OC Transpo boss will not commit to Trillium Line opening date
The head of OC Transpo says construction continues to progress on the new Trillium Line, but she will not commit to an opening date for the new north-south light-rail transit system.
Work continues on the new commuter line between Bayview Station and Riverside South, with a spur to the Ottawa International Airport.
Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar has previously said the Trillium Line will launch this spring, but she told the Transit Commission that several questions remain before the system launches.
"We are making good progress, but I know that the question remains, 'When will it open?'" Amilcar said Thursday.
"Before we can answer that we need to see train operating hours increase, operator training complete and system training advance. We will be better positioned to predict the pathway to passenger service as we move through these activities."
O-Train Line 2 was originally scheduled to open in August 2022, but has been delayed several times. In February, staff suggested trial running could begin in May, with launch at the end of June or early July.
"We continue to see good progress on the testing and commissioning program, as well as training of operators and system controllers," Amilcar said.
"Monday to Friday, we are regularly running nine trains between Limebank and Bayview stations and to the airport station. It was very important to have nine trains; so check done. We anticipate extending the training and testing to include weekends by the end of this month."
OC Transpo has updated its timeline for the Trillium Line's opening. (OC Transpo)
Amilcar says increasing the trial running to weekends means OC Transpo will be "able to identify more vehicle, signal and infrastructure issues and address them."
"This is a key part of the testing phase. Finding these issues now allows us to fix them and increases our confidence that the system is safe and reliable when it opens."
OC Transpo and its construction partners continue to make progress on testing, completing construction and securing occupancy permits.
"Our next steps, once testing and training is complete, will be to run the entire system to build up reliability and overall proficiency of both the operations and maintenance teams to deliver the service," Amilcar said.
"Trial running will start once performance is stable.
OC Transpo and its partner TransitNext will target 98.5 per cent reliability during the 14-day trial running period.
A joint meeting of the Transit Commission and the light-rail transit subcommittee will be held on May 31, with staff expected to provide an update on Stage 2 construction.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.