Confederation Line East LRT Extension (Stage 2) [Blair to Trim] | U/C

[Kitchissippi]

So if 26 trains are needed for peak hour operations, that works out to be 2 trains per kilometre of route. Wouldn't we need more than 60 trains when the western extension opens? Sure, the line 1 and 3 split segments would only have half the frequency as the interlined portion, but 60 sets doesn't leave much spares.

I'm curious if it's possible to run a mixed fleet of Citadis and Siemens S700. If the current issues persist it might be good to have a few more reliable alternatives

[skyscraperaccount]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

So if 26 trains are needed for peak hour operations, that works out to be 2 trains per kilometre of route. Wouldn't we need more than 60 trains when the western extension opens? Sure, the line 1 and 3 split segments would only have half the frequency as the interlined portion, but 60 sets doesn't leave much spares.

I'm curious if it's possible to run a mixed fleet of Citadis and Siemens S700. If the current issues persist it might be good to have a few more reliable alternatives

On the railfans website they say

Line 1 is served by the Alstom Citadis Spirit LRV. This is a low floor light rail vehicle, and each train is made up of 4 articulated modules with a length of 48.5m. It has 5 bogies, of which 3 are powered with motors and two are unpowered. The two unpowered bogies are located underneath the module with a single door, which also houses the pantograph that makes contact with the overhead catenary system for power. In actual usage, the line operates two LRVs coupled together, which gives each "train" 8 modules and a length of approximately 97m end to end. When the line first opened, it launched with 34 LRVs (or 17 coupled pairs), which are maintained at the Belfast MSF (or Maintenance and Storage Facility). Once the Stage 2 expansion is completed, there will be a total of 72 LRVS (or 36 coupled pairs), with some stored and maintained at the future Moodie LMSF (or Light Maintenance and Storage Facility). Each coupled train has an estimated capacity of 600 passengers with a total of 14 doors per side.

The Stage 1 fleet consists of 34 Citadis Spirit LRVs (1101–1134). Each vehicle is composed of four permanently connected modules: two cab modules with two doors per side, one intermediate module with two doors per side, and one centre module with one door per side. This configuration provides a nominal capacity of approximately 300 passengers per vehicle, including around 120 seated and 180 standing. In regular service, LRVs are normally operated in coupled pairs, resulting in a total capacity of roughly 600 passengers per train. Open gangways connect all modules, allowing passengers to move freely throughout the entire vehicle.

To support the Stage 2 expansion of the Confederation Line, the City of Ottawa ordered 38 additional Citadis Spirit LRVs (1135–1172), bringing the total planned fleet to 72 vehicles. The Stage 2 vehicles were assembled primarily at Alstom’s Brampton, Ontario facility. Belfast Yard was expanded as part of Stage 2 to accommodate the larger fleet and increased maintenance requirements.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

So if 26 trains are needed for peak hour operations, that works out to be 2 trains per kilometre of route. Wouldn't we need more than 60 trains when the western extension opens? Sure, the line 1 and 3 split segments would only have half the frequency as the interlined portion, but 60 sets doesn't leave much spares.

I'm curious if it's possible to run a mixed fleet of Citadis and Siemens S700. If the current issues persist it might be good to have a few more reliable alternatives

The original service plan for the full Stage 2 configuration of the line did indeed call for 60 vehicles to be used for peak service.

60 vehicles in use will leave an additional 12 as spares.

[sseguin]

Originally Posted by skyscraperaccount

https://www.railfans.ca/traintracker/index.php
This section: Last Reported In-Service Location of All Trains

That'll help you know where some are (though this cant be sorted by line)...there's alot of red.

Hi, just to let you know, right above that Table, there is a drop down to sort by train number, by date (Last Seen) and by number of days reported in service. It is a recent addition so it might not have been there the last time you visited.

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by skyscraperaccount

https://www.railfans.ca/traintracker/index.php
This section: Last Reported In-Service Location of All Trains

That'll help you know where some are (though this cant be sorted by line)...there's alot of red.

News article today

https://ottawa.citynews.ca/2026/02/1...lesser-service

I guess the roundabout question that I'm trying to logic through: Where are the trains for the extended line?

IF we were supposed to start running the extension to Trim soon, shouldn't the trainsets be available? Unless they're somehow delayed to match the construction delay?

