Starting at 5 a.m. transit users will be able to take the LRT between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa stations.
OTTAWA. JULY 10, 2023, the last time this newspaper photographed a working train in Ottawa Photo by Julie Oliver /Postmedia
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Partial Line 1 service is to resume Tuesday morning, after a 21-day shutdown, OC Transpo announced Monday.
Starting at 5 a.m., transit users will be able to take the LRT between the Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa stations. Five single-car trains will be in operation, running every five minutes. Each train can carry 300 passengers.
Single-car trains only use half the platform. Transit users are being asked to board in the area of the platform marked with decals.
R1, R1 Express and Para R1 services will continue to operate with no changes. There’s an additional train available that can be used during peak periods.
“We are very, very confident that with single cars and the level of ridership we have we can easily handle everything,” said Renée Amilcar, Ottawa’s transit services general manager.
The $2.1-billion Confederation Line was shut down on July 17 after excess grease was found on the axle of one light rail vehicle during a routine inspection.
The original plan was to return to limited service on July 31, using single cars. But that plan was cancelled on July 28 to allow for a risk assessment to be conducted to protect the rails and the vehicles.
Last week, the city announced that it would open Line 1 in its entirety on Aug. 14 after the restraining rails, a passive safety device used to prevent derailments, were repositioned to prevent contact with the wheels of the train. The job requires doing this exacting work on 16 curves on the line.
However, the required work between the Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa stations has already been completed. After trial running in this section to confirm that it is safe, OC Transpo decided to open that stretch, the city announced Monday.
“The decision was made once we knew we had sufficient documentation to support the partial opening,” said Richard Holder, Ottawa’s director of engineering services.
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OTTAWA, Aug. 4, 2023: Screen shot of Richard Holder, City of Ottawa director of engineering services, from a YouTube presentation of the City of Ottawa’s update about the LRT system on Friday, Aug, 4, 2023.Photo by City of Ottawa/YouTube /jpg
Typically, at this time of year, 11 double-car trains would be in operation on the system. OC Transpo is working with the Rideau Transit Group to maximize the number of trains available.
Train riders may notice slower train speeds in the tunnel, due to a speed restriction as part of safety requirements.
At the same time, workers will continue to work on the restraining rails on the curves on the eastern portion of Line 1, where there are more curves and more restraining rails to be adjusted, Amilcar said.
It is expected that all of Line 1 — including more trains — will be in service starting Aug. 14.
What about those troublesome tight curves?
Holder said straightening the rails is not in the cards.
“We are experiencing issues right now. But it’s not a case that we need to eliminate those curves,” said Holder. “And it’s not the situation that we could have avoided those curves.”
A long curve in the Ottawa LRT tracks at Hurdman Station on Aug. 6, 2023.Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia
The restraining rails have to be repositioned a very small amount, between one and two millimetres, so the wheels are not in contact with the restraining rails.
The question of whether the curves are a design flaw has come up a number of times. Holder said the city has received a number of public inquiries about straightening the tight curves.
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“If we had a lot of engineers designing a light rail system, we would make it straight. But we had to build a system in Ottawa. We had to connect a lot of infrastructure together,” said Holder.
The stretch on Line 1 with the tightest curves is around the Lees, Hurdman and Tremblay stations, he said.
When the system was being designed, it had to connect a number of significant pieces of infrastructure, including a crossing of the Rideau River and a large watermain pumping station just east of Hurdman that supplies the east end of the city with water, which would have been expensive and difficult to move. East of that is a bridge adjacent to the rail. At one spot, the LRT line runs next to a VIA Rail line.
That meant that the design of the system had curves that are considered relatively tight, said Holder. “But this is well within the realm of a light rail system,” said Holder.
The infrastructure and the specifications for the light rail vehicles were common for light rail systems around the world, he said.
“These systems are designed for urban areas for vehicles to actually run on downtown streets where the radius of the curves is much tighter than the curves we have around Hurdman and Lees,” said Holder.
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What about the axle hub assemblies?
In the long run, the plan is to redesign the axle hubs. The process, including creating a prototype and testing it, could take two to three years. In the meantime, the axles will be replaced more frequently. Other measures are also under consideration, including lubricating the rails.
“We’re dealing with maintenance issues right now. And the fixes that we’ve talked about and that we’ve outlined will ultimately resolve those issues,” said Holder.
The restraining rails on the tight curves are a contributing factor, but there are a number of issues to the “root cause” for the problem of the fatigue on the bearings in the hub assembly of the train.
File photo/ People catch a bus at Hurdman Station in Ottawa.Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia
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It’s common knowledge that companies don’t hire the most qualified candidates. Employers hire the person they believe will deliver the best value in exchange for their payroll cost.
Since most job seekers know the above, I’m surprised that so few mention their Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Most job seekers list their education, skills, and experience without substantiating them and expect employers to determine whether they can benefit their company; hence, most resumes and LinkedIn profiles are just a list of opinions—borderline platitudes—that are meaningless and, therefore, have no value. Job seekers need to better explain, along with providing evidence, how they’ll contribute to an employer’s success.
Employers don’t hire opinions (read: talk is cheap); they hire results.
You’re not offering anything tangible when you claim:
I’m a great communicator.
I’m detail oriented.
I’m a team player.
Tangible:
“At Global Dynamics, I held quarterly town hall meetings with my 22 sales reps, highlighting our accomplishments, identifying opportunity areas, and recognizing outstanding performers.”
“For eight years, I managed Vandelay Industries IT department, overseeing a staff of 18 and a 12-million-dollar budget while coordinating cross-specialty projects. My strong attention to detail is why I never exceeded budget.”
