Ottawa unveils its new Stadler FLIRT O-Train vehicles
Trains are being tested and work continues on completing the stations for Stage 2 of Ottawa's light rail transit project.
On Friday, the city of Ottawa provided a sneak peak on the trains to be used on the north-south Trillium Line.
"I’m please that to date the testing has gone very well on a four kilometre track here in the south end," Mayor Jim Watson said.
The new trains run on diesel and will travel from Bayview Station in Hintonburg to Riverside South, with a spur to the Ottawa International Airport. The trains are 80 metres long.
"A lot of room inside. It’s going to double the capacity over the existing line to 420 (passengers) on this one," says Coun. Allan Hubley. "The cabin where the driver is has better air ventilation in there. They showed us that the windows are heated. So in Ottawa winters it will run well and the driver will have good visibility."
Good visibility in the winter, and clean rails, since this train also comes equipped with a snow plow up front.
The new Stadler FLIRT vehicle includes a snow plow. The city of Ottawa purchased seven trains as part of the Stage 2 LRT project. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
"We have the propulsion system," says Stefan Baer, Stadler C.O.O. "We have four times diesel motors connected to a generator."
The Trillium Line is part of Ottawa’s stage 2 LRT project. The $4.6 billion project also includes running the Confederation Line to Trim Road in the east and Moodie Drive in the west.
However, the recent troubles of the Confederation Line have tested the trust in Ottawa’s LRT system.
"With all the troubles we had with the first one I don’t think it’s exciting," says transit user Faith Ordu. "I am skeptical. A little bit of optimism to see if things are going to work but more skeptical than optimistic."
Ottawa purchased seven, four-car multiple units from manufacturer Stadler.
The new timeline has the Trillium Line ready for passengers next spring at the earliest.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.