No word on LRT resumption expected until at least Monday

It will be Monday before frustrated transit users in Ottawa get a "more comprehensive"update on when LRT service will resume,according to a memo tocouncil members from the city's general manager of transit services Friday.

The memo fromRene Amilcar, which primarily outlined changes to R1 bus service routes, also said Rideau Transit Group (RTG) is in discussions with the city, andthat a potential update will include "next steps."

Ottawa's LRT has been down since Mondaybecause of a bearing problem on a train. A similar problem nearly two years ago shut down theentire system for nearly a week. Weeks later, LRT service was suspended for nearly two months in the wake of another malfunction.

As of Friday afternoon, the axle hub assemblies on 24 of the fleet's 45 light rail vehicles had been checked.According to the memo,no further issues werefound.

Rail geometry assessments are continuing, vehicles are being checked for wear and tear on the axle hub assemblies, and the failedpartwill be inspected by French manufacturer Alstom.

Additionally, testtrains are currently running in different configurations and with varying loads to simulate real conditions.

"Additional train and track infrastructure work will continue," the memo said.

"Results from previous tests will be analyzed."