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Ottawa’s Line 1 remains closed east of uOttawa station Thursday morning after the overhead power system was damaged during Wednesday’s wet, icy weather.
R1 replacement buses are now running between Lyon and Blair stations, extending that service into downtown.
Trains are running between uOttawa and Tunney’s Pasture.
Staff reported “arcing” on trains between Hurdman and Lees stations early Wednesday afternoon, according to a memo to city councillors from interim OC Transpo general manager Troy Charter.
Damage to the overhead catenary system — which powers the LRT network — was also reported in the same corridor, Charter said, and it appears to be related to weather.
The Ottawa-Gatineau area was under a freezing rain warning at the time.
WATCH | Sparking over a Line 1 train:
Overhead wire on LRT car lights up, stalls train near Lees Station
Video filmed by Jana Mghabghab, a student who was walking near the tracks, shows sparking along the LRT catenary system. Emma Weller has the latest.
It’s not the first time the overhead catenary system has been the source of problems on the LRT network.
Service on Line 1 is also reduced because of a wheel problem detected in January.