LRT service frustrates rider

Several trains continue to sit on the tracks near Lees Station in Ottawa Friday. Due to ice, trains were not running in areas of Ottawa after an overnight ice storm Wednesday disrupted service. Service to the east end of Ottawa continues to be a problem and LRT repairs are expected to stretch into the weekend as ice removal on power lines hit a snag.

[karend.]

Ottawa is an embarrassment to Canada. It’s our capital city and the roads and transit are sub par for a city with a million people.

[zaczonesful]

Thanks Jim Watson 👍! Jimmy? Where are you Jimmy?

[stevetomkiewicz]

Before Christmas we tried to go downtown to see the lights and grab a meal at a pub, paid our fares and only once on the train did they tell us there was an issue and we could go only as far as Hurdman. That was annoying. When we saw the crush of people trying to squeeze into the two buses waiting to skip over whatever track issues were happening, we got back on the next train and went back to Blair, and had a very nice meal at the Crust and Crate. Oh, there was a third bus sitting with the other two, engine idling, driver inside, and an ‘out of service’ sign. What a joke.

[LeftOfToday]

We'd be better off if we'd hired Japan or The Netherlands to build this sucker for us.

[jdog]

Doesn’t matter if it was only $3.65… it’s frustrating to have to deal with on going problems with the LRT on many levels. Totally agree with this gentleman.

[ronpeer]

Talk to the mayor. You can say “honk honk” that scares the hell out of him

[jeremysimmonds]

This should be published in the press daily. On Fri, Jan 6th at Tremblay station, people with lots of luggage were headed to the LRT and I had to warn them that it wasn't fully functional. There was 0 bulletin or warning at the turnstile. If there was, it certainly wasn't clear enough to deter or warn these people from wasting their money just like the person in this video. This multi-year issue is an absolute disgrace to Ottawa - the City needs to face the fact it cannot run consistently during winter. Shut it down and restore the buses until this 4 year failure can actually work here when it's cold. Have some reliability, as this is municipal governmental abuse. No statement from the Mayor of course because he hasn't ever had to deal with everyday people problems.

[Mark_]

It’s really sad to hear all the problems this LRT has had. I hope that the coming Montreal LRT ~ REM would do better…

[stevenchow]

What kind of customer service is That?!

[slytester]

Oh shyte!! Does not bode well for the soon opening REM in Montreal?!?!?! Please, someone tell me I'm missing something about the REM that will shield it from unacceptable service delivery levels due to unreasonable expectations put upon rolling stock barely adapted to our extremely varied climate. Damn why do I smell another Olympic Stadium or Mirabel or the extension of the venerable Metro or the first substandard Champlain Bridge or the mystery of the collapsing Laval over paths or the roads and highways that don't last the the time of season much less a year without some structural failure. Anyways, you get where I'm going with this?

[johnhz]

After the Trucker Protest, the politicians, police and people of Ottawa have gained a bad name.

[chrisfoster]

Trudeau has a personal driver. And you get to pay for it.

[Nico-Train]

I do really like the O-train but I would be kinda mad if I paid for a train trip that I didn’t get.

[carlospulpo]

Europe has both winter weather and train stations and no problems like this....just use whatever they are using.

[sharonritchie]

It’s the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire 2.0. Hang on folks, this ride is going to get bumpy.

PSA: buy some beans and rice and good winter boots

[isaacamigofernandezvancouver]

I’m sure OC Transpo would lose many riders who don’t take the Confederation Line LRT anymore if more problems with the LRT exists. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[DG-ouww]

its an absolute slush fund . do trains still go to Churchill Manitoba ?

[peeta]

Heads should have rolled but this is nice, polite, don’t-rock-the-boat Ottawa. Want to hear a good one? The City of Ottawa purchased a multi-billion dollar Light Rapid Transit network that doesn’t work in the winter. Using the tracks and right-of-ways from an old railway company was the first mistake. Sure it was expedient but very few people lived near the tracks, the people that presumably would use the LRT. There should be a proper subway system with a line running under Bank Street, another under Gladstone and a final one running under Wellington onward to Montreal Road. The suburbs, where people pay substantially less taxes, are the only winners in this. People who live downtown deserve a transit system that serves them.

[MKMcDonald]

Riiight. Come to Edmonton! Our contractors don’t know how to build as almost every month something new pops up

[robbiesz]

I am so glad we avoided this disaster in Surrey, BC with the expo line extension to Langley. All LRT advocates should be slapped on the face every time Ottawa or Calgary has problems with their LRT systems.