Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[Capital Shaun]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Not just named, they also have transformers-type avatars:
(L to R, Chewrocka, Crocodile rouge, and Jawbreaker)

I want toy versions! (I used to collect Transformers)

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by Harley613

It's incredible how much a tunnel costs to build considering that the machines are almost completely automated and the structure is already there...it's the earth itself! There are many adornments and finishings to be added but really you are essentially removing something, not building something.

most tunnel costs come after what you see in the picture, stations, tracks, support structures, signalling systems, etc.

[S-Man]

In a nutshell: Ontario finance minister comes to Ottawa, bemoans Toronto gridlock, doesn't make any promises on Ottawa's transit future.

Everyone inside the greenbelt will line up to vote for these arrogant turds. Again. That's sending some message...

By Jon Willing,Ottawa Sun

Hold the train, City Hall. Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa was making no commitments Monday that the province will offer nearly $1 billion to help pay for rapid transit extensions across Ottawa.

Sousa, who gave a speech to Ottawa's business community at City Hall, wouldn't address whether province will give the city the $975 million it wants to stretch its rail transit system to Bayshore Shopping Centre, Algonquin College, Place d'Orléans and Riverside South.

"We're going to have a lot of initiatives going forward," Sousa said in response to questions from reporters after his speech. "I would tell you Ottawa is a principle city in the province and it's critical for its competitiveness and Ontario has always been a supporter of initiatives here in Ottawa."

Sousa said the city has been squirrelling money in the Ontario Trillium Trust, which earmarks revenues from asset sales for infrastructure projects, and emphasizing greater investment from the business sector through public-private partnerships.

Plus, the province hopes its new "green bonds" will raise more money for transit.

The 2013 provincial budget announced $35 billion over three years for infrastructure.

The city is building the $2.1-billion Confederation Line LRT between Tunney's Pasture and Blair station via a downtown tunnel.

The council-endorsed transportation master plan calls for $3 billion in LRT extensions west and east, plus an extension of the O-Train south, by 2023. However, the city can't afford it without sharing the cost with the federal and provincial governments.

Mayor Jim Watson has called on those governments to treat Ottawa fairly when doling out transportation funding. He's referenced the money going to Toronto for transportation upgrades.

At the same time, the upper-tier governments have heard the city loud and clear: The first priority in the nation's capital is stopping diluted sewage from spilling into the Ottawa River during heavy rainstorms. The city has a $175-million plan to build a special sewage tunnel to intercept overflows and it needs money from the two other governments for this as well.

In his speech, Sousa bemoaned the cost of gridlock in the province -- $6 billion-7 billion annually, he said -- because it's slowing business.

"We have to make those investments so we can become more competitive," Sousa said. "So we can get those things to market and enable those companies not to be stalled for hours on end during transportation issues."

Sousa on Monday is also holding pre-budget consultations in Ottawa with local Liberal MPPs.

[MalcolmTucker]

It is especially hard to finance one billion dollar plus project like this after another, unless all you want to get built is transit. I think a 5 year wait between stages is likely.

[gjhall]

Originally Posted by S-Man

In a nutshell: Ontario finance minister comes to Ottawa, bemoans Toronto gridlock, doesn't make any promises on Ottawa's transit future.

Everyone inside the greenbelt will line up to vote for these arrogant turds. Again. That's sending some message...

Luckily the alternatives have such bright and positive urban agendas we can all get behind, right?

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

It is especially hard to finance one billion dollar plus project like this after another, unless all you want to get built is transit. I think a 5 year wait between stages is likely.

In other words, completion around 2031 if we are lucky.

[S-Man]

Luckily the alternatives have such bright and positive urban agendas we can all get behind, right?

Duly noted, but repeatedly rewarding a party who takes your vote for granted and does nothing for you in return usually isn't a good way to change the status quo. But voter apathy and fear reigns in Ontario...

Maybe if the ruling party felt like that sure-thing vote could actually be lost, they'd come to the table with something to keep it. I would also expect the challengers to offer what The Ruling Party isn't, in order to steal lure those votes away. We'll see about that, of course.


