Railway Supply » Railway News » Ottawa Line 1 two-car trains return in weekday mix

Ottawa Line 1 two-car trains return in weekday mix

Author: Batrak Oleksandr — Editor-in-Chief at Railway Supply

15.05.2026

Ottawa Line 1 two-car trains have partly returned. The change comes nearly four months after the latest wheel-related problem. The issue led OC Transpo to reduce service while it worked on fixes. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

On Wednesday evening, OC Transpo said weekday service would change starting Thursday. It would use a mix of one-car and two-car trains. Still, the change affects train length, not peak-period frequency. Trains are still scheduled every three to four minutes during peak times.

Also, each rail car can carry 300 passengers.

Two-car service returns on weekdays

The LRT line has operated with reduced service since Jan. 21. That followed the discovery of flaking metal inside the cartridge bearing assembly. The component connects the axle to the wheels.

That issue was the latest wheel problem on Line 1. It led OC Transpo to remove most of its rail cars from service. The agency then relied on single-car trains.

The shorter trains have caused crowding at times. That was especially true during peak morning and afternoon hours.

Train availability and next update

Meanwhile, the latest update was issued May 8. In it, OC Transpo said 27 rail cars were available for service.

Transit general manager Rick Leary said Tuesday that he was looking at mid-June. That was his target for restoring two-car trains. He said that timing would let OC Transpo keep spare trains available. They would be held in case problems came up.

Thursday’s partial return came earlier than that public timeline suggested.

Leary has said the focus will shift after two-car service is restored. Attention will then turn to opening Line 1’s eastern extension to Orléans.

A further update is expected Thursday during the city’s transit committee meeting. Separately, OC Transpo has faced bus maintenance issues for most of the year. It has also dealt with shortages over that period.