Construction on LRT extension to Ottawa's west end delayed by up to a year

An Ottawa LRT train on the Confederation Line is seen in this undated photo. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)

It could be 2026 before commuters are boarding the light rail transit system at Algonquin College and Moodie Drive, as the city of Ottawa warns construction on the LRT extension into the west end is up to a year behind schedule.

Construction is also delayed by up to a year on the new north-south line running from Bayview Station to Riverside South.

The O-Train Stage 2 Light Rail Transit quarterly update was sent to council Friday evening, providing an update on the extensions for the Confederation Line and the Trillium Line.

While construction on the eastern extension of the Confederation Line to Tenth Line Road is on schedule, labour strikes and supply issues could delay the train's arrival in the west end.

"The City is working closely with East West Connectors (EWC) to maintain the Confederation Line extension schedule," said Michael Morgan, Director of the Rail Construction Program.

"The project is on the original timeline in the east for handover in May 2024 but there are significant schedule pressures on the western segment of up to a year. Potential impacts from labour strikes, supply issues and other events in 2022 are still under review."

The original target date to run LRT from Tunney's Pasture to Moodie Drive and Algonquin College was 2025.

Morgan says excavation and drilling continued on the western sections of the "Parkway Tunnel" cut-and-cover tunnel during the second quarter, "with significant progress being made at Sherbourne and New Orchard stations." Work along Scott Street and Woodroffe Avenue for the system was completed in the second quarter.

Structural rehabilitation and preparatory work for the new Kichi Sibi and Westboro stations is expected to begin this summer.

Eight of the 38 additional Alstom Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles for Stage 2 have been accepted so far.

Meantime, the new Trillium Line is on track to be handed over to the city in the summer of 2023, according to Morgan.

"The City will continue to closely monitor the Trillium Line schedule and provide updates as further milestones are achieved," Morgan said. "Potential impacts from labour strikes, supply issues and other events in 2022 are still under review."

Morgan says construction continues on all stations along the route, and vehicle testing is underway between Hunt Club Road and Leitrim Road.

All seven Stadler FLIRT vehicles for the line supplied by TransitNEXT have arrived in Ottawa.

The Trillium Line was scheduled to be completed this year.

The price tag for Stage 2 is $4.6 billion, with funding from the federal and Ontario governments.