LRT disruptions to stretch into Tuesday

Some of the train cars that have been stuck for days along Ottawa's Confederation Line have finally been removed, but others remain immobileandriders should expect major disruptions during Tuesday's commute.

In an update Monday afternoon,officials withthe citysaidthose disruptions would stretch into Tuesday.

"I appreciate that these past few days have been difficult for you, and that restoring full Line 1 service has taken longer thanexpected," said Rene Amilcar, the city's general manager of transit services.

"We are doing everything we can do to provide you with the best possible service under these challenging conditions."

Several trains ended up stuck on the line nearLees station after a severe bout of freezing rain hit the city four days ago, closing the line between uOttawa and Tremblay stations.

Confederation Line trains continue to run Tuesdayon two loops: one between Blair and Tremblay stations in the east and another between Tunney's Pasture and uOttawa stations in the west.

Riders canexpect trains to arrive every five minutes,an improvement over the 15-minute wait times that had been the reality over the weekend.

R1 replacement bus serviceexpanded Monday, operating from Blair all the way to Rideau station. Those buses don't stop at Cyrville station andwillcome more frequently during peak hours, Amilcar said.

'Unfortunately, R1 service will take resources away from other areas of the system. Our team is proactively monitoring these impacts and will adjust where possible," she wrote.

De-icing work continuedovernight

After thefreezing rain hit Wednesday night, the trains became immobilizedand ice built up on the line as they were no longer running.

Several previous attempts by RTM to tow away the stuck trains from Lees station caused furtherdamage to the line's overhead power system.

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RTM's crews "worked around the clock to manually remove the ice" from one stretchof the track near Leesand would thenfocus on the second affected stretch, CEO Mario Guerra said Sunday night.

OC Transpo has brought in independent experts STVto join existing oversightfirmTRAInc. and monitor RTM's work, as well as provide advice on when trains can from uOttawa to Tremblay again.

Guerra said full service could possibly be restored sometime on Tuesday "if all goes well."