Switch, sensor issues halt LRT during snowstorm

Bad weather was to blame for a two-and-a-half hour LRT delay Saturday night, the City of Ottawa says.

"Yesterday evening, snow interfered with the normal operation of a switch at Blair station," said Troy Charter, director of transit operations, in an email.

Around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, OC Transpo announced trains were no longer running between Hurdman and Blair stations, the same part of the line that was down for nearly 15 hours when an 80-metre power wire broke Thursday.

At 7 p.m., OC Transpo said replacement buses were ferrying customers between Blair and St-Laurent stations, and trains were running normally between St-Laurent and Tunney's Pasture stations.

At about 8:40p.m., OC Transpo announced full service had resumed along the entire length of the Confederation Line.

According to Charter, the bad weather also affected safety sensors, which further contributed to the delay.

"During weather events, the safety sensors at stations, which confirm no one has entered the tracks, can be activated in certain weather conditions such as blowing snow," Charter wrote.

That can cause trains to brake quickly, Charter said, and theoperator will have to driveslower than normal to ensure the track is clear.