"There was an automobile crash on the freeway when a car left its lane. It has destroyed faith in the freeway system. We will now shut the freeways down for three to four weeks while we study the accident to determine what happened."
WMATA has lowered prices on weekends to $2 max fare, as well as now giving full transfers from busses to train (instead of just a 50¢ discount). They've also slightly increased hours on weekends
I rode the O-Train when I went to Ottawa last month. I was aware of past problems before going but when I rode the O-Train, there were no problems for me. Now OC Transpo might have to shut it down for three weeks. I'm glad I got the opportunity to ride the O-Train while I was there before it broke down.
If your system is grade separated there is no reason to have a low floor vehicle. Sometimes I get the feeling that transit system designers are prone to follow fashions. This is especially true when the building of a rail transit system is seen as an amenity to prove your city is world class, or is used by the local planning board to try and force development of high cost, high density residential areas, or whatever other goal other than effectively and efficiently moving people around a city. As long as designers and engineers focus on the goal of moving people, then there is a greater likelihood that the resulting system will do that.
Yes, even here on Toronto they've finally stated moving on new projects. The previous city administration argued against Light Rail claiming "the taxpayers" wanted "subways, subways, subways" rather than an extensive LRT line the would BE RUNNING! Car centric ex mayor claiming "streetcars" were antiques and impeded traffic. I think this was seen as less "world class" than a heavy rail subway. Build what density will support unless the city has a plan to triple density along a future route.
As much as I love the O-Train system, Ottawa has REALLY gotta get their act together here. New transit is gonna have teething problems but we're over 2 years in and things have arguably gotten worse since day 1. My suggestion at this point would be to run Line 1 as is with lower frequencies to help reduce problems but begin the process of replacing them, either by exercising contract rights with Alstom for another Citadis sibling or returning all the units and going for Siemens or Stadler (S70, Variobahn, Tramlink, and Citylink come to mind)
I live in Ottawa. I was excited about the new LRT system when it launched. Having lived and travelled in Europe for many years I know how awesome public rail transit can be. I rode on the O-Train the first day it opened. I took it on lunch breaks to get to the Market quickly for lunch. I even used to ride it on weekends as a cheap 'fun' activity with the kids. Then, on one of those Sundays in the winter, I was riding it with the kids and suddenly bam, we lost power and the train was stranded. The operator tried to reconnect to the catenary a couple of times but each attempt made a loud bang and rained sparks down the windows. Then the cabin started filling with smoke so he let us off. The kids were crying, it was a bit traumatizing for them. We eventually managed to catch a train back to our car after spending a long time outside in the cold and sleet with small children. We haven’t ridden the train since. That was almost two years ago now and clearly things have not improved. Every so often I think 'hey, maybe we should try the LRT again!' And then some catastrophe happens and I think 'nah, better to not.'
Unfortunately the Confederation Line suffers from a hodgepodge of different ideas, both political and engineering. Changing mid-stream from a 'true' LRT to a light-metro but only making half of the necessary changes to get there has come back to haunt them. (Go back as far as the 2006 plan, and ones in between where the line had grade crossings and street-running). Re-using the Transitway ROW is great, except they didn't want to spend more to make changes to be compatible with LRT, (Hurdman curves are most glaring). Pre-pandemic the amount this system was under-built was evident on the few days the train was working at or near its designed capacity and it STILL wasn't enough to ease overcrowding at rush hour. They should have bailed on the all LF design as soon as they committed to the grade separation. I think you nailed it with getting bigger trains with partial LF is the best solution they can implement without rebuilding most of the system.
I really struggle to understand why they went through all the expense of making the system fully grade separated and then skimped on high platforms, rail infrastructure and the vehicles. Dropping just one overpass (which are extremely expensive in comparison) could have funded all that.
@@mikeblatzheim2797 If I recall reading correctly, (I think Reece said it too in an older Ottawa video) the city had already signed the contract with Alstom for these LF trains by the time the full grade separation choice was altered. I don't know what the penalty for cancelling/altering that contract was at the time, but it was viewed as a waste of money, ...if only we knew the future then!
As someone living in Melbourne I can confirm I love riding an unreliable, inconsistent and totally unpredictable transit service. It adds spice to life. Will I get home before the last bus or do I need to call for a lift? Will the signalling fail and the train stops for an hour finally giving me an excuse to skip that super boring first class. At least Melbourne is safe Edit: that is if the busses even turn up
Totally agree about the Ottawa LRT! As an Ottawa resident myself I definitely agree that OC Transpo needs to take action NOW such as reinstating old bus routes, additional R1 bus trips downtown and/or giving people a discounted fare for some time. While I've thankfully had no issues riding the train (and I've enjoyed it - so far), it's been completely disastrous after this derailment. If they don't regain customer confidence, I think the damage has been done to a lot of former transit users, which will only be made worse as people head back to work / offices and kids go back to school. OC needs to get their crap together ASAP!
As far as I know, Siemens trains used in Canada are all high floor, so it's not really an issue of coming over from Alberta. Of course, if they have a US model, I'd imagine they can import them.
Thank you for this video 🙏🙏 Normally I take line 1 on my commute every day and it takes about 45 minutes. Without the train, its taking me close to 2 hours and its really uncomfortable. Its really frustrating to have a system like this that could and SHOULD be better.
Regarding converting a low floor system to high floor, Boston has actually done it, several times. When what is now the Orange Line first opened, it used the existing streetcar tunnel (now the Green Line), with two tracks converted to high floor and third rail operation, and then converted back when the line got its new tunnel on Washington St. And then in the 1920s, the Blue Line was converted from low floor streetcar to high floor rapid transit operation over the course of a 3 day weekend (with lots of preparatory work ahead of time of course).
Yeah our mayor Jim Watson was so incredibly cheap that he decided to put tram cars on a metro line smh 🤦♂️. Toronto’s line 6 will definitely have fewer problems if any at all
The Citadis will also be coming to Cologne, with 60 metre and 30 metre trainsets running as up to 90 metre long units. It'll be interesting to see wether they'll prove themselves, as the Bombardier 70% low floor vehicles they're replacing are falling apart after 25 years, whilst the 30-45 year old high floor DÜWAGs are being refurbished and are still good for at least another 10 years of service. At least from what I've seen the axle arrangement on the 60 metre units is absolutely idiotic, which doesn't give me high hopes.
Great content as always, I always thought the extension to fleetwood was 2025, and then the second part to Langley city was 2030. I think they want to do it in one phase, so it’s been pushed back already. It’s funny though that despite projects like the now canceled Newton Guildford LRT (far larger population), Burnaby Mountain Gondola, extension to UBC, capacity upgrades (looking at those still 40 metre Canada line stations!), infill stations, and BRT shenanigans, the extension to Langley was considered a bigger priority. But it’s still amazing to see. Who knows, maybe in a couple years we’ll see a walkable, transit oriented community in Langley. Then I’ll officially have seen everything.
