Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[DTcrawler]

That's definitely good news, but I really hope the decision to keep single-car service on weekends was made out of necessity and not because they think single-car service has sufficed, because that's definitely not the case. Sure, maybe, if you average out total weekend ridership across Sat/Sun, single-car service technically does the job, but I've experienced countless situations where trains are uncomfortably full on weekends when there's no reason for them to be. On top of that, you see way more families with kids/strollers and tourists or people who seem unfamiliar with transit riding on weekends, and I cringe when I see them faced with a packed train on when many of them have likely decided to forego driving or taking a cab/uber to see what OC Transpo is like.

[SidetrackedSue]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

On top of that, you see way more families with kids/strollers and tourists or people who seem unfamiliar with transit riding on weekends, and I cringe when I see them faced with a packed train on when many of them have likely decided to forego driving or taking a cab/uber to see what OC Transpo is like.

Just a note, families with kids take transit or their own car. Cab/Uber isn't an option for those who need car seats to safely transport children.

Therefore, when the choice is pay for parking or an unreliable experience on OC for an outing on a weekend, most families choose the parking cost. Which makes transit less of the 'norm' for children to think of as a way of getting around and more something only the 'unfortunate' use, those without cars (due to to cost, not allowed to drive cuz of lost license, or unable to drive due to medical reasons). Not something everyone should think of and use as a benefit of living in a city.

Example of this thinking, even among transit users: my husband was greeted with surprise at our bus stop this week - "I thought you had a car?" (we do), "Oh, your wife is using it!" (no), "It is broken down?" (no), "Why are you taking the bus?" (it is cheaper to take the bus downtown than have the hassle of finding and paying for parking.) And it wasn't even a Wednesday with its free transit for seniors!

[Lakeofthewood]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

That's definitely good news, but I really hope the decision to keep single-car service on weekends was made out of necessity and not because they think single-car service has sufficed, because that's definitely not the case. Sure, maybe, if you average out total weekend ridership across Sat/Sun, single-car service technically does the job, but I've experienced countless situations where trains are uncomfortably full on weekends when there's no reason for them to be. On top of that, you see way more families with kids/strollers and tourists or people who seem unfamiliar with transit riding on weekends, and I cringe when I see them faced with a packed train on when many of them have likely decided to forego driving or taking a cab/uber to see what OC Transpo is like.

Agreed. Every time I've ridden it on weekends in the last two months or so it has been overly crowded, even when you consider there's probably more people than usual using it for Christmas shopping, etc.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

That's definitely good news, but I really hope the decision to keep single-car service on weekends was made out of necessity and not because they think single-car service has sufficed, because that's definitely not the case. Sure, maybe, if you average out total weekend ridership across Sat/Sun, single-car service technically does the job, but I've experienced countless situations where trains are uncomfortably full on weekends when there's no reason for them to be. On top of that, you see way more families with kids/strollers and tourists or people who seem unfamiliar with transit riding on weekends, and I cringe when I see them faced with a packed train on when many of them have likely decided to forego driving or taking a cab/uber to see what OC Transpo is like.

The crowding on weekends has been awful, and i suspect a contributing factor to our fall-winter viral infection surge.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Lakeofthewood

Agreed. Every time I've ridden it on weekends in the last two months or so it has been overly crowded, even when you consider there's probably more people than usual using it for Christmas shopping, etc.

Remember the OC Transpo cardinal rule: only weekday suburban peak-direction commuters count.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Remember the OC Transpo cardinal rule: only weekday suburban peak-direction commuters count.

Honestly even them barely at this point.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

The crowding on weekends has been awful, and i suspect a contributing factor to our fall-winter viral infection surge.

Just improve frequency from 9-10 minutes to 7-8 minutes. This will spread out the load and make the system more reliable for transfers.

[orleans_man]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Remember the OC Transpo cardinal rule: only weekday suburban peak-direction commuters count.

I really don't think that's accurate. Most suburban connexxion routes have been slashed since the Pandemic and introduction of the LRT (and rightly so - no one is using them). The few that were running with service "every" 45 minutes or so are now on the chopping block. Again, this is justified. However, this will not help OC Transpo recover ridership.

Where I live, we used to 400+ connexxion users in my neigbourhood and have 8 or 9 morning runs of packed buses. Now we might see 10 or 15 riders on one of the 3 daily buses. I don't think we will see a return of these riders anytime soon either. So, yes makes sense for OC Transpo to abandon these routes...even though it leaves many of these communities with very poor to non-existent service.

The problem this presents is much more than a ridership/revenue problem, but the erosion of wider public support for public transit in the Ottawa region.

The fact the riders are abandoning and or being abandoned doesn't matter. The reality is that system is providing less value to the community it serves and this will not be good for Ottawa's transit prospects in the longer term. If more and more of the city no longer use or see a need for transit, they won't vote for people who support it. This will lead to transit funding eroding further and service get worse for everybody.

I really hope OC Transpo can pull themselves out of their death spiral, but things look pretty bleak in the near term

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Just improve frequency from 9-10 minutes to 7-8 minutes. This will spread out the load and make the system more reliable for transfers.

It would, yes.

The end.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by orleans_man

I really don't think that's accurate. Most suburban connexxion routes have been slashed since the Pandemic and introduction of the LRT (and rightly so - no one is using them). The few that were running with service "every" 45 minutes or so are now on the chopping block. Again, this is justified. However, this will not help OC Transpo recover ridership.

