Eastern extension of light rail could open later this year

Eastern extension of light rail could open later this year, says OC Transpo

Riding the rails: There is hope that Ottawa transit riders could ride the eastern LRT extension to Trim Road later this year. 

• At a Transit Committee meeting on Monday, OC Transpo General Manager René Amilcar said in a report that “final construction activities and train testing are well underway and nearing completion,” reported CTV. 

Final touches are being done on stations alongside remaining major fleet activities such as software upgrades and operator training.

Line 1 of the Confederation line has been closed temporarily for brief periods for testing. Boundary testing between the two lines has been completed, said staff. 

• “Correction of trackwork deficiencies is progressing well, and finishing work at Montréal, Jeanne d’Arc, Convent Glen, Place d’Orléans, and Trim stations is expected to be completed by the end of Q1 2025,” said the report. 

Work outside such as grading, drainage, guardrail installation and landscaping at the stations is expected to be complete by the end of June this year, wrote the Ottawa Citizen. 

Better connectivity: Once in operation, five new stations will be added to the eastern portion of the Confederation Line: Montréal, Jeanne d’Arc, Convent Glen, Place d’Orléans and Trim. All new stations are located next to the Highway 174 median. 

• The eastern extension will mean 25 kilometres of rail will stretch from Tunney’s Pasture station in the west to Trim Road. Key destinations include: Downtown, the University of Ottawa, and St. Laurent. 

More stations in the west will also be added when another expansion opens in 2027. That will take commuters to Baseline Station at Algonquin College and Moodie Drive. 

Stage 3? During the recent provincial election, Ontario Premier Doug Ford committed to seeing Stage 3 built out to Kanata, Barrhaven, and Stittsville, something Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said is needed to complete the full light rail plan. 

Yes, but: There are questions about if that's still the right option for Ottawa. During a technical briefing in Oct. 2023, they said it would cost an estimated $64 million per year to operate. It would bring only an estimated two per cent increase in ridership, increasing funds by $5 million annually. 

• The Barrhaven extension alone is an estimated $3.52 billion, whereas an LRT system expansion out to Kanata from Moodie would be another $1.8 billion. Those figures are somewhat out of date and could be even higher now.  

Barrhaven councillors have stated they aren’t opposed to seeing bus rapid transit expanded to their community instead — a move that would be much cheaper than rail. There is a stronger argument in support for Kanata and Stittsville, where any new stations would connect up with Moodie Station.