[Richard Eade]

The original requirement was for the City to have 34 LRVs, configured as 17 two-LRV-trains for the launch of Stage 1 of Line 1, the Confederation Line. However, all of the LRVs were not ready for the launch, so the City accepted only 13 two-LRV-trains – i.e., 26 LRVs. It wasn’t until August, 2020, that all 34 LRVs were available. At that point, OC Transpo could finally run 15 two-LRV-trains during the peak periods; keeping two more two-LRV-trains in reserve.

With the signing of Stage 2, the City ordered another 38 LRVs. These LRVs arrived in Ottawa as they were completed, and have been added into the fleet. Thus, all of the 72 LRVs that Ottawa has have been in use over the past years, rotated through as needed. As you might expect, until Stage 2 actually opens, most of the LRVs sit idle most of the time.

Since all LRVs get out occasionally, over the years most had completed many kilometres of distance by the time this latest Bearing Cartridge issue was discovered. Thus, most of the fleet has been pulled until new Bearing Cartridges are installed on any axle that has traveled a mere 100,000 km.

The additional, Stage 2, vehicles (if all were available) would allow OC Transpo to run 30 two-LRV-trains (requiring 60 LRVs), with 6 two-LRV-trains (requiring 12 LRVs) held as ‘Spare’ or in for service.

I think that one of the things that you are asking is; If it took 15 two-LRV-trains to run the scheduled service on Line 1 when the total length of the line was 12.5 kilometres, how will 30 two-LRV-trains be able to run the service once Line 1+3 is almost 40 kilometres in total length?

I think that it is a good question. The eastern extension, alone, will double the length of the current Line 1 – from 12.5 km to 25 km. Logically, one could say that twice the length, needs twice the LRVs. But the eastern leg adds only 5 new stations, and the long inter-station spacings (should) allow for faster train travel. Thus, in theory, fewer trains would be needed to service those 12.5 km than the original 12.5 km.

That said, the western extension is adding another 15 more km of length, and an additional 11 stations. I doubt that 30 two-LRV-trains will be enough to service the entirety of Line 1+3. When will the City order the extra 12 LRVs? (I think that I read somewhere that the City had the option to go up to 84 LRVs – but I’m willing to be corrected on that.)

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

The original requirement was for the City to have 34 LRVs, configured as 17 two-LRV-trains for the launch of Stage 1 of Line 1, the Confederation Line. However, all of the LRVs were not ready for the launch, so the City accepted only 13 two-LRV-trains – i.e., 26 LRVs. It wasn’t until August, 2020, that all 34 LRVs were available. At that point, OC Transpo could finally run 15 two-LRV-trains during the peak periods; keeping two more two-LRV-trains in reserve.

With the signing of Stage 2, the City ordered another 38 LRVs. These LRVs arrived in Ottawa as they were completed, and have been added into the fleet. Thus, all of the 72 LRVs that Ottawa has have been in use over the past years, rotated through as needed. As you might expect, until Stage 2 actually opens, most of the LRVs sit idle most of the time.

Since all LRVs get out occasionally, over the years most had completed many kilometres of distance by the time this latest Bearing Cartridge issue was discovered. Thus, most of the fleet has been pulled until new Bearing Cartridges are installed on any axle that has traveled a mere 100,000 km.

The additional, Stage 2, vehicles (if all were available) would allow OC Transpo to run 30 two-LRV-trains (requiring 60 LRVs), with 6 two-LRV-trains (requiring 12 LRVs) held as ‘Spare’ or in for service.

I think that one of the things that you are asking is; If it took 15 two-LRV-trains to run the scheduled service on Line 1 when the total length of the line was 12.5 kilometres, how will 30 two-LRV-trains be able to run the service once Line 1+3 is almost 40 kilometres in total length?

I think that it is a good question. The eastern extension, alone, will double the length of the current Line 1 – from 12.5 km to 25 km. Logically, one could say that twice the length, needs twice the LRVs. But the eastern leg adds only 5 new stations, and the long inter-station spacings (should) allow for faster train travel. Thus, in theory, fewer trains would be needed to service those 12.5 km than the original 12.5 km.

That said, the western extension is adding another 15 more km of length, and an additional 11 stations. I doubt that 30 two-LRV-trains will be enough to service the entirety of Line 1+3. When will the City order the extra 12 LRVs? (I think that I read somewhere that the City had the option to go up to 84 LRVs – but I’m willing to be corrected on that.)