"My family can't live in 'good intentions', Marge!" - Ned Flanders

[MalcolmTucker]

Ottawa is so hard done by on provincial contributions ... Not really the case.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by S-Man

Duly noted, but repeatedly rewarding a party who takes your vote for granted and does nothing for you in return usually isn't a good way to change the status quo. But voter apathy and fear reigns in Ontario...

Maybe if the ruling party felt like that sure-thing vote could actually be lost, they'd come to the table with something to keep it. I would also expect the challengers to offer what The Ruling Party isn't, in order to steal lure those votes away. We'll see about that, of course.


"My family can't live in 'good intentions', Marge!" - Ned Flanders

Tax cutting Conservatives are the alternative and we know where that leads in regards to public infrastructure in the long-term.

[ortelius]

Even if they want to help or do something, I don't think they would say it now or just like that, would they?

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by ortelius

Even if they want to help or do something, I don't think they would say it now or just like that, would they?

True. No sane politician would agree to spend this kind of money this far in advance of the project starting. It boxes them into a corner with many conflicting priorities, which may change in the meantime.

[Schattenjager]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

True. No sane politician would agree to spend this kind of money this far in advance of the project starting. It boxes them into a corner with many conflicting priorities, which may change in the meantime.

Especially as a minority government who may be faced with a possible near future election.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Tax cutting Conservatives are the alternative and we know where that leads in regards to public infrastructure in the long-term.

Yeah, if you value public transit and a progressive urban agenda, I'm not sure how you could even consider voting for Hudak. That would take some interesting mental gymnastics.

[S-Man]

I'm not saying they have to have the money up front, I'm saying they could easily voice support for an approved transit expansion that has a cost figure already attached, not a pie-in-the-sky "Oh, this might be nice one day) thought. Was it not the Premier who said she wants solid, planned and costed transit plans?

We've already seen how subway-LRT-subway-LRT projects get funding commitments in Toronto even when they're on the back of a napkin, so why would Ottawa's sole project seen like such a dangerous 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵?

I really don't think I'm being a radical here. But, to soothe hand-wringing fears, pretend I never mentioned the horrific possibility of sending a message to the party that holds the purse and has been reluctant to spread the wealth, so to speak.

How about this (hypothetical scenario): If both the NDP and PC party declared they would fund phase 2, and the Liberals didn't commit to it but voiced nice-sounding platitudes, would you still cast your vote for them?

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by S-Man

I'm not saying they have to have the money up front, I'm saying they could easily voice support for an approved transit expansion that has a cost figure already attached, not a pie-in-the-sky "Oh, this might be nice one day) thought. Was it not the Premier who said she wants solid, planned and costed transit plans?

We've already seen how subway-LRT-subway-LRT projects get funding commitments in Toronto even when they're on the back of a napkin, so why would Ottawa's sole project seen like such a dangerous 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵?

I really don't think I'm being a radical here. But, to soothe hand-wringing fears, pretend I never mentioned the horrific possibility of sending a message to the party that holds the purse and has been reluctant to spread the wealth, so to speak.

How about this (hypothetical scenario): If both the NDP and PC party declared they would fund phase 2, and the Liberals didn't commit to it but voiced nice-sounding platitudes, would you still cast your vote for them?

I am waiting for those commitments. We all know Hudak is a Harris disciple but I am still waiting to be shocked.

[S-Man]

I am waiting to see commitments from all parties, too. We'll see what becomes of this.

I guess I'm just looking for some sort of assurance that party tribalism doesn't rule all, even in the face of grim reality.

[Innsertnamehere]

Just a note on the Toronto debate, which you have wrong. Again.

The Federal money was already Earmarked for Toronto, and the city essentially could have spent it on whatever they wanted. It was part of the Tories budget with infrastructure spending. Ottawa is going to get a big chunk of cash as well, but they will probably spend it on sewers, roads, etc. instead. It wasn't new money, and Ottawa is getting a similar proportionate amount. This is actually an issue that many don't know about, as there are huge amounts of capital infrastructure deficits in the city right now that the money was meant to help fix but it is instead going to a political vanity project.