Denver has 2 types of Trains: High Floor LRV and Commuter style trains. The LRV system is low platform but has a wheelchair ramp at the driver's end. All of the Commuter Rail stations are high platform with ramp access for wheelchairs. Denver also boasts about their Free 16th Street Mall shuttle which is semi-low floor buses, which connects the Downtown street running LRV to Commuter Rail at Union Station. Denver Union Station was transformed into a Multi-modal station with a 5 block underground Bus Concourse, where several long distance bus lines serve. Pandemic aside, I cannot complain too much, as the system has 15/30/60 minute intervals mid-day! But going from the suburb to the major medical center takes (40 miles away) nearly 2 hours with 3 transfers! To drive directly about 45 minutes...
Oh we've been having similar rolling stock issues on East Midlands Railway in the UK. Basically they selected entirely inappropriate rolling stock for the operations they wanted to use it for and disaster has ensued.
I adore the O-train. I remember the first time my friend and I rode the O-train on the week it opened. Unlike the trillium line that we'd used hundreds of times, the doors opened, we stepped on the train, the doors shut and the train just went. We never thought that our city could have a rail line like this and we were so excited to use it to commute every day. Seeing the issues recently makes me incredibly sad because I know that people, especially people from my suburban neighbourhood on the edge of town, are gonna lose even more confidence in our transit system. It's made even worse if we consider the effects of the pandemic on ridership, the (relatively) recent tragic bus accident at westboro station, and OC transpo's generally abysmal reputation for their bus service (we call it OCcasional Transpo because 50% of the time your bus just doesn't show up or it just drives by).
Excellent video! I am British and about to take a trip to Vienna - it will be my fourth visit. I was absolutely astounded when at 8m 05s you suddenly mentioned Vienna U6! I realise now that you were saying that Ottawa line 1 is nothing like Vienna U6, and I would agree with that. U6 is indeed now worked by trains of 100% low-floor Lightish-Rail vehicles. But this is because the trains need to fit onto the central part of the line along the 'Gurtel'. This section dates from 1898 and is (largely) elevated. The use of low-floor trains was the only way this architecturally magnificent section could be made fully accessible.
Pocket tracks can also be useful for short-turns. If both ends feed back into the main tracks, they can function as passing loops, something that can further mitigate problems.
Honestly it's refreshing to see that the Confederation Line trainsets seem to be derailment-prone for entirely different reasons to older Citadis models. Also it's hilarious that they went to Alstom to avoid Bombardier given that the Citadis Spirit bogie design is basically a ripoff of a Bombardier design.
@@Marquis-Sade The Bombardier family only recently(last couple of years) started to sell off parts of the company. the O train phase 1 in Ottawa was "finished" before they started to do so.
Surely a mid-floor option could work for the Confederation line? If they used LIM trains like in Vancouver the platform heights would barely have to change and chances are the vehicles would very likely fit and operate smoothly on the network. This would allow them to move to a true light metro but with lower costs than directly implementing REM style technology
@@RMTransit ah I mean if they went for a proper rebuild to create a proper driverless metro, but yes the most balanced option would be a 70% low floor tram
As a former Torontonian now living in Victoria I must say that it's frustrating that any time somebody on Vancouver Council sneezes they get a new LRT line. Here on the island we used to have a railliner that ran from Courtney (north of Nanaimo) into Victoria...unfortunately it ran north in the morning and south back to Victoria in the evening making it useless for commuters. There is still track from the suburb oLangford that could be utilized but it's falling into disrepair...like the rail line between Toronto and Peterborough. While the Victoria bus system is well run it's still subject to delays...and there's no "additional" service to the airport and ferry dock (they're not too far apart). If the geniuses on the mainland want to build a new Skytrain then extend the Canada Line to Tsawwassin (the mainland terminal of the Victoria ferry). Islanders could leave their cars on the island.
I don’t think low floor is the main problem here. They are many tram systems in Europe that operate 100% low floor trams at top speeds of 70km/h very reliably, even with Bombardier trams. Sure, the confed line runs 100km/h but this can not be the only problem, as Tram lines also have to put up with a lot of stress on their service. The Alsom trains in Ottawa are actually working great in other Places in Europe, for example in Kassel (Germany). Maybe one should invite some technicians over from Alstom that is familiar with the Train and work on figuring out a way to fix these issues.
The trains in Kassel are a different, older design with 70% low floor and developed by Alstom's German division (the former LHB), who have a lot more experience with these types of vehicles than Alstom themselves.
Its actually interesting that the possible issue could be in the truck design. NJ Transit's shop department did reject a recent design pass of the Bi-Level III EMU about a month ago due to some serious design inadequacies. Friend's specific comment was of each car being 6,000lbs over the trucks max load capacity.
I can't wait for your Gatineau/ LRT project video. The keys points for NCC recommend above ground compare to under ground to connect both systems. Which is 😳😳😳 🤔🧐 doesn't make sense regardless of the cost difference. If you want both systems to work in sync with each other for both cities.
As far as Metro systems, I love Osaka Japan's Hankyu Railway, which is a private system connecting Osaka with Kobe, Takarazuka and Kyoto. While suffering major earthquake damage decades ago, the system has come back strong! Osaka's Awaji junction station is being transformed as we speak, to have 3 levels of separation for structural integrity and ease of use for the 3 lines that serve Awaji station. The approach from Osaka used to be elevated, but fell during the earthquake mentioned, is being built back to create 2 of the 3 decks for Awaji station. In summary, any rail system, no matter who calls it what, there needs to be wiggle room if a disaster or accident happens, so repairs can be implemented as quickly as possible! Of course with minor bus service until the all clear is called. I was born in Brooklyn NYC, raised "down the Jersey shore" and have studied mass transit and modeled trains. Why can't the USA and Canada go back to building Metros and Rail as was seen up to the end of WWII?!? Europe and Japan are doing way better, without gentrifying areas to put in the "new shiny" rail options?!? London Underground expanding the Jubilee and Northern lines, creating the Overground system and CrossRail... What hurt me more?!? NYC-NJ killing the expansion of Penn Station and new tunnels for better ingress and egress of the Northeast Corridor!
Every time I was riding on the O train wen we take turning I was thinking we gone derailed those train are really suck your vidéo explain all the problems
If the quality of the track is the issue, then perhaps rather than going to Siemens, it would be better to contract one of the manufacturers in central or eastern Europe (Škoda, PESA, Solaris, Končar). Their products are usually manufactured with a much greater tolerance for the technical state of the track.