“While working at Cyberdyne Systems, I was part of the customer service team, consisting of nine of us, striving to improve our response time. Through collaboration and sharing of best practices, we reduced our average response time from 48 to 12 business hours, resulting in a 35% improvement in customer feedback ratings.”
These examples of tangible answers provide employers with what they most want to hear from candidates but rarely do; what value the candidate will bring to the company. Typically, job seekers present their skills, experience, and unsubstantiated opinions and expect recruiters and employers to figure out their value, which is a lazy practice.
Getting hired isn’t based on “I have an MBA in Marketing and Sales,” “I’ve been a web designer for over 15 years,” “I’m young, beautiful and energetic,” blah, blah, blah. Likewise, being rejected isn’t based on “I’m overqualified,” “I’m too old,” “I don’t have enough education,” blah, blah, blah. Getting hired depends entirely on showing employers that you can add value and substance to their company; that you’ll serve a purpose.
When you articulate a solid value offer, the “blah, blah, blah” doesn’t matter. Job seekers focus too much on the “blah, blah, blah,” and when not hired, they say, “It’s not me, it’s…” The biggest mistake I see job seekers make is focusing on the “blah, blah, blah”—their experience and education—believing this is what interests employers. Hiring managers are more interested in whether you can solve the problems the position exists to solve than in your education and experience.
Not impressive: Education
Impressive: A track record of achieving tangible results.
You aren’t who you say you are; you are what you do.
If you want to be somebody who works hard, you have to actually work hard. If you want to be somebody who goes to the gym, you actually have to go to the gym. If you want to be a good friend, spouse, or colleague, you have to actually be a good friend, spouse, or colleague. Actions build reputations, not words.
The biggest challenge job seekers face today is differentiating themselves. To stand out and be memorable, don’t be like most job seekers, someone who’s all talk and no action. Any recruiter or hiring manager will tell you that the job market is heavily populated with job seekers who talk themselves up, talk a “good game” about everything they can “supposedly” do, drop names, etc., but have nothing to show for it.
More than ever, employers want to hear candidates offer a value proposition summarizing what value they bring. If you’re looking for a low-hanging fruit method to differentiate yourself, do what job seekers hardly ever do and make a hard-to-ignore value proposition.
Increase sales: “Based on my experience managing Regina and Saskatoon for PharmaKorp, I’m confident that I can increase BioGen’s sales by no less than 25% in Winnipeg and the surrounding area by the end of 2025.”
Reduce cost: “During my 12 years as Taco Town’s head of purchasing, I renegotiated contracts with key suppliers, resulting in 15% cost savings, saving the company over $450,000 annually. I know I can do the same for The Pasta House.”
Increase customer satisfaction:“During my time at Globex Corporation, I established a systematic feedback mechanism that enabled customers to share their experiences. This led to targeted improvements, increasing our Net Promoter Score by 15 points. I can increase Dunder Mifflin’s net promoter score.”
Save time: “As Zap Delivery’s dispatcher, I implemented advanced routing software that analyzed traffic patterns, reducing average delivery times by 20%. My implementation of this software at Froggy’s Delivery can reduce your delivery times by at least 20%, if not more.”
If you want to achieve job search success as soon as possible, structure your job search with a single thread that’s evident and consistent throughout your résumé, LinkedIn profile, cover letters and especially during interviews; clearly convey what difference you’ll make to the employer.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
Netflix on Thursday reported that its subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer, a sign the huge gains from the video-streaming service’s crackdown on freeloading viewers is tapering off.
The 5.1 million subscribers that Netflix added during the July-September period represented a 42% decline from the total gained during the same time last year. Even so, the company’s revenue and profit rose at a faster pace than analysts had projected, according to FactSet Research.
Netflix ended September with 282.7 million worldwide subscribers — far more than any other streaming service.
The Los Gatos, California, company earned $2.36 billion, or $5.40 per share, a 41% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 15% from a year ago to $9.82 billion. Netflix management predicted the company’s revenue will rise at the same 15% year-over-year pace during the October-December period, slightly than better than analysts have been expecting.
The strong financial performance in the past quarter coupled with the upbeat forecast eclipsed any worries about slowing subscriber growth. Netflix’s stock price surged nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out, building upon a more than 40% increase in the company’s shares so far this year.
The past quarter’s subscriber gains were the lowest posted in any three-month period since the beginning of last year. That drop-off indicates Netflix is shifting to a new phase after reaping the benefits from a ban on the once-rampant practice of sharing account passwords that enabled an estimated 100 million people watch its popular service without paying for it.
The crackdown, triggered by a rare loss of subscribers coming out of the pandemic in 2022, helped Netflix add 57 million subscribers from June 2022 through this June — an average of more than 7 million per quarter, while many of its industry rivals have been struggling as households curbed their discretionary spending.
Netflix’s gains also were propelled by a low-priced version of its service that included commercials for the first time in its history. The company still is only getting a small fraction of its revenue from the 2-year-old advertising push, but Netflix is intensifying its focus on that segment of its business to help boost its profits.
In a letter to shareholder, Netflix reiterated previous cautionary notes about its expansion into advertising, though the low-priced option including commercials has become its fastest growing segment.
“We have much more work to do improving our offering for advertisers, which will be a priority over the next few years,” Netflix management wrote in the letter.
As part of its evolution, Netflix has been increasingly supplementing its lineup of scripted TV series and movies with live programming, such as a Labor Day spectacle featuring renowned glutton Joey Chestnut setting a world record for gorging on hot dogs in a showdown with his longtime nemesis Takeru Kobayashi.
Netflix will be trying to attract more viewer during the current quarter with a Nov. 15 fight pitting former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against Jake Paul, a YouTube sensation turned boxer, and two National Football League games on Christmas Day.
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