If you are equating the distance to the number of trains, you also have to halve the KM values past the split at Lincoln Fields, since at peak the trains will alternate. The Moodie-Lincoln Fields and Algonquin-Lincoln Fields stretches will therefore require 1/2 the trains as the trunk does by this metric.

The same goes for the east, where I believe the pattern is 3/4 trains continue. By that consideration the east extension is only 9km long for this calculation, not 12.

With these tweaks, I think the numbers work out more closely, within the margin of the other factors you discuss.

[Richard Eade]

Good points. I didn’t know about the ¾ continuing east of Blair.

A counter-point, however, is that, I believe, that the estimate for 60 LRVs was done before it was known that the wheel-bearings need to be changed out so frequently. (Even before the new 100,000 km change, the limit was well short of the expected 1.2M km.) That will put a bunch more LRVs in the maintenance bay than anticipated.

Another thing to note is that the western bit has some curves. How slow will that make the trains on that extension?

I would still like to see the City order another 12 LRVs (assuming that it has that option). Why put ourselves in the same spot with the trains that we are in with buses. Yes, it is a bit wasteful to have more hardware than absolutely necessary – until it is needed. Ottawa has had the issue of ordering transit supplies based on the most optimistic view of everything working out perfectly to plan. It is time that the City took off the Rose-Coloured Glasses.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

The original requirement was for the City to have 34 LRVs, configured as 17 two-LRV-trains for the launch of Stage 1 of Line 1, the Confederation Line. However, all of the LRVs were not ready for the launch, so the City accepted only 13 two-LRV-trains – i.e., 26 LRVs. It wasn’t until August, 2020, that all 34 LRVs were available. At that point, OC Transpo could finally run 15 two-LRV-trains during the peak periods; keeping two more two-LRV-trains in reserve.

This is incorrect.

The city had accepted all 34 vehicles, given that it was part of the substantial completion requirements, at the time of Stage 1 launch.

What changed was that the city opted to operate with four spare trains (8 vehicles) instead of the originally planned two. The city's given reasoning was that ridership was not at the originally projected levels and therefore required fewer vehicles, but some have speculated that it was to enable more spares in the event of issues.

[Richard Eade]

Hmmm. I think that the problem here is semantics – the definition of the word ACCEPTED.

In my statement, I used the word as ACCEPTED – Tolerated or submitted to. I state that the City tolerated running only 13 double-car trains during peak periods; instead of the planned 15.

This was because the City ACCEPTED – Consented to receive. As the City consented to receive LRVs with known defects that made some unusable.

The following is the information that I was going on:

From Chianello’s article in on the CBC, as she followed the Ottawa Light Rail Inquiry: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...ting-1.6499918

The unresolved items included the light rail vehicles — all 34 of them. There wasn't a single rail car that didn't have an open issue.
Another outstanding problem the city waived? A system-wide "failure to meet fleet requirements due to ongoing defects/deficiencies."

and

First, the requirement to run 15 trains during morning and afternoon rush hours was reduced to 13.
"They were having challenges to get 15 trains in the morning," Holder told the commission.
As well, the performance measure that indicates how many trains are out on the track for customer service and for how long — called the aggregate vehicle kilometre availability ratio, or the AVKR — was lowered to 96 per cent from 98 percent.
And that bar of 96 per cent would only have to be met on nine of the trial test days — not each of the 12 days. So the system could experience three terrible service days in less that two weeks, and those days wouldn't be counted.
Finally, there was a requirement that the train reliability (again, the AVKR) not fall below 90 per cent on any day of the trial testing.
But that was changed to a requirement that no three consecutive days see train availability below 94 per cent, meaning RTG could have — in McGrann's words — "two very bad days" and still pass.
RTG successfully completed the trial run on Aug. 22, 2019, and the next day Mayor Jim Watson announced the city would officially take over the Confederation Line — and that the city would open it to the public on Sept. 14.

In Glowacki’s CBC article, there are lots of questions about why 13 double-car trains was considered “Full Service”: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...-lrt-1.5463441

And it wasn’t until August of 2020 that the City actually had 15 double-car trains that is could use, as per this CBC article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...leet-1.5673811

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Hmmm. I think that the problem here is semantics – the definition of the word ACCEPTED.