Sound transit which serves the Seattle metropolitan area (there are also local transit agencies in the service area as well) is seeing significant delays in their long term buildout. We have three new stations literally opening in ten days, and several stations in 2023 (10+) and several more in 2024, which will almost triple the current network. Construction after that, sadly, Is seeing significant delays because of funding concerns. Thanks COVID. So know that it is not Canada specific, and I love the sky train :). I remember seeing someone actually drive that during a snowy time in Canada. They are usually automated but sometimes they need an assist. That also meant that buses were likely grounded.
I wouldn't say the O-Train is unique in the entire world. In Porto you have a very similar system, with low-floor vehicles going at high-speed in some places (80 to 10p km/h) and with metro-like frequencies. Also with underground sections and above ground ones.
Media reporting today that train derailed while pulling into Tremblay Station and was dragged into the curve and across the overpass at Riverside Drive. There have been a lot of issues with these vehicles from the start. While they are nice and appear to do the job at first glance, they are proving to have been a poor choice. I agree that a light-metro or partial high-floor vehicle would have been a better choice. At some point closer to their end of lifecycle, perhaps they'll replace them with a more suitable vehicle with more modern technology that has evolved dramatically over the past 10 years. Ottawa will not be alone in dealing with the issues related to these vehicles.
Alstom has been offering variants of the same design for more than 12 years now. One of the first deployments was Istanbul T1, which is several orders of magnitude busier and more demanding than the O-Train. They had major issues with that project too. They should have learned from that.
@@RMTransit hmm, my figures say that T1 is busier. The point is that there were definitely transferrable lessons. It's not the type of train that is the issue. It's just that Alstom sucks at this type of thing because virtually all of their tram products have been newly developed over the past 20 years, while most other companies inherited their tram portfolios from companies with far more experience.
Ottawa's BRT system would have been fine if they'd just gotten a little bit more creative in the downtown section, where it stopped being BRT. Making the commuter only buses transfers as Hurdman and Lincoln Fields instead of running through the downtown and not running literally every bus across the same bridge, but instead using Laurier could both have helped. Also a good idea: a short bus tunnel through the downtown using the electric buses the city is buying anyhow probably would have also been good.
@@RMTransit Automated buses are on their way in the near future, that, along with electrification, will drop a good chunk of the cost from buses. And an expensive to run, but reliable system is better than an expensive to build, cheap to run, but frequently shut down because it's unreliable system. Especially since that means you have to keep loads of buses and drivers at the read for when the rail system is down anyway.
@@fernbedek6302 Then we could attach multiple automated buses together to increase capacity and efficiency. To make electrification easier, we could have the buses attach to a constant source of electricity - like a wire. Finally, to make automation easier, we could have the buses run on guideways made of steel, using steel wheels, reducing friction and increasing efficiency.
@@dylanm2061 Meh. The nearest metro system to Ottawa has stuck with rubber wheels. And sticking to simply running actual buses in a line, akin to how the current line one runs two LRT vehicles in a line, would have meant not having to shut down large portions of the rapid transit system for years a time to 'upgrade' them to... the same level of service outside of one small choke point.
I will say, I'm not against metros. I'm just against tearing up and existing rapid transit line to build a slightly higher capacity rapid transit line that forces a transfer, makes service worse for years, and then requires a whole other wave of construction to extend the stubby new rapid transit technology along the full length of the previous rapid transit line. Ottawa should have gotten a bit more creative with buses in the core and then build a metro line to serve other parts of the city, expanding the coverage of the rapid transit network.
Ottawa's bus network has also been damaged by the Line 1 project. Poor planning and an insistence that everybody be forced to use Line 1 has made travel by transit in Ottawa more difficult. A combination of this, the ongoing LIne 1 problems and the closure of Line 2 for years without addressing its fundamental weakness (single track operations) have been destroying Ottawa's transit credibility. I don't see the system being able to recover all the lost ridership.
I don't fully agree about speculating about failure modes. Those curves seem pretty wide for what is basically a tram vehicle. For example, those kind of Alstom Citadis vehicles run in The Hague (Netherlands) on the streetcar tracks, with far sharper turns (as well as straight 80 km/h sections). I think you really need to await the reports to be able to judge. Maybe it's a stuck brake what caused everything? By the way, I think The Hague is an interesting city for a video. It has both a fully preserved tram network, a 'pre-metro' tunnel, Randstadrail to Zoetermeer which is partly lightrail partly tram, as well as Randstadrail to Rotterdam which is high level lightrail (but shares track with low-level trams).
I really wonder why people are scared to say "subway" I understand the cost is enormous but in ottawa's case. High floor trains with open gangways would solve a lot of problems. I don't think people care much for "LRT vs subway vs tram etc" they just want to get places!
People are a LOT less tolerant when it is -20 C on some January commute. Yes, the drive would stink but at least the commuter could get there. Ottawa should look at used equipment- in particular the major Japanese private transit companies. In addition, raising the platforms could be done in two stages with shorter high platform trains for starters. The raising of platform height could be done by making "temporary" raised steel platforms, capped with a half inch or so of rubber (youtube comment problem).
I think that, if nothing else, the O train debacle is proving that high capacity BRT doesn't "upgrade" to LRT. I mean, low floor LRT systems typically have capacities no greater than high capacity BRT systems, so it takes a degree of magical thinking to believe that adding a transfer from buses to an LRV is going to be an overall improvement. Unfortunately, this sort of thinking motivated Ottawa to push the selected LRT system beyond its reasonable capacity in order to make the project seem like an "upgrade" when it really isn't. The lesson to be learned here is that the upgrade path for both high capacity BRT and LRT is heavy rail metro. We should stop talking about designing high capacity BRT for conversion to LRT. And we should probably be very very wary of designing BRT for future conversion to heavy rail as this could result in spectacularly overbuilt BRT. If high capacity BRT makes sense in a particular context, it should be built as such, and when growth justifies an upgrade, the money should be spent on metro rail.
Maybe metrolinx should have kept their contracts with bombardier for the flexity freedom lrv's. Even if they take forever to build them its better that an unreliable tram-train that keeps breaking constantly.
here in italy we have the ansaldo 100% low floor train and to me it is quite a badly designed vehicle. the passenger compartement is cramped, and feels tight. i used many times when i broke my ankle and found more difficoult to move around with crutches than in other trains. the components take alot of space so there is no room under the seats and passenger's legs occupy all the floor. once you get in you can only stand right in front of the door (where also the wheelchair parking is). when they were new there were many derailments, my impression is that they now operate at a lower speed compared to older trains. also the wheels seems weaker as they tend to become noisy. i have seen many bombardier 70% low trains around europe, they look more efficient and faster.
