Opening date for Trillium Line still uncertain with final tests underway
![Trillium Line A train sits at Bayview Station as construction continues on the north-south Trillium Line. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2023/10/27/trillium-line-1-6620262-1698430965243.png)
OC Transpo officials are still not committing to an opening date for the Stage 2 Trillium Line, but are hinting that "very good news" might be on the way next week.
- Sign up now for our nightly CTV News Ottawa newsletter
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"We'll have very good news to share, stay tuned," said transit services general manager Renée Amilcar at a media availability on Wednesday.
"I've always said that for the Trillium Line, it should be this spring, so I'm still there," Amilcar said.
A report shared with councillors for next Thursday's Light-Rail subcommittee meeting said final construction of Line 2 "is well underway," including the near completion of the stations and signalling systems.
The report says the city will "review and assess an opening date along with the required regulatory approvals," with the final date selected being "heavily influenced by the safety, reliability, and general performance of the system."
Some of the remaining risk factors that could further delay the opening date include safety and security management, system wide testing and performance, training completion by operators, regulatory requirements, construction completion and third-party development.
Starting in January, test trains have been operating on the mainline and airport extension between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Monday to Friday. The report says OC Transpo plans to increase the number of operating hours of the trains to match planned service levels.
"This period of additional running time, including through the current winter season, is critical to surfacing and correcting issues before the line opens for service," the report says.
Last November, OC Transpo began testing seven trains on the mainline Trillium Line and two on the airport extension. Additional testing is currently underway to "demonstrate the functionality of the system and to ensure the operations of the train control systems."
Final preparations for the train stations are also underway, including elevator adjustments and inspections, installation of aluminum panels, final glazing installation and communications device commissioning.
The report adds that 9 of the 54 diesel rail operators have completed their certifications, while 24 are progressing through their classroom training program. Twenty-three have completed their classroom training and are expected to receive their final certification in Q1 and Q2 of 2024.
Construction for the Trillium Line was originally scheduled to be completed in August 2022, but was delayed until September 2023. On Sept. 29, Amilcar said that based on the progress to date, a fall launch was no longer possible and would be delayed until the "spring of 2024."
Regulatory approvals from Transport Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency, Building Code Services and Ottawa Fire Services, and secondary approvals for elevators from the TSSA are still ongoing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6979388.1722030190!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING Celine Dion stages comeback with performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career during the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Paris Olympics kicks off with ambitious but rainy opening ceremony on the Seine River
Celebrating its reputation as a cradle of revolution, Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century on Friday with a rain-soaked, rule-breaking opening ceremony studded with stars and fantasy along the Seine River.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before Jasper can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes "for several weeks."
Health Canada warns some naloxone kits contain false instructions
Health Canada is warning some take-home naloxone kits come with bad instructions that should be ignored in favour of the correct guidance.
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn $146,000 for water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six figure water bill.
Canada's Christine Sinclair: 'We were never shown drone footage'
Canada soccer great Christine Sinclair said on Friday national team players were never shown drone footage during the more than two decades she was on the team, following a spying scandal that cast a shadow over the Canadians at the Paris Games.