King was elected to council in 2019. That was seven years ago. That is also when the LRT derailed due to bearing failure. Those bearings are still experiencing spalling and shelling. Replacing these assemblies every 100,000 km, with 300 spares does not solve the problem. Uplifting the LRT to Metrolinx does not solve the problem.
Think about that. Seven years!
The PPP or pretty poor partnership has determined excessive lateral loads caused the burnouts.
This goes back to the initial trial running that took place. Menard asked "were the technical requirements met" ( they were not) then ruled to be out of order for harassing staff" by the mayor, Order of Ottawa medal winner, Watson.
Menard is no unruly council member, he just asks tough questions.
Isn't that what you want? Isn't that what you need?
Don't you need accountability from your elected representatives?
Clean your house!
Here are the most pertinent, hard-hitting questions to ask RTG (Rideau Transit Group / Project Co.), Alstom, and OCTranspo senior management regarding the ongoing LRT (Confederation Line / Line 1) issues—especially the Cartridge Bearing Assembly (CBA) spalling that triggered the 100,000 km safety limit in January 2026.These questions are tailored to this“100,000 km LRT solution” blog post: they focus on accountability, taxpayer costs, recurring failures since 2019 (well below the promised 1.2-million km bearing life), root causes, timelines, and why fixes keep dragging on.
Questions for RTG (Rideau Transit Group –
the P3 consortium responsible for design-build-finance-maintain)RTG bears primary contractual responsibility for system performance and maintenance (via Rideau Transit Maintenance). They are replacing the CBAs at their cost.
• On the 100k km trigger and spalling: “RTG first notified OC Transpo of CBA spalling in January 2026 on vehicles exceeding 100,000 km.
Exactly how many vehicles are still waiting for replacement today, and
what is the current daily replacement rate? When will every vehicle be back above the 100k km threshold so the safety order can be lifted?”
• Root cause and recurrence: “This is the latest in a series of bearing/axle failures since 2019.
What is the root cause of the spalling (overloading, lateral loads, design flaw, track interaction, or maintenance gap)?
Why are these components failing at ~8% of their designed 1.2-million km life, and what specific engineering changes has RTG implemented to prevent the next failure at 200k km or 300k km?”
• Contractual accountability and costs: “Under the Project Agreement, RTG incurs Failure Points and revenue deductions for availability below 98%.
How many Failure Points have been assessed for the single-car service period since January 2026?
What is the total cost to RTG (not the City) for all CBA replacements, and will RTG absorb any extra bus supplementation costs caused by reduced LRT capacity?”
• Transparency and guarantees:
“Will RTG publicly release the full root-cause analysis report (including data shared with Alstom and the independent consultant) and commit to a binding performance guarantee that two-car service will be sustainable beyond mid-June 2026 without further mileage restrictions?”
Questions for Alstom (vehicle manufacturer and maintenance subcontractor)Alstom supplied the Citadis Spirit LRVs and is deeply involved in bearing redesigns and expert analysis.
• Design and manufacturing liability:
“Alstom has stated previously that higher-than-expected lateral loads contributed to earlier axle issues.
Does the current CBA spalling share the same root cause, or is this a separate manufacturing/design defect in the cartridge bearing assembly?
Why did the original bearings not meet the contractually required durability under normal Ottawa operating conditions (including passenger loads and track curvature)?”
• Permanent fix timeline: “Alstom previously worked on axle redesigns that were supposed to be permanent solutions.
What is the status of the full redesign/replacement program for the cartridge bearing assemblies across the entire fleet?
When will prototypes be tested, approved, and installed so the 100k km limit is permanently eliminated?”
• Monitoring and prevention: “Alstom has proposed vibration sensors and other monitoring.
Why were these not implemented earlier, and what real-time data is Alstom now providing to RTG and OC Transpo to predict and prevent spalling before it reaches critical levels?”
Questions for OCTranspo Senior Management (operator and contract overseer)OCTranspo issues safety orders, makes availability payments, and communicates with council and the public.
• Oversight and decision-making: “OC Transpo issued the Safety Order pulling vehicles over 100k km ‘out of an abundance of caution.’
What independent verification (beyond RTG/Alstom data) did OC Transpo and TRA (Transportation Resource Associates) perform before and after that order?
Why did it take until January 2026 to identify this spalling issue despite years of known bearing problems?”
• Financial and service impact on taxpayers: “The City continues availability payments to RTG during reduced service.
How much has the City paid RTG since January 2026, and
how much has been withheld for non-performance?
What is the total extra cost to Ottawa taxpayers (buses, lost productivity, crowding) from this latest round of bearing failures?”
• Communication and rider impact: “OC Transpo’s new 10-point plan aims to restore two-car service by mid-June.
What are the measurable milestones and penalties if that deadline slips again?
Will OC Transpo provide riders with real-time data on fleet availability and commit to compensation (e.g., fare rebates) if single-car service continues into the summer?”
• Long-term accountability: “Given the pattern since 2019, does OC Transpo believe the current P3 contract gives the City sufficient levers to force permanent fixes, or is a contract amendment / penalty escalation required?
When will council receive a full public report on total LRT downtime costs since opening?”
