Toronto's new LRT may end up with same issues as other cursed Ontario line

A new TTC line that very well may be the next to open in Toronto already has residents stressing out thanks to some parts of the infrastructure that have caused problems when used on transit networks elsewhere in the province.

Some are speculating that the nearly-complete Finch West LRT may end up doomed from the start, much like the notoriously screwed-up Confederation Line or O-Train in Ottawa that uses the same light rail vehicles.

Toronto somehow isn't home to Ontario's jankiest LRT https://t.co/kG4C6YjQ2y

— blogTO (@blogTO) May 31, 2024

The Ottawa trains, which are the Citadis Spirit model from Alstom, are known to experience issues due to their axel and wheel design, which apparently can't handle higher than expected loads.

As detailed in a video from the manufacturer, in some situations, a key nut in the assembly can lock and unscrew, which cascades into a full crack and failure of the fatigued wheel hub, and eventual derailment as seen in the capital city's O-Train.

A rail safety advisory letter about the Ottawa line's faults, sent to that city's manager last Februrary, indeed cites "ongoing failures of cartridge roller bearing assemblies on Ottawa Light Rail Transit vehicles" — the same vehicles that Metrolinx is using a total of 18 of for the Finch West LRT, according to an FAQ page for the project.

"To date, there have been two serious main-track derailments and a near catastrophic component failure that all involve OLRT LRV cartridge assemblies," the 2023 letter, available online ia the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, continues.

"These cartridge assembly failures continue to pose a risk to safety until the issues are resolved... To date, other than ongoing cartridge assembly free play monitoring, no concrete steps have been taken to resolve the safety deficiency identified in the rail safety advisory."

Will still be finished before Eglinton ffs

— Johnno (@kingcojohnno) February 12, 2024

So, though work on Toronto's forthcoming Finch West line has been smooth sailing compared to the problematic Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction — and though it may debut earlier than the Eglinton line despite construction kicking off many years later — its biggest troubles may still be to come.