Seven questions about the opening of the new O-Train lines

O-Train lines 2 and 4 have been open since 6 a.m. Monday. Public transit users will therefore be able to travel from the north to the south of the city and now go to the Ottawa airport.

Unlike what was done for light rail in 2019, OC Transpo chose to put it into service gradually. This was also one of the recommendations of the final report of the Commission of Inquiry on the light train network published in 2022.

So for the next two weeks, lines 2 and 4 will only be open Monday to Friday. We will then add Saturdays and Sundays.

All details of this $840 million project have been the subject of numerous analyzes and discussions. Here are seven questions you may ask yourself when you’re on board.

Why do trains only run every 12 minutes?

On O-Train Line 1 (east-west), trains run every five minutes during peak periods. On the other hand, trains on lines 2 and 4 only pass every 12 minutes. This is also the frequency with which trains passed on the Trillium line before it was closed in May 2020 to allow its extension.

The wait is longer on line 2 because trains traveling in opposite directions must share the tracks.

Line 2 has two tracks between Leitrim and Limebankbut there are large sections where it is more of a single lane with intermittent passing lanes.

In May 2023, the former railway director, Michael Morganexplained that it was possible to reduce the wait between trains to 10 minutes by adding tracks in the path area Walkley. However, he mentioned that this would involve significant additional costs.

Why do these new lines use different trains?

Trains on lines 2 and 4 run on diesel, while line 1 (east-west) is electrified and powered by overhead cables. OC Transpo now uses three train models.

On the east-west line, the Alstom Citadis Spirit electric train model can be seen.

On the north-south lines, there will be six Alstom Coradia LINT trains put into service by the City in 2015, as well as seven new trains Stadler FLIRT twice as long, in which there are 200 seats and a maximum capacity of 420 passengers.

The original O-Train, opened in 2001 at a cost of $21 million, featured only diesel trains. The lines put into service on Monday are only an extension of this network.

It was initially envisaged that they would be electrified. But in 2006, the municipal council at the time, then newly elected, canceled its contract with the Siemens/PCL/Dufferin group which was to be responsible for electrification.

The City, however, left the door open to the electrification of these diesel lines.

The models Stadler FLIRT could potentially be converted to run entirely on electricity if OC Transpo so desires.

Why do you have to change lines to get to the airport?

If you want to go from the city center to the Ottawa airport, users must take lines 1, 2 and 4 successively. They will therefore have to change trains at the stations Bayview et South Keys.

In 2017, the municipal council decided to build a separate line, line 4, to go to the airport, despite the wishes of the CEO from the Ottawa airport who would have liked a more direct route to get to the city center.

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The mayor at the time, Jim Watson, explained that adding this line was more realistic and affordable.

However, the construction of line 4 to the airport was put in jeopardy for several years due to financing issues.

The federal and provincial governments finally agreed to finance the construction of the track. The airport, for its part, paid for the construction of the station, which represents a bill of 20 million dollars, according to the CEO Marc Laroche. However, the airport received financial assistance from the federal government in 2021.

Why are the trains going to the airport smaller?

Line 4 will only use the shorter Alstom LINT trains, which were already in service between 2015 and 2020.

OC Transpo explains that, based on its ridership projections, this is the most appropriate size.

Additionally, Line 4’s boarding platforms were only designed to accommodate small trains, so it would be difficult to change the length of the trains.

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Why the station Bowesville Is it located in the middle of a field?

You may have noticed that line 2 crosses many fields.

Users will be able to park their cars at the stations Bowesville and Leitrim, then board the O-Train.

The station’s park and ride Bowesville has 800 parking spaces and can be expanded to accommodate 2,000 vehicles, and thus become an important transfer point for buses.

Leitrim station has 330 parking spaces and could also be expanded to 925.

In the longer term, the City plans significant real estate development in the resort area. Bowesville. She also organized consultations last year to discuss how to develop this sector.

Why doesn’t line 2 go to Barrhaven?

The project of a train line which would serve Barrhaven was considered and then abandoned 18 years ago by former Mayor Larry O’Brien’s administration. This line would have connected the area to the University of Ottawa, passing through the city center.

According to the current plans for Phase 3 of the O-Train, the district of Barrhaven could be served by light rail by building a section heading south, from the future Algonquin College station. However, the construction of phase 3 seems less and less likely for financial reasons.

Since 2013, the City has also been planning to build a rapid bus service between the neighborhoods of Barrhaven and of Riverside South. The City must update its transportation master plan over the next year.

In this, elected officials will draw up a list of priority projects. The rapid bus project could therefore see its priority increase or decrease depending on the updating of resident travel data.

Will the train experience the same problems as the Confederation Line?

Lines 2 and 4 of the O-Train are different in several respects from Line 1. OC Transpo points out that trains ran reliably for 19 years on the northern portion of Line 2.

In addition, Stadler trains are more robust models, driven manually by operators. The light train is fully automated.

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OC Transpo adds that trains StadlerFLIRT have proven themselves and are used in several countries, including northern climates.

Renée Amilcar, general manager of Transit, warned that there will inevitably be mechanical problems, probably linked to the numerous switches on the track which allow trains to pass each other.

However, she emphasizes that OC Transpo has learned from the mistakes of putting light rail into service.

With the information Kate Porter, of CBC News