On the other hand, for some reason we are wasting buses and operators on something called the E1 because too many grumpy Orleansers made OC Transpo management sad.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

That's definitely good news, but I really hope the decision to keep single-car service on weekends was made out of necessity and not because they think single-car service has sufficed, because that's definitely not the case. Sure, maybe, if you average out total weekend ridership across Sat/Sun, single-car service technically does the job, but I've experienced countless situations where trains are uncomfortably full on weekends when there's no reason for them to be. On top of that, you see way more families with kids/strollers and tourists or people who seem unfamiliar with transit riding on weekends, and I cringe when I see them faced with a packed train on when many of them have likely decided to forego driving or taking a cab/uber to see what OC Transpo is like.

The problem is that they went down to singles AND cut service to every 10 minutes. They essentially cut capacity by 75%. Single cars are fine if we re-introduce the 5 minute service.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The problem is that they went down to singles AND cut service to every 10 minutes. They essentially cut capacity by 75%. Single cars are fine if we re-introduce the 5 minute service.

1 car 5 minute service obviously is more expensive but it does have the potential to charge the consortium for the extra expense and from a user perspective it's obviously much better. 10 minute service is too long especially at 4pm on a Sunday.

[rocketphish]

OC Transpo running trains overnight to keep Line 1 track clear during winter storm
10 to 20 centimetres of snow expected to fall before midnight

CBC News
Posted: Jan 09, 2024 8:04 PM EST | Last Updated: January 9

Out-of-service trains will be running along Line 1 overnight, as Ottawa braces for an icy winter storm expected to last into Wednesday.

This move will "help keep the overhead wires and tracks clear of ice and snow," Renée Amilcar, OC Transpo's general manager, said in a memo to council Tuesday.

It's one of several measures the transit agency is taking as part of its winter operations to prepare for a storm. Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for Ottawa and the surrounding areas, with the city expecting 10 to 15 centimetres of snow leading into freezing rain.

Carbon strips have been installed on the trains' pantographs — the roof-mounted arm that extends from the top of the train — which Amilcar said will scrape ice from the overhead wires as they travel along the track.

Members of the team will be out on the line to monitor the track, Amilcar said, and a system to de-ice the overhead wire that supplies electricity to the vehicles is currently in place.

"We are always working hard to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. This is our top priority with any decision we take with regards to planning, preparing and reacting to a winter storm event," she wrote in the memo.

<more>

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/oc-transpo-line-1-winter-storm-1.7078965

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The problem is that they went down to singles AND cut service to every 10 minutes. They essentially cut capacity by 75%. Single cars are fine if we re-introduce the 5 minute service.

capacity planning! We are not interested in trying to recover lost ridership, let alone attracting new ridership.

[eltodesukane]

This afternoon I went downstair on the Rideau Station platform to take the LRT train.
Illuminated sign says "Next Train in 18 min" ...

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

This afternoon I went downstair on the Rideau Station platform to take the LRT train.
Illuminated sign says "Next Train in 18 min" ...

Did you wait for the train?

[eltodesukane]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Did you wait for the train?

Yes, walking to Tunney's Pasture would have take longer.
(and my train ride was followed by a 30 min wait at Tunney's...)

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

Yes, walking to Tunney's Pasture would have take longer.
(and my train ride was followed by a 30 min wait at Tunney's...)

So it didn't just say 18 minutes, it actually took 18 minutes for the train to arrive.

That is unacceptable. Then the City wonders why they can't get ridership back to pre pandemic levels.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

So it didn't just say 18 minutes, it actually took 18 minutes for the train to arrive.

That is unacceptable. Then the City wonders why they can't get ridership back to pre pandemic levels.

A 18 minute wait time suggests that service was restricted to one track somewhere (another broken down train??). Nevertheless, I have spoken ad nauseum about poor rail to bus connections, and this offers no hope of building public confidence in the transit system. Waiting 18 minutes for a train and then 30 minutes for a bus, is unacceptable. We have been sold a bill of goods that trains were going to deliver better service. They have not. The city needs to do a lot of sole searching in finding solutions to not just the trains themselves, but to a failing transit system overall. This will require investment and creativity, but we will receive cut backs instead.

I have complained until I am blue in the face about the plan for Line 2 and guaranteed unreliable transfers. It has registered with OC Transpo staff, but I keep wondering if they have the budget or a workable train system, that will be acceptable to current or potential transit users. This is potentially another disaster in the making.

I have come to the conclusion, that our City Council of the 2010s, did not have the intelligence to ask the needed questions, before giving our rail plans the go ahead. The central section of LRT deserved Cadillac spending, given how the whole transit network was going to be dependent on it. Instead, we cut corners and built a lemon Chevrolet with the base engine, that has required constant repairs ever since it came off the lot.

[NOWINYOW]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I have come to the conclusion, that our City Council of the 2010s, did not have the intelligence to ask the needed questions, before giving our rail plans the go ahead. The central section of LRT deserved Cadillac spending, given how the whole transit network was going to be dependent on it. Instead, we cut corners and built a lemon Chevrolet with the base engine, that has required constant repairs ever since it came off the lot.

This is what happens when all but light rail options are excluded from the decision making process.

Instead of going with tried, true and reliable transit trains similar to what can be found in any major city around the globe, Ottawa insisted on light rail.

Maybe next time a closer look, evaluation and consideration of all options should determine the final decision.