'We are not ready to start trial running': OC Transpo will not commit to opening date for Trillium Line

The head of OC Transpo will not commit to opening the new Trillium Line ahead of back-to-school at Carleton University this fall, as testing continues on Ottawa's new north-south light rail transit line.

OC Transpo and its partner TransitNEXT are in week two of the eight to 10 week testing and trial running period ahead of the launch of the LRT line.

OC Transpo management provided a technical briefing on the work being done on Ottawa's new transit line that will run between Bayview Station and Riverside South, with a spur to the Ottawa International Airport. There is also no word on when the new Trillium Line will open for the public.

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While you see trains running on the line every day, OC Transpo general manager Renee Amilcar would not say when the 21-day testing period will begin.

"We have achieved many significant milestones and made important progress towards this point, but there's still critical work to be done," Amilcar told councillors and the media.

"Throughout trial running, we want to ensure the system is safe and reliable when it opens. This is an important step in our commitment in providing a transit system we can trust."

The 21-day trial running period will be the final step before the Trillium Line launches for passengers, and is included in the eight-to-10 week window before a possible launch.

When asked by Coun. Shawn Menard about a possible opening date ahead of the start of the school year at Carleton University, Amilcar would only say OC Transpo is at the start of the eight-to-10 week testing and trial running period.

"The reason why we don't want to provide any dates is we don't want to work under pressure, and unfortunately give up our good work we have done so far," Amilcar said.

"We have a scenario where we need eight to 10 weeks. I would say we are at the beginning of those eight to 10 weeks, hopefully if everything is OK, after 10 weeks we should have good news to announce. But, today I won't provide any date."

OC Transpo and TransitNEXT began testing and commissioning in June, which includes demonstrating required headways and trial running performance testing, checking vehicle systems and communications systems and train controls.  The Trillium Line is now running 18 hours a day during the week, matching planned schedules when the system launches for the public.

"Now we want to run that full schedule for eight to 10 weeks and make sure nothing new arises during that period," Michael Morgan, Director of Rail Construction, said Thursday.

The Trillium Line was originally scheduled to open in August 2022, but the launch is two years behind schedule to construction delays.

Morgan told councillors there are nine prerequisites for trial running:

• The integrated System Infrastructure has been tested.
• The complete fleet is fully tested and ready for passenger service.
• The complete signalling and train control system is fully tested and ready for service.
• The are no outstanding defects affecting rail systems (track, signals and communications)
• There are no major defects, safety defects, or incomplete vehicle modification programs.
• All stations are substantially complete with only minor deficiencies remaining.
• TransitNEXT is fully mobilized, fully trained and ready to commence maintenance.
• TransitNEXT has submitted the Maintenance Verification and Validation Matrix.
• The city is fully mobilized, trained and ready to operate the system.

"We don't want to start trial running prematurely," Morgan said.

OC Transpo continues training diesel rail operators and diesel rail controllers. Forty-seven operators are now trained, with 10 more in progress.

Building occupancy permits have been issued for eight of the 13 stations and the maintenance storage facility. 

As part of the pre-launch, OC Transpo and TransitNEXT are required to do a 21-day testing period before the system can launch. The 21-day period includes a 14-day service reliability test with the Trillium Line running a full regular service schedule to simulate passenger service and a seven-day "failure scenario management" period.

"There's a number of things we need to do," Morgan said. "We are not ready to start trial running today."

Within the 14-day simulated passenger service, the minimum on-time performance will be 98.5 per cent over the two-week period. 

Morgan told councillors, "the contractor has been very good, totally aligned with us on the idea that we should not start trial running until we're ready."'

Council will receive a daily summary of the trial running period Monday to Friday, including a list of any "critical issues" discovered during the trial period.