I have to wonder if when Montreal and Toronto transit came online they also had issues. That said ,perhaps the LRVs are the problem. Maybe the transit system needs to rethink if these vehicles are right for the train line.
Strangely a Bombardier employee was spotted with a wrench and an angle grinder near the train yard the day before... (this is 100% a joke please don't take this seriously)
I do like the Calgary Alberta Transit systems I was using it before they add the new train cars not much there at the time too live there so I picked Toronto Ontario
The decision sort of happened in the other order they insisted on a surface system initially and then when the system became grade separated they insisted on keeping the old train. Edit Still might make video
The Ottawa O train is poorly designed. You take it and you can feel the stresses put on the trains as you ride it. This stress is wearing out the drive systems of the train and you will never get a train that can take these stresses. They should have just laid street car tracks down on the old transit way and bought street cars and trams. Would have been cheaper and more flexible and would have fit the old transit way better then the current O train does. They could have still made the small subway section and had their "subway" system Ottawa has wanted since Toronto and Montreal got their subways systems. Maybe it can be converted to trams still. Will not fix the horrible stations the system has though. You don't want to take the O train on a super cold winter day or a super hot summer day...horrible system from start to finish!!. PS, I drive by the old train line running north south and looks like they are screwing it up too. They are building new bridges to replace the old ones, making the tracks steeper in the process and GET THIS...they are making all the new bridges single track!! I know they would have issues doubling the tracks in some places along the line but if you are building new bridges, they should have made them double track and hoped in time they could double track the harder spots, namely the northern parts of the line going through the cut rock. To me this is just plain poor forsight and stupid.
I predict many public transport projects will be cancelled due to lost revenue, fear of using PT and less centralised work/education, as a result of the last 18 months
Aren’t these Ottawa trains (on the new line) also the ones planned for the Ontario line? That project managed by the same team that did the Ottawa line?
Does the confederation line trains use the same make or model of train that the Eglington crosstown line uses in toronto? Toronto seems very happy with the performance of the trains so far.
Loved the video 👍🏽 ! I Ottawa citizen I am happy we got a LRT/subway. However, after my 1st and only ride on the 2nd Day of opening. I can agree with your points and views. However, Ottawa built it for to be converted for more ridership in the future. The lack of redundancy/trackwise is the main concern of the system.
I think Ottawa should get rid or store the caditis spirit trains for future use and purchase different ones but everybody knows they cant. Ottawa really messed up with line 1.
So, correct me if I'm wrong, but the O-Train had a derailment and you get THIS depressed over it that everything is terrible and needs to be fixed? Seems a bit melo-dramatic. Derailments just happen sometimes. Or perhaps this is just the straw that broke the camel's back?
this isn't the first trouble with the O-Train, it has had continuous problems since it opened 2 years ago. The root cause is they ordered the wrong vehicles for the line.
@@RMTransit You should, it's quite interesting. Plus, the construction of an enormous automated line, line 4, is underway now, and it's very fascinating. Plus, Thessaloniki Metro, which, although it has struggled a lot, is very marvellous also, and it's going to be similar to that of Copenhagen
You keep calling it "rapid" transit, but what makes it "rapid"??? To me, "rapid" transit are trains/buses that go over 150km/h...I can't think of any Canadian transit other than GO and VIA, and ONLY WHEN they have a long stretch of track. In Toronto the only thing that comes close is the UP Express at 140km/h max.
What’s your GOOD transit news of the week?
New video cause idk
"There was an automobile crash on the freeway when a car left its lane. It has destroyed faith in the freeway system. We will now shut the freeways down for three to four weeks while we study the accident to determine what happened."
Also in 3 weeks GO TRAIN'S GO TO LONDON!!!!!
WMATA has lowered prices on weekends to $2 max fare, as well as now giving full transfers from busses to train (instead of just a 50¢ discount). They've also slightly increased hours on weekends
the northern line extension opened in london this week, that's neat.
I rode the O-Train when I went to Ottawa last month. I was aware of past problems before going but when I rode the O-Train, there were no problems for me. Now OC Transpo might have to shut it down for three weeks. I'm glad I got the opportunity to ride the O-Train while I was there before it broke down.
I also rode the O-Train last month. Very comfortable ride I must say.
99.99999% of the time O Train runs flawlessly. Not much news to report on in Ottawa
If your system is grade separated there is no reason to have a low floor vehicle. Sometimes I get the feeling that transit system designers are prone to follow fashions. This is especially true when the building of a rail transit system is seen as an amenity to prove your city is world class, or is used by the local planning board to try and force development of high cost, high density residential areas, or whatever other goal other than effectively and efficiently moving people around a city. As long as designers and engineers focus on the goal of moving people, then there is a greater likelihood that the resulting system will do that.
I absolutely agree!
Yes, even here on Toronto they've finally stated moving on new projects. The previous city administration argued against Light Rail claiming "the taxpayers" wanted "subways, subways, subways" rather than an extensive LRT line the would BE RUNNING! Car centric ex mayor claiming "streetcars" were antiques and impeded traffic. I think this was seen as less "world class" than a heavy rail subway. Build what density will support unless the city has a plan to triple density along a future route.
As much as I love the O-Train system, Ottawa has REALLY gotta get their act together here. New transit is gonna have teething problems but we're over 2 years in and things have arguably gotten worse since day 1. My suggestion at this point would be to run Line 1 as is with lower frequencies to help reduce problems but begin the process of replacing them, either by exercising contract rights with Alstom for another Citadis sibling or returning all the units and going for Siemens or Stadler (S70, Variobahn, Tramlink, and Citylink come to mind)
I think the issue is that low frequency operations contribute to the overcrowding that contributes to delays, quite the enigma
I live in Ottawa. I was excited about the new LRT system when it launched. Having lived and travelled in Europe for many years I know how awesome public rail transit can be. I rode on the O-Train the first day it opened. I took it on lunch breaks to get to the Market quickly for lunch. I even used to ride it on weekends as a cheap 'fun' activity with the kids. Then, on one of those Sundays in the winter, I was riding it with the kids and suddenly bam, we lost power and the train was stranded. The operator tried to reconnect to the catenary a couple of times but each attempt made a loud bang and rained sparks down the windows. Then the cabin started filling with smoke so he let us off. The kids were crying, it was a bit traumatizing for them. We eventually managed to catch a train back to our car after spending a long time outside in the cold and sleet with small children. We haven’t ridden the train since. That was almost two years ago now and clearly things have not improved. Every so often I think 'hey, maybe we should try the LRT again!' And then some catastrophe happens and I think 'nah, better to not.'
