St. Laurent LRT station reopens after days of ‘complex work’

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OC Transpo’s St. Laurent LRT station reopened Wednesday morning after a five-day closure due to issues with its ceiling tiles.

The transit authority’s general manager, Renée Amilcar, said during an update that “complex work” was required on a large area of the station that “could not be rushed.”

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Amilcar said the decision to close the station was made “out of an abundance of caution” after it was discovered during a routine overnight inspection that some tiles were discoloured.

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Amilcar said engineering teams removed corroded portions of the suspended ceiling structure, reinforcing other sections, and removed suspended ceiling tiles. She said it’s undetermined whether the tiles will be returned.

Suspending service to the station allowed the team to do remedial work above the platforms and on areas close to the overhead catenary system, Amilcar said, and inspect the concrete roof slab.

Sign-off was provided by engineers once a final inspection was done and all work was complete.

All hazards had been fully mitigated, Amilcar said, noting that a “rigorous process” was in place to ensure the safety of customers and staff.

Susan Johns, director of asset management services for the City of Ottawa, said a “fine mesh” was installed in a couple of “localized areas” near the boarding area of the platform. She said the area will work in the coming months as it’s in a temporary, but safe, state.

Service at St. Laurent Station has been disrupted twice this year. In January, workers found that concrete had fallen from the ceiling onto the tracks.

“It is important to note that what happened over the weekend was not related to the January event,” said city general manager of infrastructure and water services Tammy Rose, noting that the latest problem was “mainly related” to water infiltration. “It is normal to see some concrete spalling on the surface.”

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Rose highlighted that the structure predates the construction of the LRT, with the tunnel built in 1983 for bus transit operations.

“This is 40-year-old aging infrastructure,” she said.

Rose said that while a $6.8 million investment has been made to mitigate water infiltration, ongoing work will be done to try to “seal the remaining sources of water.” She said an inspection of the entire tunnel will be completed in 2024.

Amilcar said the root cause of the water infiltration was undetermined. When asked whether there was a cost estimate for the work that was done, Amilcar said no, adding that the city’s top priority was resuming service “quickly and safely.”

Johns said the last complete inspection was in 2020 as some areas had their inspection waived in favour of construction to mitigate leakage in 2022. Rose said 95 per cent of the entire structure was in a “good state” of repair.

Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard said the issue was “concerning,” adding that there have been several issues with the LRT since its launch.

“We need to make sure the public feels safe, feels secure, that they want to be on this line and taking the trains that we’ve invested so much in,” said Menard. “We need to show that we’re doing regular inspections, not skipping inspections when obviously there is a concern, and investing in the fixes needed so that we inspire confidence in the public.”

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Amilcar said Rideau Transit Maintenance was inspecting ceiling infrastructure at the Parliament, Lyon and Rideau stations. The first two have already been inspected, with no signs of corrosion present.

Protocols are in place for regular inspections of city-wide assets, including the St. Laurent tunnel and station, and rail infrastructure, with future inspections or rehabilitation efforts to be planned to “minimize impacts to customers.”

— With files from Postmedia

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