In my statement, I used the word as ACCEPTED – Tolerated or submitted to. I state that the City tolerated running only 13 double-car trains during peak periods; instead of the planned 15.

This was because the City ACCEPTED – Consented to receive. As the City consented to receive LRVs with known defects that made some unusable.

The following is the information that I was going on:

From Chianello’s article in on the CBC, as she followed the Ottawa Light Rail Inquiry: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...ting-1.6499918

and

In Glowacki’s CBC article, there are lots of questions about why 13 double-car trains was considered “Full Service”: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...-lrt-1.5463441

And it wasn’t until August of 2020 that the City actually had 15 double-car trains that is could use, as per this CBC article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...leet-1.5673811

I'm using "accepted" in the contractual sense. The city "accepted" them in the sense that they were fully commissioned and active in the fleet.

All 34 vehicles were being rotated in and out of service from day one.

The distinction is that the city opted to give itself a larger spare ratio, presumably as a buffer for any maintenance activities required on the vehicles for issues that may have come up.

By August 2020 the city had already started to accept additional vehicles that were already in production for Stage 2, which allowed them to put more trains into service while retaining the same (elevated) spare ratio.

Rail Fans Canada had set up a tracker for members of the public to submit the fleet numbers of vehicles they observed on the line, and they pretty quickly tracked all 34 of them. The CPTDB wiki also has a fairly detailed record of when many of the vehicles entered service, and you can see the few that entered service in early and mid 2020.

[rocketphish]

Will the O-Train East Extension achieve substantial completion today?

By Josh Pringle, CTV News
Published: March 04, 2026 at 7:55AM EST

OC Transpo expects the O-Train East Extension to reach a significant milestone today, but it’s still unclear when the critical 21-day testing period will begin before the light-rail transit line opens to the public.

A report for the March 12 transit committee meeting says, “the most recent forecasted substantial completion date is March 4.”

“Following Substantial Completion, there will be a familiarization period for Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) staff and a technical briefing held prior to the start of the Trial Running phase,” said the report, submitted by interim Transit Services general manager Troy Charter.

“Following the completion of Trial Running, the project’s final system preparations will take place. Final Safety Approval from the Independent Safety Auditor will be required before Revenue Service can begin.”

The substantial completion validates that the system infrastructure, designed and built by East West Connectors, meets the requirements of the project agreement, according to the report.

In February, OC Transpo announced the trial running period has been delayed while the builder works to address several issues on the line from Blair Station to Trim Station.

The substantial competition would come as OC Transpo deals with a shortage of vehicles available for service after a “spalling” issue was detected on some axles of LRT vehicles. OC Transpo is currently running single-car service on O-Train Line 1 while it replaces the axles with more than 100,000 km of service and works on a plan with Rideau Transit Maintenance and Alstom to address the issue.

OC Transpo currently has 21 LRT vehicles available for service on Line 1, with 38 vehicles out of service for maintenance.

Charter wouldn’t provide a timeline for opening the O-Train East Extension while speaking with reporters last week.

“I’d love to be able to give a date for the East Extension; obviously, that’s highly contingent upon the work that we’re doing right now to address the spalling and increase the capacity of vehicles,” Charter said on Friday.

“Once we have these containment measures validated and confirmed that they will produce the results we expect, then we can increase our fleet of vehicles and then that would be the opportunity to get into the trial running aspect and getting service going in the east extension.”

Charter says Rideau Transit Maintenance and Alstom are working on containment measures for the spalling issue, which would allow OC Transpo to safely increase the number of trains available.

According to the report for the transit committee, OC Transpo now has occupancy permits for the five stations, and the “testing and commissioning of key system infrastructure is complete.”

“The East Extension Substantial Completion stage is a significant contractual milestone; however, it does not mean that the extension is ready for customer service,” staff said. “Rather, it is a formal step that allows the City, and the Independent Certifier, to thoroughly review the system and confirm that all requirements have been met before the system is accepted from the contractors.”

The 21-day trial running period is intended to “validate that the fully integrated system functions as intended,” according to the report. During the 21-day trial running period, the O-Train will run service between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair Station, with passengers disembarking at Blair Stations and empty trains continuing on the East Extension to Trim Station.