So so so sad to hear
Yup, 2023 and we still cant have ice or snow or we need to shut it down for a couple days.
This guy is what makes RUclips a great platform. Articulate, knowledgeable and with genuine insight. Thanks for your hard work.
Thanks Tom!
Unfortunately the Confederation Line suffers from a hodgepodge of different ideas, both political and engineering.
Changing mid-stream from a 'true' LRT to a light-metro but only making half of the necessary changes to get there has come back to haunt them. (Go back as far as the 2006 plan, and ones in between where the line had grade crossings and street-running). Re-using the Transitway ROW is great, except they didn't want to spend more to make changes to be compatible with LRT, (Hurdman curves are most glaring).
Pre-pandemic the amount this system was under-built was evident on the few days the train was working at or near its designed capacity and it STILL wasn't enough to ease overcrowding at rush hour.
They should have bailed on the all LF design as soon as they committed to the grade separation. I think you nailed it with getting bigger trains with partial LF is the best solution they can implement without rebuilding most of the system.
Yes the Slow, and Noisey Grinding Hurdman curves will probably never be fixed as long as we have these types of train units.
@@michaelkostiuk8683 sounds like a rail profile issue.
I think you nailed it here, remember, there is room for longer and more frequent trains, they just need better doors!
I really struggle to understand why they went through all the expense of making the system fully grade separated and then skimped on high platforms, rail infrastructure and the vehicles. Dropping just one overpass (which are extremely expensive in comparison) could have funded all that.
@@mikeblatzheim2797 If I recall reading correctly, (I think Reece said it too in an older Ottawa video) the city had already signed the contract with Alstom for these LF trains by the time the full grade separation choice was altered. I don't know what the penalty for cancelling/altering that contract was at the time, but it was viewed as a waste of money, ...if only we knew the future then!
As someone living in Melbourne I can confirm I love riding an unreliable, inconsistent and totally unpredictable transit service. It adds spice to life. Will I get home before the last bus or do I need to call for a lift? Will the signalling fail and the train stops for an hour finally giving me an excuse to skip that super boring first class. At least Melbourne is safe
Edit: that is if the busses even turn up
trans arch linux user talking about transit,,,,!
infinitely cooler than Melbourne's transit reliability!
Melbourne is a great place
@@bloodydoll5897 gonna have to agree with this
You didn't mention it has the world's slowest tram system
Totally agree about the Ottawa LRT! As an Ottawa resident myself I definitely agree that OC Transpo needs to take action NOW such as reinstating old bus routes, additional R1 bus trips downtown and/or giving people a discounted fare for some time. While I've thankfully had no issues riding the train (and I've enjoyed it - so far), it's been completely disastrous after this derailment. If they don't regain customer confidence, I think the damage has been done to a lot of former transit users, which will only be made worse as people head back to work / offices and kids go back to school. OC needs to get their crap together ASAP!
As far as I know, Siemens trains used in Canada are all high floor, so it's not really an issue of coming over from Alberta. Of course, if they have a US model, I'd imagine they can import them.
My point is that Siemens is in the Canadian LRV market ;)
Thank you for this video 🙏🙏
Normally I take line 1 on my commute every day and it takes about 45 minutes. Without the train, its taking me close to 2 hours and its really uncomfortable. Its really frustrating to have a system like this that could and SHOULD be better.
I think it will be soon
Regarding converting a low floor system to high floor, Boston has actually done it, several times. When what is now the Orange Line first opened, it used the existing streetcar tunnel (now the Green Line), with two tracks converted to high floor and third rail operation, and then converted back when the line got its new tunnel on Washington St. And then in the 1920s, the Blue Line was converted from low floor streetcar to high floor rapid transit operation over the course of a 3 day weekend (with lots of preparatory work ahead of time of course).
Indeed, though I would argue the performance characteristics were insufficient.
Toronto Line 6 will likely be a better fit for the Citadis than the O-Train ever was.
Yeah our mayor Jim Watson was so incredibly cheap that he decided to put tram cars on a metro line smh 🤦♂️. Toronto’s line 6 will definitely have fewer problems if any at all
Absolutely a better fit
The Citadis will also be coming to Cologne, with 60 metre and 30 metre trainsets running as up to 90 metre long units. It'll be interesting to see wether they'll prove themselves, as the Bombardier 70% low floor vehicles they're replacing are falling apart after 25 years, whilst the 30-45 year old high floor DÜWAGs are being refurbished and are still good for at least another 10 years of service. At least from what I've seen the axle arrangement on the 60 metre units is absolutely idiotic, which doesn't give me high hopes.
Great content as always, I always thought the extension to fleetwood was 2025, and then the second part to Langley city was 2030. I think they want to do it in one phase, so it’s been pushed back already. It’s funny though that despite projects like the now canceled Newton Guildford LRT (far larger population), Burnaby Mountain Gondola, extension to UBC, capacity upgrades (looking at those still 40 metre Canada line stations!), infill stations, and BRT shenanigans, the extension to Langley was considered a bigger priority. But it’s still amazing to see. Who knows, maybe in a couple years we’ll see a walkable, transit oriented community in Langley. Then I’ll officially have seen everything.
Denver has 2 types of Trains: High Floor LRV and Commuter style trains. The LRV system is low platform but has a wheelchair ramp at the driver's end. All of the Commuter Rail stations are high platform with ramp access for wheelchairs. Denver also boasts about their Free 16th Street Mall shuttle which is semi-low floor buses, which connects the Downtown street running LRV to Commuter Rail at Union Station. Denver Union Station was transformed into a Multi-modal station with a 5 block underground Bus Concourse, where several long distance bus lines serve. Pandemic aside, I cannot complain too much, as the system has 15/30/60 minute intervals mid-day! But going from the suburb to the major medical center takes (40 miles away) nearly 2 hours with 3 transfers! To drive directly about 45 minutes...
Stay tuned, there might be a video on Denver coming . . .
Oh we've been having similar rolling stock issues on East Midlands Railway in the UK. Basically they selected entirely inappropriate rolling stock for the operations they wanted to use it for and disaster has ensued.
Very sorry to here. Rolling stock is so critical!
Good luck with your move!! Hopefully the Vancouver expansion projects go well..
Thank you!
That "I'm not in jail" statement is very sus...
