January 14 incident - Findings after two weeks of monitoring following the January 27 press meet

News

Following two weeks of close monitoring, the Société de transport de Montréal is updating its findings into the January 14 métro incident and the actions it has taken so far.

Following two weeks of close monitoring, the Société de transport de Montréal is updating its findings into the January 14 métro incident and the actions it has taken so far.

After performing daily visual inspections of MR-73 and AZUR trains, carrying out corrective work on the tracks, and carefully investigating them, the STM has found that portions of the Orange line tracks had a roughness surface created by the interaction between the tracks and AZUR’s negative pickup shoes. 

This situation accelerates the wear on AZUR’s pickup shoes, something that has not been observed on the MR-73 trains’ pickup shoes.  

To protect the tracks and the integrity of AZUR trains, the planned resumption of service has not happened at the expected pace.

Corrective work outlined last January 27 has been ongoing, and no other instances of lateral force exerted on negative pickup shoes has been observed since.

Underlying cause of track rugosity

The recently observed rough track surfaces would be the result of how the tracks and AZUR’s negative pickup shoes interact. It is a new phenomenon, one that the STM had not previously observed and our specialists (STM and Consortium Bombardier-Alstom employees) have enlisted the help of international experts to speed up the accelerated pace for returning all AZUR trains to passenger service.

Action Plan

  • The negative pickup shoes on AZUR trains will be replaced for MR-73 type pickup shoes:
    • One (1) train is already operating with this modification
    • Two (2) trains will be modified and returned to service by Friday
  • At the same time, special attention will be paid to the tracks, as well as to the three (3) trains that have resumed service
  • Procurements will be monitored daily in collaboration with the Consortium
  • Depending on our observations and the timeframe for procuring spares, the negative pickup shoes on remaining trains will be replaced and AZUR trains will gradually resume service

Level of service on the Orange line

  • The impact on the frequencies at which trains pass by is marginal, ranging from 18 to 30 seconds; the STM is aware that, during the peak morning rush hour, there are more passengers aboard trains
  • Measure taken on train platforms: to promote the fluid movement of passengers, more STM employees are deployed to help passengers exiting and boarding trains. This also helps to prevent situations that could slow down or even suspend service, as well as shorten the time needed to respond in the event of an incident.

Photos

Roughness surface (click on image to view in high-resolution)