The majority of Ottawa’s light rail transit vehicles remain out of service, more than two-weeks after a new issue was found.

A new update by OC Transpo on Feb. 6 details that 20 vehicles are fixed, two more than last week. However, 61 trains are out of service, with a possible 20 that could be available on Feb. 13 by the earliest.

This remains below the 26 vehicles needed to keep people moving through peak times on Line 1.

“We recognize that current service on Line 1 is not meeting our standards, or the expectations of transit customers,” the transit agency said in the statement. “Work is underway to safely restore capacity, while holding our maintainer accountable.”

The O-Train is operating at a three-to-four-minute frequency during the morning and afternoon commutes. OC Transpo says that staff are at key stations along the line, like Bayview and uOttawa, to help people.

But it’s done little to curb the crowding on some platforms during the busiest times.

As vehicles are fixed, OC Transpo notes that they will return to the fleet, but it’s unclear how long it will take to complete the repairs to all the train cars.

Rideau Transit Group identified a new problem with the cartridge bearing assemblies on Jan. 21, forcing Ottawa’s transit agency to pull cars from the fleet, resulting in fewer trains running.

Part of the ongoing investigation, Rideau Transit Group found that spalling was detected on several of the mechanisms on the train vehicles. This is when flakes break off the metal inside the axle, creating pits that grow over time.

An updated graph by OC Transpo shows the number of vehicles still out after an issue was found Jan. 21.

“If not addressed, this can lead to cracks and can result in bearing failure,” the memo notes.

This, it says, is a separate issue from the axle bearing assembly problem. Rideau Transit Group is looking into the root cause in relation to the previous issues. In discussion, both the Transportation Resource Associate and Rideau Transit Group, the city decided that the vehicles would be removed until the units are replaced.