Final work ‘well underway’ on LRT east end extension, Amilcar says

File photo: Renee Amilcar, general manager of Transit Services at OC Transpo. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIAArticle content

Six years after Ottawa’s LRT Line 1 began operating with 13 stations running along 12.5 km of track through central Ottawa, a completion date for its eastern extension is coming into focus.

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Extension of the Confederation Line to Trim Road will make it easier for commuters in the city’s expanding east end to travel in and out of the city.

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Final construction activities and train testing are underway and nearing completion on the extension from Blair Road station to Trim Road, according to an update from transit service general manager Renée Amilcar for the city’s March 17 transit committee meeting.

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The major remaining fleet activities include software upgrades and operator training, said Amilcar.

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The eastern extension is anticipated to open by the end of the year, although no opening date has been set. The initial goal for the extension, which will add five stations, was 2022.

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Communications rooms and device configurations are ongoing at all stations in the east extension and communications testing is expected to be complete by the end of March. In addition, Amilcar said, eight of 22 needed safety certificates for elevators and escalators at the stations have been obtained. Certifications for the remainder are progressing.

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Other ongoing work includes the communication-based train control system. Amilcar said the system is “well advanced with multiple trains continuing to run in loops.” Boundary testing between the existing Stage 1 and Stage 2 territories has been completed.

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Amilcar said correction of trackwork deficiencies is progressing, and finishing work at Montreal, Jeanne d’Arc, Convent Glen, Place d’Orleans and Trim stations is expected to be completed by the end of March.

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Grading, drainage, guardrail installation and landscaping at the stations is expected to be complete by the end of the second quarter of 2025, the end of June.

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The final steps before opening include substantial completion, trial running and final safety approval.

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The report offers no exact date for completion but Amilcar said the city will “continue to apply the knowledge gained from previous work, lessons learned and current operations on Line 1,” in addition to recommendations from the public inquiry.

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Completion of the western extension of the Confederation Line will be further down the road. Station construction, roadway work and other work continues, Amilcar said.

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Meanwhile, just over two months since the O-Train Line 2 and Line 4 began running with five-day service, the trains to the city’s south end and the airport began running seven days a week as of Sunday.

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