Yes Calgary SAVE ONTARIO!! WE STRUGLE WITH BOMBARDIER AND SIEMENS WILL WORK REALLY GOOD :((((! My fav 9:28
The thumbnail just fills me with sadness without even watching the video :
I adore the O-train. I remember the first time my friend and I rode the O-train on the week it opened. Unlike the trillium line that we'd used hundreds of times, the doors opened, we stepped on the train, the doors shut and the train just went. We never thought that our city could have a rail line like this and we were so excited to use it to commute every day. Seeing the issues recently makes me incredibly sad because I know that people, especially people from my suburban neighbourhood on the edge of town, are gonna lose even more confidence in our transit system. It's made even worse if we consider the effects of the pandemic on ridership, the (relatively) recent tragic bus accident at westboro station, and OC transpo's generally abysmal reputation for their bus service (we call it OCcasional Transpo because 50% of the time your bus just doesn't show up or it just drives by).
Excellent video! I am British and about to take a trip to Vienna - it will be my fourth visit. I was absolutely astounded when at 8m 05s you suddenly mentioned Vienna U6! I realise now that you were saying that Ottawa line 1 is nothing like Vienna U6, and I would agree with that. U6 is indeed now worked by trains of 100% low-floor Lightish-Rail vehicles. But this is because the trains need to fit onto the central part of the line along the 'Gurtel'. This section dates from 1898 and is (largely) elevated. The use of low-floor trains was the only way this architecturally magnificent section could be made fully accessible.
I mean, that both are low floor metro lines makes me think they are fairly similar!
I like that you mentioned my city and a metro line I use quite often :)
Pocket tracks can also be useful for short-turns. If both ends feed back into the main tracks, they can function as passing loops, something that can further mitigate problems.
Absolutely! Great point! Allows for single track ops!
Honestly it's refreshing to see that the Confederation Line trainsets seem to be derailment-prone for entirely different reasons to older Citadis models. Also it's hilarious that they went to Alstom to avoid Bombardier given that the Citadis Spirit bogie design is basically a ripoff of a Bombardier design.
And now any Bombardier issues are bought out by Alstom anyway…
It was the conservatives that provided the final funds for the system and they hate bombardier like the plague because it is a Quebec company.
I thought Alstom bought Bombardier?
@@Marquis-Sade The Bombardier family only recently(last couple of years) started to sell off parts of the company. the O train phase 1 in Ottawa was "finished" before they started to do so.
@@Peorhum Only parts of its company? I thought all of it
Surely a mid-floor option could work for the Confederation line? If they used LIM trains like in Vancouver the platform heights would barely have to change and chances are the vehicles would very likely fit and operate smoothly on the network. This would allow them to move to a true light metro but with lower costs than directly implementing REM style technology
Thats sort of the suggestion with the Siemens trains
@@RMTransit ah I mean if they went for a proper rebuild to create a proper driverless metro, but yes the most balanced option would be a 70% low floor tram
As a former Torontonian now living in Victoria I must say that it's frustrating that any time somebody on Vancouver Council sneezes they get a new LRT line. Here on the island we used to have a railliner that ran from Courtney (north of Nanaimo) into Victoria...unfortunately it ran north in the morning and south back to Victoria in the evening making it useless for commuters. There is still track from the suburb oLangford that could be utilized but it's falling into disrepair...like the rail line between Toronto and Peterborough.
While the Victoria bus system is well run it's still subject to delays...and there's no "additional" service to the airport and ferry dock (they're not too far apart).
If the geniuses on the mainland want to build a new Skytrain then extend the Canada Line to Tsawwassin (the mainland terminal of the Victoria ferry). Islanders could leave their cars on the island.
I can't get over how the O-Train sounds like some sort of sexual euphamism.
I don’t think low floor is the main problem here. They are many tram systems in Europe that operate 100% low floor trams at top speeds of 70km/h very reliably, even with Bombardier trams. Sure, the confed line runs 100km/h but this can not be the only problem, as Tram lines also have to put up with a lot of stress on their service. The Alsom trains in Ottawa are actually working great in other Places in Europe, for example in Kassel (Germany). Maybe one should invite some technicians over from Alstom that is familiar with the Train and work on figuring out a way to fix these issues.
The trains in Kassel are a different, older design with 70% low floor and developed by Alstom's German division (the former LHB), who have a lot more experience with these types of vehicles than Alstom themselves.
The context of speed, frequency and the like all contribute to the system being quite unique
Its actually interesting that the possible issue could be in the truck design. NJ Transit's shop department did reject a recent design pass of the Bi-Level III EMU about a month ago due to some serious design inadequacies. Friend's specific comment was of each car being 6,000lbs over the trucks max load capacity.
I can't wait for your Gatineau/ LRT project video. The keys points for NCC recommend above ground compare to under ground to connect both systems. Which is 😳😳😳 🤔🧐 doesn't make sense regardless of the cost difference. If you want both systems to work in sync with each other for both cities.
As far as Metro systems, I love Osaka Japan's Hankyu Railway, which is a private system connecting Osaka with Kobe, Takarazuka and Kyoto. While suffering major earthquake damage decades ago, the system has come back strong! Osaka's Awaji junction station is being transformed as we speak, to have 3 levels of separation for structural integrity and ease of use for the 3 lines that serve Awaji station. The approach from Osaka used to be elevated, but fell during the earthquake mentioned, is being built back to create 2 of the 3 decks for Awaji station. In summary, any rail system, no matter who calls it what, there needs to be wiggle room if a disaster or accident happens, so repairs can be implemented as quickly as possible! Of course with minor bus service until the all clear is called.
I was born in Brooklyn NYC, raised "down the Jersey shore" and have studied mass transit and modeled trains. Why can't the USA and Canada go back to building Metros and Rail as was seen up to the end of WWII?!? Europe and Japan are doing way better, without gentrifying areas to put in the "new shiny" rail options?!?
London Underground expanding the Jubilee and Northern lines, creating the Overground system and CrossRail... What hurt me more?!? NYC-NJ killing the expansion of Penn Station and new tunnels for better ingress and egress of the Northeast Corridor!
Hankyu is a great transit redemption story!
Every time I was riding on the O train wen we take turning I was thinking we gone derailed those train are really suck your vidéo explain all the problems
I'm hoping that the new Surrey-Langley extension date is so they can make the date, something of an "under-promise, over-deliver" situation
Not a bad situation to be in with regard to public relations
If the quality of the track is the issue, then perhaps rather than going to Siemens, it would be better to contract one of the manufacturers in central or eastern Europe (Škoda, PESA, Solaris, Končar). Their products are usually manufactured with a much greater tolerance for the technical state of the track.
Run KMT-5's, which I have seen footage of running on trackage that resembles a waveform. And we known they can handle Siberian winters.
Sound transit which serves the Seattle metropolitan area (there are also local transit agencies in the service area as well) is seeing significant delays in their long term buildout. We have three new stations literally opening in ten days, and several stations in 2023 (10+) and several more in 2024, which will almost triple the current network. Construction after that, sadly, Is seeing significant delays because of funding concerns. Thanks COVID.
