OC Transpo bringing back double-car service to O-Train Line 1 on June 8

The O-Train operates on Line 1 on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Andrew Adlington/CTV News Ottawa)

Regular service on O-Train Line 1 will resume on June 8, months after being reduced to mostly single-car service because of an issue with the train vehicle’s axles.

Transit Services general manager Rick Leary said in a memo to councillors and the mayor on Wednesday that restoring full capacity on Line 1 was his first priority upon assuming the role.

“The work to restore full Line 1 capacity has followed a deliberate process that focused on ensuring the safety of our customers and staff. This progress is possible due to an adequate supply of Cartridge Bearing Assemblies (CBAs) and advancements in implementing a condition monitoring system on Line 1,” Leary wrote.

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Spalling was discovered on some of the Alstom Citadis Spirit trains that operate on Line 1 in late January. OC Transpo immediately implemented a strict inspection and replacement regimen, which resulted in most trains being pulled from service. The line has been using only single cars for most of this year, with some double-car service returning only recently.

Leary said riders can expect double-car trains to be in operation on weekdays, with trains coming every five minutes during peak periods. Single-car service would remain in effect on weekends.

During single-car service, weekday peak periods had headways of three to four minutes in order to reduce crowding on trains and platforms. Regular service uses 13 double-car trains running every five minutes during the peak periods.

Leary said there are now enough vehicles with cartridge bearing assemblies below the city-mandated 100,000-kilometre mileage threshold that was put in place because of the spalling issue to restore full service in June. He also said some of the mitigation measures have begun.

“The condition monitoring system has been installed on several vehicles, and testing and validation exercises are in progress. Once the results from this phase are assessed, the system will be implemented across the remaining fleet. This system will provide near real-time monitoring of the CBAs, helping increase the number of trains available for service and strengthening the resiliency of Line 1,” he said.

A root cause for the issue remains unknown. Alstom and the Rideau Transit Group continue to work on an analysis, Leary said.

Staffing unaddressed

Leary’s memo did not address concerns about staffing levels.

Line 1 and Line 4, the spur to the Ottawa airport, were briefly shut down over the Victoria Day long weekend because of what Leary said at the time was “a temporary shortage of controller staff that are required for safe operations.”

The union representing OC Transpo rail operators said the system is “consistently understaffed” and often operates below 75 per cent capacity.

OC Transpo says it continues to hire and train employees, and maintains safety remains the top priority.

Return to office

The restoration of service will come one month before most federal public servants are directed back to offices four days per week.

The federal government brought all executives in the core public service back to their offices five days per week on May 4. Other employees, with some exceptions, are expected to be in the office four days per week starting July 6.

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Concerns about OC Transpo’s ability to handle increased loads, given the issues Line 1 has experienced this year, were raised by federal officials in February.

An internal memo obtained by the Canadian Press said Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) “proactively engaged” with the City of Ottawa because the reliability of Ottawa’s bus and rail system was one of the concerns most frequently cited by federal employees in the National Capital Region. The memo said PSPC was meeting regularly with city officials to coordinate analysis and planning, including transit demand projections.

Ridership on OC Transpo was down approximately eight per cent in the first three months of 2026 compared to the same timeframe in 2025. In addition to the reduced service on Line 1, OC Transpo had also cancelled thousands of bus trips due to an aging bus fleet requiring maintenance, had fewer buses available due to a maintenance backlog and has been managing a delay in the delivery of new electric buses, intended to replace the aging fleet.