OC Transpo expects to know in September when Line 2 LRT might launch
There is still no firm date for the launch of the southern extension of the O-Train Line 2.
The Trillium Line is being extended to Riverside South with a spur to the airport. Opening dates for the line have been repeatedly pushed back because of construction delays. It was initially scheduled to be open in 2022, but is now expected sometime this year.
At Monday's light-rail subcommittee meeting, Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar said she would not commit to a firm opening date at this time, but suggested more might be known in the fall.
"We have a trigger that we absolutely need. We need to be able to run trains from Bayview to Limebank," she said. "We should be very, very close in August so when we come back in September through the LRT subcommittee, if we succeed on that trigger, we should be able to commit on a firm date."
Amilcar insisted that the Line would not open until it is ready. She also repeated OC Transpo's previous commitment to keep parallel bus service running along Line 2 until April 2024.
"There is no rush to move forward with a system which is not ready," Amilcar said.
Michael Morgan, the city’s director of rail construction, said there is still some work around Hunt Club Road to be done before testing can begin, including on the rail bridge.
Getting track on the bridge over Hunt Club Road should be completed in July, he said.
"We're still looking to that August timeline to get to a point where trains can run from Bayview all the way to Limebank," he said. "It's not just that train to Bayview, it's a set of trains to Bayview where we can then hand over to training and say now the system is mature enough to start running trains back and forth, build up the training hours, and demonstrate over August and September the reliability of the system to give us comfort that when you start trial running, it will be successful."
OC Transpo recently tested trains at the airport station and also tested trains at Limebank, Morgan said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have told the court the accused unlawfully caused the death of four women, but argue he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Holocaust researchers use AI to search for unnamed victims
Researchers in Israel are turning to artificial intelligence to comb through piles of records to try to identify hundreds of thousands of Jewish people killed in the Holocaust whose names are missing from official memorials.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.