So know that it is not Canada specific, and I love the sky train :). I remember seeing someone actually drive that during a snowy time in Canada. They are usually automated but sometimes they need an assist. That also meant that buses were likely grounded.
More Seattle content to come ;)
ruclips.net/video/vIz75_T3juU/видео.html
I wouldn't say the O-Train is unique in the entire world. In Porto you have a very similar system, with low-floor vehicles going at high-speed in some places (80 to 10p km/h) and with metro-like frequencies. Also with underground sections and above ground ones.
Your description of Langley was bang-on.
I'm from there
Great video, long live OC transpo
Media reporting today that train derailed while pulling into Tremblay Station and was dragged into the curve and across the overpass at Riverside Drive. There have been a lot of issues with these vehicles from the start. While they are nice and appear to do the job at first glance, they are proving to have been a poor choice. I agree that a light-metro or partial high-floor vehicle would have been a better choice. At some point closer to their end of lifecycle, perhaps they'll replace them with a more suitable vehicle with more modern technology that has evolved dramatically over the past 10 years. Ottawa will not be alone in dealing with the issues related to these vehicles.
Alstom has been offering variants of the same design for more than 12 years now. One of the first deployments was Istanbul T1, which is several orders of magnitude busier and more demanding than the O-Train. They had major issues with that project too. They should have learned from that.
Istanbul t1 is very different it's also not an order of magnitude busier. It's less than twice as busy.
@@RMTransit hmm, my figures say that T1 is busier. The point is that there were definitely transferrable lessons. It's not the type of train that is the issue. It's just that Alstom sucks at this type of thing because virtually all of their tram products have been newly developed over the past 20 years, while most other companies inherited their tram portfolios from companies with far more experience.
nice video man, could you talk about the new Stadler FLIRT vehicels for the Ottawa trillium line
I will for sure! But I will probably wait until they arrive!
@@RMTransit Alright thanks for the speedy reply!
Ottawa's BRT system would have been fine if they'd just gotten a little bit more creative in the downtown section, where it stopped being BRT. Making the commuter only buses transfers as Hurdman and Lincoln Fields instead of running through the downtown and not running literally every bus across the same bridge, but instead using Laurier could both have helped. Also a good idea: a short bus tunnel through the downtown using the electric buses the city is buying anyhow probably would have also been good.
The problem is running large bus systems is incredibly expensive and resource intensive which is why rail is so important to Major transit systems
@@RMTransit Automated buses are on their way in the near future, that, along with electrification, will drop a good chunk of the cost from buses. And an expensive to run, but reliable system is better than an expensive to build, cheap to run, but frequently shut down because it's unreliable system. Especially since that means you have to keep loads of buses and drivers at the read for when the rail system is down anyway.
@@fernbedek6302 Then we could attach multiple automated buses together to increase capacity and efficiency. To make electrification easier, we could have the buses attach to a constant source of electricity - like a wire. Finally, to make automation easier, we could have the buses run on guideways made of steel, using steel wheels, reducing friction and increasing efficiency.
@@dylanm2061 Meh. The nearest metro system to Ottawa has stuck with rubber wheels. And sticking to simply running actual buses in a line, akin to how the current line one runs two LRT vehicles in a line, would have meant not having to shut down large portions of the rapid transit system for years a time to 'upgrade' them to... the same level of service outside of one small choke point.
I will say, I'm not against metros. I'm just against tearing up and existing rapid transit line to build a slightly higher capacity rapid transit line that forces a transfer, makes service worse for years, and then requires a whole other wave of construction to extend the stubby new rapid transit technology along the full length of the previous rapid transit line. Ottawa should have gotten a bit more creative with buses in the core and then build a metro line to serve other parts of the city, expanding the coverage of the rapid transit network.
Ottawa's bus network has also been damaged by the Line 1 project. Poor planning and an insistence that everybody be forced to use Line 1 has made travel by transit in Ottawa more difficult. A combination of this, the ongoing LIne 1 problems and the closure of Line 2 for years without addressing its fundamental weakness (single track operations) have been destroying Ottawa's transit credibility. I don't see the system being able to recover all the lost ridership.
I don't fully agree about speculating about failure modes. Those curves seem pretty wide for what is basically a tram vehicle. For example, those kind of Alstom Citadis vehicles run in The Hague (Netherlands) on the streetcar tracks, with far sharper turns (as well as straight 80 km/h sections). I think you really need to await the reports to be able to judge. Maybe it's a stuck brake what caused everything?
By the way, I think The Hague is an interesting city for a video. It has both a fully preserved tram network, a 'pre-metro' tunnel, Randstadrail to Zoetermeer which is partly lightrail partly tram, as well as Randstadrail to Rotterdam which is high level lightrail (but shares track with low-level trams).
They are S curves which really don't help. Not suggesting that was the cause of the derailment, but they don't contribute to the system!
Those Citadis are a different, 70% low floor model.
I really wonder why people are scared to say "subway" I understand the cost is enormous but in ottawa's case. High floor trains with open gangways would solve a lot of problems. I don't think people care much for "LRT vs subway vs tram etc" they just want to get places!
love your informative information on transit
People are a LOT less tolerant when it is -20 C on some January commute. Yes, the drive would stink but at least the commuter could get there. Ottawa should look at used equipment- in particular the major Japanese private transit companies. In addition, raising the platforms could be done in two stages with shorter high platform trains for starters. The raising of platform height could be done by making "temporary" raised steel platforms, capped with a half inch or so of rubber (youtube comment problem).
Its possible of course, but there are a massive numbers of problems with the approach
On the plus side, the Hamilton LRT came back from the dead!
Good news yes
I think that, if nothing else, the O train debacle is proving that high capacity BRT doesn't "upgrade" to LRT. I mean, low floor LRT systems typically have capacities no greater than high capacity BRT systems, so it takes a degree of magical thinking to believe that adding a transfer from buses to an LRV is going to be an overall improvement. Unfortunately, this sort of thinking motivated Ottawa to push the selected LRT system beyond its reasonable capacity in order to make the project seem like an "upgrade" when it really isn't.
The lesson to be learned here is that the upgrade path for both high capacity BRT and LRT is heavy rail metro. We should stop talking about designing high capacity BRT for conversion to LRT. And we should probably be very very wary of designing BRT for future conversion to heavy rail as this could result in spectacularly overbuilt BRT. If high capacity BRT makes sense in a particular context, it should be built as such, and when growth justifies an upgrade, the money should be spent on metro rail.
Yeah I don't think you're wrong!
