The highly anticipated Trillium Line is expected to open on Jan. 6, the same day Carleton’s winter term begins.
City of Ottawa transit services general manager Renée Amilcar announced the reopening date at a special council briefing at City Hall on Dec. 6.
She said the train line opening is “a milestone we have all been looking forward to.”
The new train line will open in three phases. It will begin with Monday to Friday service with a parallel bus service running concurrently with the train. Phase two of reopening will allow for six days a week service and phase three will be seven days a week.
Each opening phase will take a minimum of two weeks, meaning full seven-day service will not occur until at least February.
“Launching a major system change in winter is not a common practice in the transit industry,” Almicar said.
“The phased opening of O-Train Lines 2 and 4 will assist our team to better prepare to manage any service disruptions, and allow customers time to build familiarity with their new trips,” she said.
The Trillium Line will feature diesel trains which run every 12 minutes, unlike the electric trains that run on the Confederation Line.
A new four-kilometre branch line, officially called Line 4, is also set to open between South Keys and the Ottawa International Airport.
Lines 2 and 4 will add 19 kilometres of track and 12 stations, eight of which will be new to Ottawa’s light-rail network.
The Trillium line’s reopening has been delayed more than two years, originally set to open in August 2022.
The Trillium Line first opened in 2001 as a single-track eight-kilometre O-Train and was originally closed for phase two construction on May 3, 2020.
“The upgrades include higher capacity trains, longer platforms at stations and enhanced connectivity for active transportation,” said transit commission chair and Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower.
“The new network connects to three Park & Ride lots at Bowesville, Leitrim and Greenboro,” he said.
Featured image from files.
