Everything you need to know about The Trillium Line opening

It’s finally here: Ottawa’s LRT Trillium line has opened today two years after it was supposed to be completed. It will be a game changer for people travelling from Bayview Station (which connects with the Confederation line) to Limebank Road in Riverside South. A separate line will travel three stops from South Keys in the south end to the EY Centre and the airport. It will also provide benefits to Carleton University students who have long complained about bus service. 

Staggered approach: The $1.6 billion system will become fully operational in three phases. It will start with weekday service only for the first two weeks before Saturday service is implemented. During the final stage, Sunday service will also be included. OC Transpo previously said this would give crews time to deal with any kinks that might arise. 

Key questions and interesting facts 

Is the system the same as the Confederation line? No. The FLIRT trains, as they are called, are diesel-powered, unlike Line 1, which is electric. Manufactured by Stadler in Switzerland, the Stadler FLIRT is 80 metres long and can carry 420 passengers. The trains to the airport are made by Alstom and were previously used on the original O-train line. They also carry fewer passengers due to less demand. 

How long will the trip take? From Bayview Station to Riverside South the entire journey is about 33 minutes by train. That is compared to about 21 minutes by car. Some Barrhaven residents are already complaining that they feel the commute will take longer. On X, one user said the trip from their home on Calaveras Avenue to Bayview Station would take one hour and 16 minutes. A similar trip strictly by the Route 75 bus and some walking would take a little under an hour. That does not include any additional travel time to downtown. 

How often will the trains run? Both Lines 2 and 4 will run about every 12 minutes. From Monday to Friday, the trains will be in operation from 6 am to midnight. On Saturday it’s from 6:30 am to midnight, and 8 am to 11 pm on Sundays. 

Third place: Ottawa is only one of three Canadian cities to a have rail transit connection to the airport. The other two are Vancouver and Toronto. 

Other transit changes: It's 2025, and that means it will cost you more to ride public transit in Ottawa. A one-time adult fare has gone up 20 cents to $4. An adult monthly pass will now cost $135, $104 for youth and $49 for seniors. 

Next steps: The eastern extension of the Confederation Line out to Orleans is expected to be completed sometime later this year. A western extension out to Algonquin College, Bayshore, and Moodie will open in 2027 (if it’s not delayed again). ‘New Ways to Bus’ will be implemented this April. It will have new connection routes to LRT stations and improved localized service — something travel studies have shown are in demand. 

Despite fewer bus service hours in place, OC Transpo says the revamped service will actually improve reliability because it will be working within its means. Out of the 8,000 trips per day, fewer than 50 should be cancelled.