“Trial Running will evaluate the performance of system infrastructure, subsystems, vehicles, operating and maintenance personnel, as well as operating procedures to demonstrate the reliability of the system and its ability to deliver passenger service without interruptions,” staff say.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/articl...pletion-today/

[J.OT13]

Even if it does, I feel it will be months before we have enough trains for trial running.

[dougvdh]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Even if it does, I feel it will be months before we have enough trains for trial running.

Or maybe longer. From what I can gather reading the news, they've only replaced the bearings on 3 trains so far. That's barely fast enough to cover the ongoing accumulation of kms (approximately 172,000km since Jan 21), nevermind getting enough additional trains back into service for testing the east extension.

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by dougvdh

Or maybe longer. From what I can gather reading the news, they've only replaced the bearings on 3 trains so far. That's barely fast enough to cover the ongoing accumulation of kms (approximately 172,000km since Jan 21), nevermind getting enough additional trains back into service for testing the east extension.

Truly a horrifying prospect.

I'm still confused as to how there aren't lawsuits flying around by this point.

[golfguy9]

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

Truly a horrifying prospect.

I'm still confused as to how there aren't lawsuits flying around by this point.

I think the city knows they agreed to a compromised train set and would not have a leg to stand on.

[skyscraperaccount]

Originally Posted by golfguy9

I think the city knows they agreed to a compromised train set and would not have a leg to stand on.

With one leg we could still get to our destination faster than OC.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by golfguy9

I think the city knows they agreed to a compromised train set and would not have a leg to stand on.

This is a slight oversimplification.

If the city sues RTG or Alstom, they are suing their partners who are critical to providing an essential service to the city. That is not a great position to be in. It's also pretty rare to sue under a contract that is still in effect. The city will look at every option in terms of applying penalties in the agreement before they sue. At some point, claiming material breach of contract is a definite possibility and then you would see lawsuits.

[Spoonsy]

Substantial completion milestone confirmed for East Extension:

https://www.octranspo.com/en/news/ar...al-completion/

The purpose of this memo is to inform the Mayor and Members of Council that the Independent Certifier has issued the Certificate of Substantial Completion for the Stage 2 East Extension.

Substantial Completion is an important contractual milestone and confirms that the constructor, EWC, has delivered all new system infrastructure and that it is functional and can be safely operated and maintained. This comes after the City and the Independent Certifier conducted a detailed review of EWC’s submission.


Step 1: Testing and Commissioning (done).
Step 2: Substantial Completion (we're here!).
Step 3: Trial Running.
Step 4: Final system prep.
Step 5: Passenger service

Having achieved Substantial Completion, Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) now assumes responsibility for the maintenance of the new East Extension. There will be a period of startup and familiarization for RTM, as they take over the maintenance of the new infrastructure. This familiarization period is a best practice from the preparations to successfully launch O-Train Lines 2 and 4.

As with any major construction project, there will be activities that will continue after Substantial Completion. On the East Extension, these include:

Updates to the train control system software prior to Revenue Service
Adjustments to the platform edge cameras to optimize their performance
Landscaping, final paving on Highway 174 and other final works
This milestone is a significant step towards connecting east end communities to downtown and western neighbourhoods through the existing train system. Over the coming days, we will continue to work with RTM during the handover and their startup phase.

In parallel, work continues to safely restore full capacity and fleet availability on the existing Line 1 for our customers. OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Group are working to complete new containment and monitoring measures for the Cartridge Bearing Assemblies (CBAs) that would allow the full fleet to be safely returned to operations. This will also allow Trial Running to commence.

These are critically important steps, and the work will continue as we apply lessons learned to date. A technical briefing will be held to provide further information and timelines once plans are finalized. At this time, we continue to be on track to launch the East Extension in Q2 2026, as previously stated at Transit Committee. An update will be provided at the Transit Committee on March 12.

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by phil235

This is a slight oversimplification.

If the city sues RTG or Alstom, they are suing their partners who are critical to providing an essential service to the city. That is not a great position to be in. It's also pretty rare to sue under a contract that is still in effect. The city will look at every option in terms of applying penalties in the agreement before they sue. At some point, claiming material breach of contract is a definite possibility and then you would see lawsuits.

Yeah. I'm aware of the complications in this. Was just more of a beard stroking rhetorical thought.