Stage 2 of Ottawa LRT faces further delay
The long-awaited southern extension to Ottawa's light rail network is facing a further delay, a city committee heard Wednesday.
The Trillium Line, which had been scheduled to open by this September, now won't open for the start of the school year.
City staff told the light rail subcommittee on Tuesday that they are hoping that contractor SNC-Lavalin will hand over the project to the city in October.
"Previously we described the August-September timeframe as a stretch target, and the push to late September early October is really a function of making sure we blocked out as much time as possible for training," said director of rail operations Michael Morgan.
"The last schedule there were some stretch targets in terms of completing some specific activities, but we hadn’t finalized the agreement of the training requirements and how much time we wanted on track to finish the training before we started the trial running period. Now we are in a much better place, we have agreed to that, but that has put pressure on the schedule. That is why you are seeing a shift, and we are seeing September-October instead of August-September."
The delay means that for the second straight school year, students at Carleton University will not be able to take the train to and from campus.
Staff did not provide an exact timeline for when passengers will be able to use the Trillium Line, saying it depends on how the system performs in city-run testing.
"There is a 21-day period that is set aside for trial running, seven days is set aside for operational exercises to prove that diversion and different things work," said Morgan. "And there is a requirement that over 14-day period for the system to achieve an availability of 98.5 per cent, basically a rolling average of 98.5. One of the recommendations from the public inquiry was to have somebody, an independent third party, objectively assess that 98.5 per cent and we are looking at that now, who is best placed to do that and who can then present to you that the 98.5 was achieved."
Construction work on the stations and rail installation continues. Morgan told committee he hopes to see end-to-end testing on the line by Aug. 1.
"At the highest level, when you start seeing trains going from Bayview all the way to Limebank, that is an indicator that we are on track."
The Trillium Line, also called Line 2, is the first major extension to Ottawa's light rail transit system. It will extend all the way to Limebank Road in Riverside South and include a spur to the airport.
It replaces the previous O-Train, which ran from Bayview to Greenboro stations.
The project is now more than a full year late from its original planned opening date in 2022.
EAST EXTENSION ALSO DELAYED
The eastern extension to the Confederation Line is also further delayed, committee heard Tuesday.
The line to Trim Road is 51 days behind schedule compared to the last update. Handover to the city is now scheduled for January 2025, with trial running scheduled for January and February of that year.
Rail and the overhead catenary system will be installed, allowing for vehicle testing by the end of the year, officials said.
The Confederation Line west extension is still 17 months late, unchanged from the previous update. It's now scheduled to open in late 2026.
- with files from Leah Larocque, CTV News Ottawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
BREAKING Justin and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
BREAKING 1 dead in rollover crash in Sharbot Lake, Ont.; 5 others injured
Ontario Provincial Police confirm one person has died after a single-vehicle rollover crash in Sharbot Lake, Ont. that seriously injured five others.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street