Over a decade of construction later, Metrolinx still has not committed to an exact opening date for the delay-plagued Eglinton Crosstown LRT, noting last year that there were still hundreds of technical issues that needed to be sorted before the transit line can open to the public.

But despite its extensive delays and technical roadblocks, the forthcoming  Eglinton Crosstown somehow isn't Ontario's jankiest LRT. 

The Confederation Line — also called O-Train Line 1 — is a light rail line operated by OC Transpo in Ottawa. Since its launch in September 2019, the 12.5-kilometre electric light rail service has faced numerous issues that began long before it officially went into service. 

From malfunctioning doors to faulty overhead power lines and two derailments, the transit line has virtually seen it all, and the consortium that built its tracks has still not established a solution for preventing future derailments from happening. 

What a joke. https://t.co/S2RcpUCKiO

— 22223628 (@Telosbudo) May 29, 2024

According to a CBC report this week, French trainmaker Alstom and Rideau Transit Group (RTG) have not agreed on what exactly caused a wheel to fall off one of Ottawa's Citadis Spirit cars in 2021, leading it to derail. 

"Alstom has indicated that a sustainable solution can be achieved without a redesign and is not currently working on this initiative," city staff wrote in a report. "The City has formally communicated the imperative for the re-design work to re-commence."

The two derailments — which happened within six weeks of each other — have brought into question the light rail line's role in effectively resolving issues of traffic congestion and overcrowded buses in Ottawa. 

In August 2021, the whole LRT system was out of service for a week after a train (which was thankfully carrying zero passengers) derailed when its axle came off the track. A subsequent investigation by Rideau Transit Group determined that at least 10 other trains on the line were at risk of experiencing the same issue and would require repairs. 

Just one month later, another train — which was carrying 12 passengers and one operator — derailed near the middle of the Tremblay station north platform. According to an investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the post-occurrence examination found that 12 bolts that secured the splinted axle stub were not adequately torqued when installed. Luckily, there were no injuries. 

More recently, an ice storm in January 2023 caused a series of failures that put the city's LRT system out of service for several days, as the transit line's overhead catenary system succumbed under the pressure of the ice accumulation. 

Prior to the $2.1 billion transit line's opening, two sinkholes that appeared during construction also pushed back its opening. In February 2014, a sinkhole opened near the planned site for Rideau station while another one in June 2016 at Rideau Street and Sussex Street, causing a van to fall in and a gas leak to occur.

Businesses in the area were evacuated and the two streets were closed for a total of six months.

Despite its history of issues, Alstom has paused work on the redesign of the train's wheel-bearing assembly, meaning that the line's problems could continue to pop up following the O-Train expansion.