Trainers for Ottawa’s LRT Trillium line lacked required experience, says auditor general

Ooops!: A new audit shows light rail instructors hired to train the new operators for Ottawa’s Line 2 and Line 4 did not have the “expected experience and training” required for operation of the diesel powered trains. 

OC Transpo general manager René Amilcar said despite the hiccup, the trains are safe to ride, and all issues were addressed before the Trillium Lime was launched for public use in early January. 

• “The system is safe, and all operators have been properly trained. Most of the issues have already been resolved, including completing all planned hours of training and reviewing the training files for these operators, controllers and instructors,” said Amilcar, according to CTV.  “I do not want this investigation to weaken anyone’s confidence in the safety of our transit system.”

So what went wrong? The Canadian Rail Operating Rules state that on-job training instructors for diesel operations must complete more than two years of service as a locomotive engineer, including at least three months of service in the area where they’re training. That was not done. Many were hired because of their experience on the previous Trillium Line. 

• “This could have had an impact on the quality of the instruction provided to the operators responsible for operating the diesel trains. We further found incomplete training records for the diesel rail operators, controllers and instructors. We understand from management that all required training was completed, and training records were updated before revenue service commenced,” a portion of the report read. 

Biassed exams: The auditor general reviewed videos which showed some instructors failed to follow protocol during exams administered by TransitNext. In some cases, they gave hints to the trainees and allowed the trainees to talk with one another and copy each other's work. 

Relief it was caught: Kanata Coun. Cathy Curry, who chairs the audit committee, told the Lookout this is one of the reasons why having an auditor general is beneficial for the city. She believes OC Transpo has learned from its mistakes and will do better in the future. 

• “I know general manager Amilcar made a comment that they now have learned quite a lot from this and how they need to go about making sure of their record keeping and checking qualifications. This has been a learning opportunity for everyone,” said Curry. 

Mixed opinions over future upload of Ottawa’s light rail transit system to the province 

Election season means many campaign promises. After ignoring Ottawa’s transit needs for years, last week, the Progressive Conservative Party announced it would upload the city’s troubled light rail system to the province if re-elected. It’s a commitment also made by the Ontario Liberals. 

The news was welcomed by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and city councillors, who said such a move would free up funds for other transit-related expenses and infrastructure needs, too. But OC Transpo’s union feels differently. 

• “Metrolinx is no different than the Consortium used in Ottawa – it’s a Private Public Partnership (P3) model where a Consortium of private companies do the work and maintain the transit service for 30 years for healthy profits and no accountability,” a news release said, according to CTV.

Line 1 is currently managed by Rideau Transit Group (RTG), a consortium consisting of ACS Infrastructure Canada, EllisDon, and SNC-Lavalin. ATU says handing the line off to another P3 would not change the countless issues riders have faced.  

“When there’s an issue like a mechanical failure or service delays, transit riders and all Ottawans don’t remember that a private consortium (RTG) was awarded a 30-year contract to build and maintain the LRT, instead OC Transpo workers get the brunt of public anger about the unreliable and potentially dangerous rail service – when in fact they are just the operators trying to move people to their destinations,” said ATU Local 279 President Noah Vineberg in the release.

It would be a big win for Kanata, says Curry

Councillor Curry said light rail is the biggest project the city has ever invested in, and it’s faced challenges with low ridership caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain shortages. She also has a wish list of where some of those freed-up costs could be spent. 

“I'd like to see it go back into our transportation system and roads. We need more different types of active transportation in Canada. We have sidewalks crumbling paths crumbling,” said Curry. “We have this amazing opportunity to have our old rail line become a multi-use pathway for cyclists and walkers.” 

Curry also noted she’d like to see a return of express buses and more options for students heading to college and university. 

Could it keep the Sens at the Canadian Tire Centre? Another component of the PC and Liberal plans is the eventual future expansion of Stage 3 LRT out to Kanata, Barrhaven, and Stittsville. There is lots of debate over if the Barrhaven expansion is needed, but Curry said it would be a game changer for her community. 

“It would be at Eagleson and Terry Fox and then up to Stittsville right by the Canadian Tire Centre. I've had people ask if this changes at all the plans for the Ottawa Senators (and their move to LeBreton Flats). I haven't had that conversation with anybody right now involved, but it is something to think about,” she said. 

It would also mean a benefit to the Kanata Tech Business Park, the largest tech park in all of Canada. It’s home to over 540 companies that produce almost 14 billion GDP for Canada.  

“We have trouble getting students from UOttawa and Carleton out to the tech park for their internships. We’d be able to say to companies we have a great transit system and students can come from all over the city. People could move here from other countries and know that they would be able to live wherever they wanted and get quick transit to their jobs in the tech park,” said Curry.