Maybe metrolinx should have kept their contracts with bombardier for the flexity freedom lrv's. Even if they take forever to build them its better that an unreliable tram-train that keeps breaking constantly.
here in italy we have the ansaldo 100% low floor train and to me it is quite a badly designed vehicle. the passenger compartement is cramped, and feels tight. i used many times when i broke my ankle and found more difficoult to move around with crutches than in other trains. the components take alot of space so there is no room under the seats and passenger's legs occupy all the floor. once you get in you can only stand right in front of the door (where also the wheelchair parking is). when they were new there were many derailments, my impression is that they now operate at a lower speed compared to older trains. also the wheels seems weaker as they tend to become noisy. i have seen many bombardier 70% low trains around europe, they look more efficient and faster.
I have to wonder if when Montreal and Toronto transit came online they also had issues. That said ,perhaps the LRVs are the problem. Maybe the transit system needs to rethink if these vehicles are right for the train line.
People have been saying these negative things about O Train since day one. No credibility for a lot of these politicians
Strangely a Bombardier employee was spotted with a wrench and an angle grinder near the train yard the day before...
(this is 100% a joke please don't take this seriously)
Yikes, even the hurontario lrt seems to be using the same trains as ottawa
Yep!
I do like the Calgary Alberta Transit systems I was using it before they add the new train cars not much there at the time too live there so I picked Toronto Ontario
Any chance of a video on how and why the decision was made to use 100% low floor LRVs on a fully grade separated system?
The decision sort of happened in the other order they insisted on a surface system initially and then when the system became grade separated they insisted on keeping the old train.
Edit
Still might make video
@@RMTransit Yes, please do.
The Ottawa O train is poorly designed. You take it and you can feel the stresses put on the trains as you ride it. This stress is wearing out the drive systems of the train and you will never get a train that can take these stresses. They should have just laid street car tracks down on the old transit way and bought street cars and trams. Would have been cheaper and more flexible and would have fit the old transit way better then the current O train does. They could have still made the small subway section and had their "subway" system Ottawa has wanted since Toronto and Montreal got their subways systems. Maybe it can be converted to trams still. Will not fix the horrible stations the system has though. You don't want to take the O train on a super cold winter day or a super hot summer day...horrible system from start to finish!!.
PS, I drive by the old train line running north south and looks like they are screwing it up too. They are building new bridges to replace the old ones, making the tracks steeper in the process and GET THIS...they are making all the new bridges single track!! I know they would have issues doubling the tracks in some places along the line but if you are building new bridges, they should have made them double track and hoped in time they could double track the harder spots, namely the northern parts of the line going through the cut rock. To me this is just plain poor forsight and stupid.
I believe much of the new southern extension should be double tracked, that which isn't should be fine based on the service plan!
hype for the transit dark ages video
I predict many public transport projects will be cancelled due to lost revenue, fear of using PT and less centralised work/education, as a result of the last 18 months
I hope not, but I don't think that will be the case in Canada
Ottawa Sun: WOE TRAIN
Aren’t these Ottawa trains (on the new line) also the ones planned for the Ontario line? That project managed by the same team that did the Ottawa line?
Nope, totally different. Ontario Line will be high floor.
Winter is coming soon and they can't even run this damn things properly in the snow!
Dude you can diss Langley any time...
Plot twist -- Reece is actually in jail.
brooooo
O train operates at over 99% performance rate. It's sad the media and politicians have been so negative about it
Not right now sadly
It seems the developed world has issues with constructing in time and budget. Here in Germany is so annoying at times.
After Covid I want to go on the o-train and I live in Ottawa
Oh I thought you were in jail for jaywalking on Finch Avenue. Glad you cleared that up.
Nope! Thank goodness!
Does the confederation line trains use the same make or model of train that the Eglington crosstown line uses in toronto? Toronto seems very happy with the performance of the trains so far.
Nope, they are different
@@RMTransit ahh ok thanks man
Hey the O'Train will Hope fully avoid U6 undeserved reputation
Loved the video 👍🏽 ! I Ottawa citizen I am happy we got a LRT/subway. However, after my 1st and only ride on the 2nd Day of opening.
I can agree with your points and views. However, Ottawa built it for to be converted for more ridership in the future.
The lack of redundancy/trackwise is the main concern of the system.
It doesn't have all that much capacity for the future.
O train is the fine example of having the wrong rolling stock for the wrong system. Running trams on what is essentially a metro, wtf??
I think Ottawa should get rid or store the caditis spirit trains for future use and purchase different ones but everybody knows they cant. Ottawa really messed up with line 1.
I'm not sure we would really be able to scrap the citadis. They're what, 4 years old??
So, correct me if I'm wrong, but the O-Train had a derailment and you get THIS depressed over it that everything is terrible and needs to be fixed? Seems a bit melo-dramatic. Derailments just happen sometimes. Or perhaps this is just the straw that broke the camel's back?
this isn't the first trouble with the O-Train, it has had continuous problems since it opened 2 years ago. The root cause is they ordered the wrong vehicles for the line.
The O-Train has had lots of problems as mentioned, this is just the latest. I do think people being driven away from transit is deeply concerning.
I feel bad for the people of Ottawa!
Why are you always moving?
Covid and University graduation madness!
Hello! I've made this request in comments below other videos of yours, but can you make a video on the Athens Metro?
Probably eventually!
@@RMTransit You should, it's quite interesting. Plus, the construction of an enormous automated line, line 4, is underway now, and it's very fascinating.
Plus, Thessaloniki Metro, which, although it has struggled a lot, is very marvellous also, and it's going to be similar to that of Copenhagen
THE ALSTOM TRAMS ON PARIS LINE 11 NEED TO COME TO CANADA (they are owned by sncf and are run at high speeds)
The T11 trains are very similar, and the Ottawa trains were also largely built in France, not sure it would help.
@@RMTransit they're mostly made in New York state with some bits made in Quebec.
The components were made in France with final assembly in Ottawa as far as I know.
@@RMTransit I found a brochure that seemed to suggest that the bogie frames and bolsters were made in the UK.
Can you do a future video of the rail franchising of the UK?
Perhaps in the future yeah!
This channel would be better if it was broadcast from prison.
O train derailment near Tremblay is still under investigation
liked video
I am so disappointed by the state of the otrain
You keep calling it "rapid" transit, but what makes it "rapid"??? To me, "rapid" transit are trains/buses that go over 150km/h...I can't think of any Canadian transit other than GO and VIA, and ONLY WHEN they have a long stretch of track. In Toronto the only thing that comes close is the UP Express at 140km/h max.
Rapid Transit is a term commonly used for subways and metros
@@RMTransit If that's "rapid" I'd hate to see "slow" transit! ROFL
“I’m not in jail though”
well if only you made this video last night, then you would have had the worst news of the week to cover.. RIP