Its also very easy to make a commitment if you are the opposition, as you have no incentive to introduce the funding immediately like the Liberals would. Projects also always get announced at budget time, as that is when the money starts to get doled out. If the Liberals are going to fund anything, the announcement will come in the spring along with the budget, as they will be able to table in the house immediately, instead of offering platitudes for months before they actually do anything about it.

and looking at how Hudak has vowed to cancel all LRTs in the GTA, I would rank the chances of Ottawa's LRT a little low.

[1overcosc]

The province (and the feds for that matter) are probably going to wait until there's an election campaign to commit any money to maximize political returns. This project is not going to be complete until 2023 and money isn't even needed right now (it's needed by either 2015, 2016, or 2018--I've seen all three years in different sources).

Especially in the case of the province, I feel like they're waiting until they sort out their transit tax proposals first. Depending on how that plays out, Ottawa might get its provincial share of Stage 2 through the transit taxes. To gain support for transit taxes, it would be politically wise to tie the taxes into specific projects in a very public way--especially outside Toronto if these taxes have to be implemented province-wide. (Eg. "These new revenue tools will provide Ottawa with the money it needs to invest in LRT expansion.")

If the spring election does happen, it could very easily be an election issue. The NDP really want to woo voters in Eastern Ontario, the only region of the province without any NDP MPPs, and therefore they will likely be targeting Kingston and inside-the-greenbelt Ottawa pretty heavily as those are the only parts of the 613 where they have any hope in hell of winning anything. I can easily see Andrea Horwarth coming out with funding promises once an election gets underway to draw off Liberal support. That would force the Libs & PCs to at least think about it.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

and looking at how Hudak has vowed to cancel all LRTs in the GTA, I would rank the chances of Ottawa's LRT a little low.

I don't think we have to worry about that one. Hudak hates Toronto LRTs because the city already has a full-fledged subway and he wants to expand that instead. In the case of Ottawa LRT is the backbone of our system.

Furthermore most of Hudak and the PC's anti-LRT sentiment comes from the fact that Toronto's LRTs will be on-street thus taking away space from cars. Taken directly from their own platform:
-"Build subways where LRTs would compete with traffic."

Stage 2 of Ottawa's LRT will be entirely grade separated thus taking nothing away from drivers. In fact it will actually HELP drivers because it will add more general-traffic lanes to the 174.

Other than stinginess/austerity sentiment I see no reason why Hudak would oppose Ottawa's LRT stage 2. If anything it would be logical for him to support, as it's consistent with his platform principles and there's a lot of Liberal seats in Ottawa to woo over.

I for one fully expect all three parties to support Stage 2.

[rocketphish]

Tunneling Summary 2013



One of the most important features of the Confederation Line project is the 2.5 kilometre tunnel under Ottawa’s downtown core. During tunnel construction, three accesses are being used to bring in equipment, crews and materials, as well as to remove debris: West Portal, East Portal, central shaft.

What direction are the roadheaders heading?

West Portal tunneling is moving east toward Lyon Station. Central shaft tunneling will move east toward Parliament Station. East Portal excavation is moving north and west toward Rideau Station, linking underground to the central shaft and West Portal tunneling.

How far has tunneling progressed since starting in November 2013?

West Portal (west side of Commissioner Street)

Tunneling using the Jawbreaker roadheader officially commenced at the West Portal on November 4.

• Metres: Approximately 110 metres has been mined to date.
• Area mined: Mining has progressed directly under Bronson Avenue.

East Portal (next to the University of Ottawa’s campus at Waller Street and south of Laurier Avenue East)

Tunneling using the Crocodile Rouge roadheader began December 12.

• Metres: Approximately 3.5 metres have been mined to date.
• Area mined: Crocodile Rouge is currently mining under Waller St.

Central shaft (Kent Street and Queen Street)

Chewrocka will start mining at the shaft in the beginning of the New Year, once the gantry crane construction is completed; the crane is being built to remove debris from the central shaft during mining.

http://www.ottawalightrail.ca/en