A report presented to City Council Monday has outlined issues faced by the Metro LRT Line, issues that have contributed to keeping the new line out of service for 16 months, and counting.

Councillors received a status update from administration in a report delivered Monday afternoon, in response to a request made by Council in July, 2015.

In the report, officials broke down deficiencies encountered by the project – the report stated there were “no significant civil construction deficiencies with the Metro Line project”. It said such deficiencies are expected for infrastructure projects.

The report said any deficiencies found on the project were considered typical, and they didn’t have an impact on timelines.

Instead, the report indicated the “significant deficiency” connected to the extensive delay centred on the new Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system, and documentation to support testing and safety certification.

At the start, the City brought in contractor Thales Rail Signalling Solution Inc. to deliver the system, Hatch Mott MacDonald was hired as Owner’s Engineer for the system.

The decision to split the project into two contracts may have contributed to the delay, City staff said Monday, leading to communication issues.

Signalling systems are used for a number of purposes related to light rail transit, such as activating signal light controls, providing movement updates for the trains like station announcements, and initiating safety measures like crossing arms.

The difference between the CBTC system, and the one used on existing LRT line, is how the distance between trains is maintained.

On the current line, a fixed block system is used – maintaining a block of empty space on the tracks between trains, where one train cannot enter a block of space until the one ahead of it has moved ahead.

The CBTC system maintains a block of space around each train, and trains communicate with each other, a zone controller and a master control to maintain a safe distance. It means the trains can operate closer together, increasing the frequency of service on the line.

The Metro LRT Line will run between the Health Sciences Jubilee Station, and Churchill Station, and then on to NAIT – a line that already experiences heavy ridership, that is only expected to increase. It’s estimated the Metro Line will introduce more than 13,000 new passengers to the LRT.

It’s hoped the CBTC will help increase LRT frequency to two-and-a-half minutes during peak periods through these areas.

As for this particular case, officials said it is taking Thales longer than expected to complete the signalling system. The report said the new CBTC system and the existing system are not working together, and Thales has encountered a number of issues, including instances where the train stopped communicating with the rest of the system.

The report said Thales first missed a milestone in August 2011, when they didn’t provide a report on the new system, a report that was eventually delivered in October 2012.

It was the first of at least seven missed deadlines, including a preliminary design report that was due in November 2011 that was delivered in June 2013, a final design report that hasn’t been delivered, that was due February 2012, and a practical completion of work, due in January 2014, still not delivered.

The City said each missed deadline has resulted in administration “expressing its concerns to Thales” and requesting changed work schedules.

Beginning in February 2012, the City escalated their response by withholding payments – a number of payments since them have been withheld. The City said at this point, work Thales has performed has been paid for, as required by the contract – but about 50 percent of the value of the CBTC contract, worth $53.4 million has been withheld.

Now, the largest part of the CBTC deficiency is the lack of documented evidence supporting the new system safety certification, and Hatch Mott MacDonald’s inability to recommend the new line suitable for unrestricted operation – both of which are needed to operate the line at full capacity.

On Friday, August 14, the City moved ahead with plans to open the line in time for the coming school year, but on reduced service.

Instead of opening the line with full capability from the new communication system, operators will use ‘line of sight’ operations, meaning the trains won’t exceed 25 kilometres an hour so the operators can stop the trains within half of the range of their vision.

In addition, at the end of July, the City announced a safety audit of the signalling system had been launched to get the remaining paperwork and checks finished.

It’s estimated that process could take between two and six months, or more, to complete.

With files from Breanna Karstens-Smith