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West-end transit users will have to make do without the Confederation Line for two weeks starting Monday.
The LRT will be shut down between Tunney’s Pasture and Rideau Station beginning July 15 for regular summer maintenance and follow-up work to seal leaks in the downtown tunnel. R1 buses will replace the train during the shutdown, running between Tunney’s and Hurdman stations.
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Train service will operate as normal between uOttawa and Blair stations in the east end, although E1 bus shuttles from Blair to Lyon stations will be extended to run all day.
Maintenance workers have a long to-do list, according to Troy Charter, director of transit services and rail operations for the city. Charter summarized the work at the most recent meeting of the transit commission, saying it would “advance corrective measures and address deficiencies that have been identified.”
Maintenance shutdowns are normal for any LRT system, he said, and some of the required work takes too long to be done during the normal overnight shutdown.
One of the biggest jobs will be continuing work begun last summer to stop water infiltrating the tunnel. That work consisted of injecting concrete to fill voids behind the tunnel’s waterproof lining, where water had been collecting and then draining onto the tracks.
Workers will also do drainage repairs and install sump pumps at Lyon and Parliament stations.
Between Tunney’s Pasture and Bayview stations, workers will apply sealants on the concrete pads and plinths that support the rails to improve the water-resistance and extend the life of the concrete infrastructure. You can expect to see tarps erected to keep the sealant dry while it cures, Charter said.
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Meanwhile, cleaners will be cleaning glass and art installations that can’t be accessed while the train is running, while other workers will be servicing escalators.
Full service is to resume on July 29.
But that’s not the end of it.
This fall, likely in October, there will be another partial shutdown to make fixes related to the train’s ongoing axle and wheel problems. That work includes adding more crushed stone ballast to the track, making minor track adjustments and grinding the rail surface. That work can’t be done during the summer’s hot weather, Charter said. The city is still talking with Rideau Transit Group on the timing of the work, but most of it will be done on weekends and at off-peak times to minimize disruptions, he said.
Following that, there will be more disruption in the east end as testing begins on the connection to the eastward extension of LRT stage 2. Single-track service will run while operators run tests on the signalling and control systems where the two stages meet. No date has been set for that work.
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