West Gatineau Tramway & Downtown Loop | Proposed

[Kelnoz]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Per the DGEQ website, the one riding of Gatineau is about 25% over quota, Hull is about 10% over, and Pontiac 7%. Papineau and - the other one, I forget - are they fully included in "the region"?

Yes, Chapleau (5% over) is part of Gatineau up to about Lac Beauchamp, and Papineau (27%!) has most of its population in Eastern Gatineau (Templeton, Masson-Angers, Buckingham, etc).

What bothers me is that the Outaouais region had the highest proportion of unrepresented voters by far when the map was drawn in 2024 (12%), and now the problem got worse (13%). To make things even better, the DGEQ is only proposing to redraw Outaouais ridings to push Gatineau and Papineau under the legal limit, and not to fix the under-representation problem.

[J.OT13]

Tramway: un contrat de 114 millions accordé à un consortium
Par Mathieu Bélanger, Le Droit
14 janvier 2025 à 14h21

La Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) vient d’octroyer un important contrat de 114 millions de dollars à un consortium formé des firmes d’ingénieurs-conseils qui accompagneront le Bureau de projet du tramway de Gatineau pour la dernière phase d’études qui doit s’amorcer dans les prochaines semaines.

Ce consortium nommé Groupe Porteur est composé des firmes SYSTRA Canada, Egis et EXP. Le Groupe Porteur sera impliqué dans les trois phases restantes au projet, à savoir la réalisation des études techniques et environnementales, l’approvisionnement du matériel roulant, ainsi que la supervision des travaux, les essais et finalement la mise en service du tramway prévue vers 2035.

«Nous mobiliserons nos meilleurs talents pour accompagner la STO dans ce projet d’envergure, a indiqué le vice-président de SYSTRA Canada, Samuel Derosiaux. Ensemble, nous nous engageons à offrir aux citoyens un système de transport performant, durable, innovant et parfaitement intégré à l’environnement urbain des villes de Gatineau et d’Ottawa.»

SYSTRA Canada, dont le bureau principal est situé à Montréal depuis 1990, est présent dans 80 pays. Cette firme a notamment travaillé sur le projet du REM de l’est, à Montréal.

«Au printemps 2025, le Groupe Porteur remettra le plan de travail qui comprendra l’ensemble des éléments à réaliser et leurs échéanciers respectifs, a pour sa part précisé le directeur commercial pour le Canada de la firme Egis, Jean Steenhouwer. C’est également au printemps prochain que débuteront les études techniques et environnementales le long de 22 des 24 kilomètres du tracé en territoire Québécois.» La firme Egis qui possède des bureaux à Montréal et Québec est présente dans une centaine de pays. Elle a travaillé sur le nouveau pont Champlain, à Montréal, et sur le tramway de Québec.

Les études pour les deux kilomètres restants, qui comprennent la traverse de la rivière des Outaouais et le tracé à Ottawa, ont vu leur financement confirmé dans la mise à jour économique du gouvernement fédéral à la fin de l’année. Les sommes ne sont toutefois toujours pas sécurisées par un vote en raison de la prorogation du Parlement.

Le tramway de Gatineau doit s’étendre sur 24 kilomètres, comprendre 37 stations et quatre pôles d’échanges multimodaux. «C’est bien plus qu’un projet de transport insiste le premier vice-président infrastructure chez EXP, Guillaume Halde. Ce projet incarne une vision ambitieuse de mobilité durable, de modernisation des aménagements et de développement de la trame urbaine du secteur.»

Les cabinets d’architectes Richez et Associés, ainsi que Provencher Roy font aussi partie du consortium.

https://www.ledroit.com/actualites/actua...n-consortium-FE4PG54PC5HB5N55PL7YZIYSAY/

[J.OT13]

37 stations on 24 kilometers. Here's a way to value engineer while building a better project, cut the number of stations by a least a third.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

37 stations on 24 kilometers. Here's a way to value engineer while building a better project, cut the number of stations by a least a third.

37 stations? Now I know most of them will only be glorified "stops", but even so.

The REM only has 25 stations.

[Kelnoz]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The REM only has 25 stations.

37 stations is nuts, but the REM is about as bad of a comparison as you can make. ION has 19 stations for 19km, which is a much more realistic target.

[J.OT13]

Yeah, the Aylmer-Ottawa Tramway will have a very different focus than the REM, which is more of a regional commuter metro with its 25 stations on 67 or whatever kilometers. I agree Ion is probably the better counterpart, or the Valley Line in Edmonton, which also has about 1 station per kilometer.

Looking at the map on Rail Fans Canada, there's a lot of potential of combining quite a few stations together. You don't want travel time from Eardley to Ottawa to be an hour, otherwise ridership will be quite low.

Ottawa's likely going to make the same mistake with Stage 3+, with Kanata, Barrhaven and Riverside South planned stations being far too close together, while you have over a kilometer gap between stations in the dense (and getting far denser) Scott Street corridor.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Yeah, the Aylmer-Ottawa Tramway will have a very different focus than the REM, which is more of a regional commuter metro with its 25 stations on 67 or whatever kilometers. I agree Ion is probably the better counterpart, or the Valley Line in Edmonton, which also has about 1 station per kilometer.

Looking at the map on Rail Fans Canada, there's a lot of potential of combining quite a few stations together. You don't want travel time from Eardley to Ottawa to be an hour, otherwise ridership will be quite low.

Ottawa's likely going to make the same mistake with Stage 3+, with Kanata, Barrhaven and Riverside South planned stations being far too close together, while you have over a kilometer gap between stations in the dense (and getting far denser) Scott Street corridor.

All good points though the chance of this being built while very small is greater than the phase three which must be approaching zero.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

All good points though the chance of this being built while very small is greater than the phase three which must be approaching zero.

