Ottawa’s long-awaited eastern extension of the O-Train Confederation Line should still open this spring after reaching a key construction milestone.
OC Transpo officials confirmed this week that the Stage 2 east extension of Line 1 has achieved “substantial completion,” a contractual checkpoint that signals the core infrastructure has been finished and can now move into the final preparation phase before opening to the public.
Substantial completion means the builder has delivered the major elements of the project — including track, stations, and operating systems — and that they are capable of being safely operated and maintained. Responsibility for the new infrastructure now shifts to Rideau Transit Maintenance, which will oversee operations and maintenance as the system moves toward its launch.
With work on the project nearing the end, the next phase will involve trial runs and final system preparation before trains can begin carrying passengers.
The western extension of the LRT Confederation Line is expected to open sometime in 2027. Photo by Charlie Senack.
Transit officials say Rideau Transit Maintenance will spend time becoming familiar with the new infrastructure as part of the handover process, a step described as standard practice before launching major rail projects.
The extension will lengthen the Confederation Line east from Blair Station to Trim Road in Orléans, adding several new stations and improving rapid transit access for residents in Ottawa’s east end.
The western extension, which will take passengers from Tunney’s Pasture to Algonquin Station and Moodie Drive, is slated to open sometime in 2027, though officials have been tight-lipped about how construction is progressing. It will add 16 new stations and follow much of the previous transit way routes.
There is still talk of funding Stage 3 out to the suburbs in Kanata, Stittsville and Barrhaven, but to date, no dollars have been allocated to the project. During the last provincial election, Ontario Premier Doug Ford committed to funding the extension, but the City of Ottawa has stressed that there is currently no viable business case.
Part of the concern stems from steep costs and low ridership. In 2023, it was confirmed that OC Transpo’s 25-year projections are down $3.7 billion — more than $100 million per year — and the organization said at the time that pre-pandemic ridership won’t return until at least 2030.
If built, Line 3 would cost an estimated $64 million per year to operate and would bring only an estimated two per cent increase in ridership, increasing funds by $5 million annually.
Council orders safety audit into O-Train axle issue
Ottawa city council has directed OC Transpo to carry out a safety audit of the O-Train’s Confederation Line following a mechanical issue that sidelined much of the fleet earlier this year.
The motion, brought forward by Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill, calls on OC Transpo’s chief safety officer to examine the so-called “spalling” problem affecting the trains’ axle bearings and determine whether safety, regulatory, and technical standards are being fully met.
The review will take place once full train service on Line 1 has been restored.
Hill said on Facebook he was pleased his council colleagues supported the motion.
“We need transparency to rebuild transit rider trust. Our public transit system requires, in order: ‘to be safe, to be reliable, to be affordable’,” he wrote.
“I am committed to holding RTG to account for their contractual obligations, and having an audit will provide me with the external technical assessment to do this. A partnership means that obligations are met in exchange for payment — non-compliance to the existing contract means financial penalties.”
Mechanical issue triggers a fleet reduction
The audit request comes after OC Transpo was forced to remove a large number of trains from service beginning in January when maintenance crews discovered signs of spalling in cartridge bearing assemblies on the vehicles.
Spalling occurs when small flakes break off the metal surface inside a bearing, creating pits that can grow over time. If the damage worsens, it can eventually lead to cracks or component failure.
Additional work is still underway even as the line nears completion. Crews will continue refining elements such as train control software, camera systems along station platforms, landscaping, and paving along Highway 174 and other surrounding areas.
At the same time, the city and Rideau Transit Group are continuing technical work to restore full train capacity on the existing Line 1 system, including improvements to cartridge bearing assemblies on the trains — an issue that has previously limited fleet availability.
More than 6,500 OC Transpo bus trips cancelled in February
For those hoping to avoid the trains altogether, buses don’t always offer an improvement as the city continues to see an uptick in OC Transpo bus route cancellations.
New data released by the city’s transit agency shows 6,555 bus trips were cancelled during the month of February, representing thousands of missed departures across the system. Despite the high number, officials say the final week of February showed modest improvement compared with earlier weeks.
Transit staff described the improvement as “incremental progress,” pointing to fewer cancellations toward the end of the month as operational adjustments began to stabilize service.
Multiple factors behind cancellations
According to OC Transpo, a variety of issues contributed to the large number of cancelled trips.
In the final week of February, many cancellations were linked to on-street operational challenges such as traffic congestion, collisions and other incidents that forced buses to fall behind schedule.
Other cancellations earlier in the month were tied to staffing shortages and limited vehicle availability, problems the transit agency has been grappling with for months.
Transit officials have also cited maintenance demands and fleet availability as contributing factors. When buses require repairs or inspections, fewer vehicles are available to cover scheduled service, increasing the likelihood that trips will be removed from the schedule.
OC Transpo has been attempting to reduce cancellations through a series of operational adjustments. These include real-time changes to routes when buses fall behind schedule and prioritizing trips considered essential, such as school runs or the last departure of the day.
The agency is also working to expand its fleet and workforce in the coming years. Plans include adding hundreds of new zero-emission buses while continuing to hire additional mechanics and improve maintenance systems.
