OC Transpo to keep parallel bus service through the first winter when Trillium Line launches

An OC Transpo bus at the Eagleson Park and Ride. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)

OC Transpo will run parallel bus service along the Trillium Line when it launches next winter, to help keep passengers moving as service begins along the north-south rail line.

The light-rail subcommittee received an update Friday morning on plans for OC Transpo bus service once the Trillium Line begins operations next fall.  The current timeline calls for TransitNEXT to handover the Trillium Line to OC Transpo in late September, followed by testing before launch.

Staff say parallel bus service will continue to run next winter, "in case there's anything that goes wrong" with the launch of the Trillium Line.

"The current bus service will continue to run through the winter, so we've got the assurance of the backup of having both the train and the bus service over that first winter of operation," Pat Scrimgeour, Director of Transit Customer Systems and Planning, told the committee.

OC Transpo continued to run regular bus service for three weeks after the launch of the Confederation Line in September 2019, but then changed the bus routes to funnel all passengers to the light-rail transit line.

Under the plan for the launch of the Trillium Line, OC Transpo will continue to run the Line 2 replacement bus service between Bayview and South Key stations through the winter, serving all stations.

Route 99 will continue to operate between Hurdman and Barrhaven Centre stations, serving South Keys, Leitrim and Nepean Woods, along with a new stop at Limebank station. Route 97 will continue to operate between Hurdman Station and the airport.

In addition, OC Transpo will adjust current bus routes to make new connections at Limebank Station when the O-Train opens.

"After the initial operation of Lines 2 and 4 (Trillium Line), every day parallel bus service can be pared back and routes can be revised to focus on O-Train stations," the report for the light-rail subcommittee said.

Staff say bus route changes for the spring of 2024 will be developed through the Bus Route Review consultation period, which is currently underway, along with consultation with councillors and stakeholders.

OC Transpo is developing a plan for replacement bus service on Line 2 (Trillium Line) and Line 4 (spur to the Ottawa Airport) following the launch. Scrimgeour says there will be no need for a replacement bus service to be in place in the event of issues with the launch of the Trillium Line, since a parallel bus service will already be in place.

"We're all too familiar with the R1 concept of rail replacement service on the east-west line, this is the backup system that would also be there in case of a disruption," Scrimgeour said.

"During this first winter 23-24, we won't need to ever put this in place because we'll already have a full backup parallel bus service that is continuing from today."

Once the backup bus system ends next winter or spring, Scrimgerour says there will be R2 and R4 replacement bus service.