guide you to where the train will (and won’t) be when it shows up.

Replacement buses: For the moment, R1 bus service will continue to run as-is along the entire length of the LRT. However, once partial train service is running along its entire length, that will likely end.

• “This will accommodate current customer demand during the busiest times, without the need for R1 bus service, and allow OC Transpo to sustainably manage fleet availability over the long term,” Amilcar said in a memo.

Amilcar reiterated that she and her staff are confident that half-length trains are enough to handle passenger demand, CBC reported. A plan for September service will be released once it’s completed.

The first ride: Mayor Mark Sutcliffe celebrated the partial reopening by taking the first train with transit general manager Renée Amilcar and transit commission chair Coun. Glen Gower. This maybe didn’t have the intended effect of advertising a mission accomplished.

Long time (not) running: It’s been two years since the LRT first derailed, revealing the underlying problems with the train’s design that are only now being addressed. CBC has a breakdown of the many, many trials and tribulations of our LRT.

Troublesome curves: While work on the tracks was completed in the western end of the tracks, it is still ongoing in the east. There, special rails that prevent derailments on tight curves are being adjusted. The city said changing the radius of the curves is not something that is on the table, despite the excess pressure those curves are putting on the trains, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

No bridge for you: Remember the installation of the pedestrian bridge that closed down the 417 a few weeks ago near Pinecrest? It won’t be open until the much-delayed Stage 2 of the LRT opens in (maybe) 2026, the Ottawa Citizen reported. The bridge is directly linked to the Queensview station, so it won’t open until trains are running on the extension.

• The deal for Stage 2 was passed with little debate by the previous council after the LRT first came online and with little knowledge of the many problems. The western end of the extension is almost a year-and-a-half behind schedule.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

☔️ 96.9 mm: The amount of rain Brockville received during Monday’s rainstorm. Ottawa received 36.9 mm. [CTV]

🌪️ 130 km/h: The wind speeds of the tornado that touched down last week south of the city. [CBC]

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

💥 A plane that crashed in December outside of Cornwall was flown by a pilot unqualified to fly at night with a passenger, in an uninsured plane. The two occupants of the plane were rushed to hospital in critical condition. [CBC]

🪧 Hundreds of people protested a proposed graphite mine in Lac-des-Plages, Que., not far from Mont-Tremblant. [CBC]

⚖️ A former mayoral candidate in Mississippi Mills who was declared a vexatious litigant and barred from suing the township, is asking the court for permission to sue again. [Ottawa Citizen]

🐖 A pig on the loose at Hylands Golf Club was captured by the provincial wildlife ministry and safely taken away. [CBC]

TRAFFIC

Another weekend 417 closure

What happened: Another overpass replacement will be done this weekend, shutting down the 417 from Carling and Metcalfe heading east, and between Metcalfe and Bronson heading west, the city said. The highway will close at 8 pm Thursday night, and is expected to reopen at about 6 am next Monday.

A tale of two detours: Alas, the two detours are not both alike in dignity. Because the Percy Street overpass will be replaced, and require the use of Chamberlain Avenue, the eastbound detour is long. Very Long. Drivers will be forced east along Carling, south on Bronson, then back northeast on Riverside, where they’ll rejoin the highway.

• Heading west, drivers will get off at Metcalfe, and take Catherine past Bronson to rejoin the highway.

Traffic impacts: Previous Queensway closures have caused traffic headaches from Woodroffe in the west, to Riverside in the east, and snarled everything as far south as Hunt Club. Because of the much longer eastbound detour, the effects could be even wider this weekend.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

We thought we’d once again go out and find an average-priced home, so you can see what you can get with the market as it is. This week, we picked a condo priced at $435,000, $94 less than the average last month.

This home gets you a one-bedroom condo downtown on Rideau Street, with a great view south, with in-room laundry, and plenty of building amenities.

Check the listing.

House of The Week is a home selected by the Lookout team and is not a paid advertisement. All ads are labelled as such. If you’re a realtor who wishes to feature your home in our newsletter, please contact our sales team.

THE AGENDA

⚖️ The Canadian Association of Broadcasters and News Media Canada has called on the federal government to investigate the parent company of Facebook and Instagram for anti-competitive practices for blocking news in the country. [CBC]

🚲 The newly opened William Commanda Bridge is mostly working great, but the exit on the Gatineau side is causing some traffic jams. [CBC]

🍷 On Sept. 5, the LCBO will permanently stop offering paper bags at its locations. [CBC]

💐 The workers who died building the Rideau Canal were honoured at the annual Celtic Cross ceremony. [Ottawa Citizen]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Even cold-blooded creatures like this turtle enjoy the sun. [Reddit]

• Missed out on Chamber Fest? Apt613 has you covered with great visual recaps. [Apt613]

• The views from the reopened William Commanda Bridge are pretty great. [Reddit]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Contact our partnership team for more info.

CAPITAL EATS

Capital Eats is written by our food editor Ralf Joneikies.

At this new restaurant, you'll feel a little spoiled. Not with an overabundance of choice but by the level of care and experience that goes into the cooking of your food.

We have good Persian restaurants in Ottawa, but none has impressed me more than it has.

Experienced restaurateur Soheila Hosseini opened the restaurant July 1, and it appears that it didn't take long for word to get out. Already they seem to be doing a brisk lunch trade.

SPORTS

🏈 The Redblacks once again lost a game in the dying minutes, losing 26-24 to the Roughriders on a field goal in the last 56 seconds. [The Canadian Press]

🏀 The Ottawa BlackJacks’ playoff run was ended by the Scarborough Shooting Stars, who won 77-72 in the eastern conference semi-final. [The Canadian Press]

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to everyone who got last Friday’s Wordle, the answer was TRAIL, which was a reference to the neighbourhood of last week’s GeoGuesser.

Can you guess where today’s Ottawa Guesser is? The first five people to respond get their names mentioned in the newsletter.