After the Stage 1 issues and the election of the visionless Mayor podcaster, Stage 3 is dead in the water until Stage 2 has run nearly flawlessly for at least 10 years. As for the STO tram, with the insane transit inflation, a flip-floppy Provincial Government who could be replaced by separatists or Liberal inaction, and a Federal Government that will likely be replaced by Ottawa-Gatineau hating Cons, I doubt we'll see anything happen in the region for a very long time.

[lrt's friend]

Yep, the glow of rail transit is likely gone in Ottawa-Gatineau for a generation. We better start looking for other ways to speed up transit. Hmmm, bus lanes and Transitways anyone?

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

After the Stage 1 issues and the election of the visionless Mayor podcaster, Stage 3 is dead in the water until Stage 2 has run nearly flawlessly for at least 10 years. As for the STO tram, with the insane transit inflation, a flip-floppy Provincial Government who could be replaced by separatists or Liberal inaction, and a Federal Government that will likely be replaced by Ottawa-Gatineau hating Cons, I doubt we'll see anything happen in the region for a very long time.

This sounds about right. I think it will only take a few years of phase 2 working but that seems far off if working includes efficient bus connections for the majority of users.

It will be interesting if we get several Conservative MPs as seems possible how we get treated by the new government. Of course a 20% headcount cut would lead to a lot less passengers for OCTranspo.

[Richard Eade]

Maybe. But if the decree is for all federal employees to go back to a ‘5-day in-office work week – or quit’, it is possible that the ones who quit are the ones who use transit the least, and those who return to an office for two extra days/week will more than make up for the other riders lost.

[PS – I think that forcing all workers back to an office might be enough to reduce the head count ‘voluntarily’. I know several people who say that they will simply retire instead of returning to an office.]

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Maybe. But if the decree is for all federal employees to go back to a ‘5-day in-office work week – or quit’, it is possible that the ones who quit are the ones who use transit the least, and those who return to an office for two extra days/week will more than make up for the other riders lost.

[PS – I think that forcing all workers back to an office might be enough to reduce the head count ‘voluntarily’. I know several people who say that they will simply retire instead of returning to an office.]

I am not in these people's heads but it's always seemed to be a weird illogical ultimatum.

You're already going in 3 days (or 4 if you're an exec) a week. You've had to make the logistical and life adjustments for that. So 1 or 2 days more makes that much of a difference that it pushes you completely over the edge?

I don't really get it, but people are gonna people I guess.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Maybe. But if the decree is for all federal employees to go back to a ‘5-day in-office work week – or quit’, it is possible that the ones who quit are the ones who use transit the least, and those who return to an office for two extra days/week will more than make up for the other riders lost.

[PS – I think that forcing all workers back to an office might be enough to reduce the head count ‘voluntarily’. I know several people who say that they will simply retire instead of returning to an office.]

If there is an early retirement incentive scheme you might be right that 5 days a week encourages a lot of retirements. I guess they might be the same ones who use transit more but I tend to think the new young employees are the heaviest transit users and the first to be cut. Students, casuals etc.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Ottawa's likely going to make the same mistake with Stage 3+, with Kanata, Barrhaven and Riverside South planned stations being far too close together, while you have over a kilometer gap between stations in the dense (and getting far denser) Scott Street corridor.

I want someone to revive the idea of a station at Island Park just to hear the Fancy House Havers howl.

[Horus]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Looking at the map on Rail Fans Canada, there's a lot of potential of combining quite a few stations together. You don't want travel time from Eardley to Ottawa to be an hour, otherwise ridership will be quite low.

It already takes an hour to get to Ottawa from Eardley via the current bus routes, so if the trip is at least made more consistent and comfortable, that's still a win.

[Richard Eade]

It’s kind of sad commentary when our greatest aspiration is to be more consistently status quo.

[Horus]

If it can match current bus speeds in Aylmer, the whole trip to Ottawa should outperform the closest comparable route, the 55. With ROW separation at the usual traffic bottlenecks (Champlain bridge area, UQO area, downtown Hull and Portage bridge) it should be able to shave 10+ minutes off the peak period travel time. If it can consistently deliver that, it ought to attract riders.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Horus

If it can match current bus speeds in Aylmer, the whole trip to Ottawa should outperform the closest comparable route, the 55. With ROW separation at the usual traffic bottlenecks (Champlain bridge area, UQO area, downtown Hull and Portage bridge) it should be able to shave 10+ minutes off the peak period travel time. If it can consistently deliver that, it ought to attract riders.

Where have I heard such talk before? I say, prove it before spending tons of tax money. And if the politicians fail, kick them all out of office.

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by Horus

If it can match current bus speeds in Aylmer, the whole trip to Ottawa should outperform the closest comparable route, the 55. With ROW separation at the usual traffic bottlenecks (Champlain bridge area, UQO area, downtown Hull and Portage bridge) it should be able to shave 10+ minutes off the peak period travel time. If it can consistently deliver that, it ought to attract riders.

I think it's a false hope to think a train will outperform a bus in travel times. Because it stops at every single station, any ROW savings will be eaten up by the fact it doesn't skip stops. Even if Line 1 in Ottawa worked flawlessly as intended, it was always going to be slower than the transitway before it. I wouldn't put too much faith similarly that the Aylmer LRT will beat out the bus priority measures already in place on the bridges and along Alexandre-Taché

What a train does provide is a more comfortable ride, better schedule reliability and much more capacity, at comparable travel times

[harls]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Yep, the glow of rail transit is likely gone in Ottawa-Gatineau for a generation. We better start looking for other ways to speed up transit. Hmmm, bus lanes and Transitways anyone?

Like this?

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/ottawa-hosting-public-meeting-on-proposed-baseline-brt-plan/