The award, from the American Council of Engineering Companies, is being awarded to the engineering companies involved in designing the light rail project.

The first phase of the O-Train's Confederation Line, which was more than a year late opening and has serious reliability issues that have left city officials and transit riders fuming, has won a prestigious award for excellence in engineering.

The American Council of Engineering Companies has awarded the engineering companies involved in the project a Diamond Award for excellence in engineering.

The companies -- AECOM, McMillen Jabobs Associates, Morrison Hershfield, and STV -- will be celebrated at the 53rd annual Engineering Excellence Awards.

The judges included engineers as well as experts in government and academia, and they focused on things like uniqueness, originality, and technical innovation.

The award is not being given to the private consortium that maintains the line for the city, Rideau Transit Maintenance. RTM remains in the doghouse with the city, accused of defaulting on its contractual obligations to the city in the 30-year maintenance agreement.

The deluge of problems since the Confederation Line launched has included power issues involving dirt and grit building up in the train's power connections, sections of overhead power line being pulled down onto trains, doors not closing properly and wheels rapidly developing flat spots -- all of which at times led to a shortage of working trains in service on the LRT line.

The Engineering Excellence Awards, which were scheduled for April but have been delayed to September because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held in Washington, DC.