Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[c_speed3108]

Breaking through between the Central and West tunnels:

http://instagram.com/p/vHLOMWJxew/


Also final beam at Belfast yard yesterday (this tweet is awful):

https://twitter.com/ottawacity/status/530508755583373313

[drawarc]

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

Breaking through between the Central and West tunnels:

http://instagram.com/p/vHLOMWJxew/

Nice.

[emannigol]

Tunnelling breakthrough!
http://instagram.com/p/vHLOMWJxew/

[rocketphish]

...and now, back to some actual Confederation Line news:

November 6, 2014

Confederation Line among best rail/transit projects in the Americas



The Confederation Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project has been presented the Silver Award for Best Rail/Transit Project in the Americas.

The award was established by P3 bulletin – a magazine and website centred on public-private sector partnerships aimed at procuring, building and managing public infrastructure – and presented on October 23 in New York City. Ottawa’s LRT project stood out among a host of projects and companies across Canada, the United States of America and Latin America.

“This is another proud day for Ottawa and for the Confederation Line,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “It is another in a string of international awards that are a testament to the City’s partnership with the Rideau Transit Group and help to reinforce this innovative project as one that will transform the way we live, move and grow the economy in Ottawa.”

The Confederation Line was recognized for meeting and exceeding project milestones. A panel of 50 judges noted that the project combined an iconic design with the functional needs of Ottawa’s first light rail line. They described it as a “very compelling” and innovative project that hits the mark in a number of areas of good practice for P3 initiatives.

“Rideau Transit Group (RTG) is honoured to receive this partnership award together with the City of Ottawa,” said Antonio Estrada, CEO of RTG. “The Confederation Line reflects a successful P3 model for significant transit infrastructure projects in the Americas, and we are proud to be recognized by the industry.”

The City of Ottawa would also like to congratulate the Government of Nunavut on receiving the Gold Award for the Iqaluit International Airport Improvement Project.

The Confederation Line is a $2.1 billion project that is jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa. The Government of Canada is contributing $600 million through the Building Canada Fund. The City of Ottawa will also allocate up to $161.5 million of its federal Gas Tax Fund transfers to this project. The Government of Ontario is contributing up to $600 million. In addition, the City of Ottawa will allocate $287 million of Provincial Gas Tax revenues to the capital infrastructure. The remaining project budget funds will come from development charge revenues and transit reserves.

The project is the first stage in Ottawa’s future rail network. The 12.5-kilometre electric light rail system replaces existing diesel powered buses, providing rapid transit between Blair Station in the east and Tunney’s Pasture in the west. The route includes 13 stations and a 2.5-kilometre tunnel that will alleviate congestion through the downtown core. For more information, visit http://ottawa.ca/confederationline.

[waterloowarrior]

moved the O-Train Gatineau extension posts to the O-Train thread
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=207127

[FFX-ME]

Mining machines meet, rock out during first year of LRT tunnel work

"One year into construction of the LRT tunnel, two of the digging machines have met in the excavation.

Late last week, Chewrocka, the roadheader machine that started digging at Queen and Kent streets, broke through rock to the tunnel carved out by Jawbreaker from the west.

The machines will now start carving out the cavern for the future Lyon station.

Jawbreaker started chewing through the core at the west portal along Albert St., just west of Bronson Ave., in November 2013. Chewrocka began its descent into the central shaft last January, and Crocodile Rouge started digging at the east portal near the University of Ottawa last December.

All three machines together have carved out more than 1.2 km of the tunnel. When it's done, the tunnel will be 2.5 km long.

The carving of Lyon station is about 45% complete and is scheduled to be done in early 2015. Parliament station, near O'Connor St., is about 12% dug out.

On the other side of the Rideau Canal, Crocodile Rouge has made its way north to Dalhousie St. and is beginning to turn west toward Rideau St.

The Rideau Transit Group, the city's construction contractor, expects workers will start mining Rideau station by the end of 2014.

A crew of five miners began the digging the tunnel a year ago. Now there are 70 workers spread over 10 crews in the cavity.

The full tunnel excavation and lining are scheduled to be done in 2016.

The tunnel work isn't the only construction going on for the 12.5-km first-phase LRT.

Workers are building the maintenance and storage facility on Belfast Rd. It's where the 32 LRT vehicles will be built and stored, plus it will act as the maintenance hub for the LRT system. The steel frame of the building has been constructed and the formwork is being established for the track system. Construction of a connector tunnel to the facility is expected to be done in May and the facility is scheduled to be complete next summer.

The Hwy. 417 widening -- which is part of the LRT project since buses will temporarily use the extra lanes when the Transitway converts to rail -- continues with the new pedestrian overpass at the Ottawa Stadium expected to be substantially complete by the end of the year. Buses are expected to be diverted off the Transitway to the highway in late 2015.

The $2.1-billion LRT line is scheduled to open in spring 2018."

http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/11/11/mini...out-during-first-year-of-lrt-tunnel-work

[rocketphish]

Construction Summary
Week of November 9



Central Segment

Tunnel

West Portal (Jawbreaker)

• Mining progresses toward the west entrance of Lyon Station.
• Cavern reinforcement continues and includes the installation of rockbolts and shotcrete as well as the construction of a lower level support system.
• Roadheader mining in the central shaft from the east segment to the west segment punched through on November 7, 2014.
• Ongoing mining in drifts is anticipated until December 2014.

Central Shaft (Chewrocka)

• Mining advances west toward Lyon Station.
• Ongoing construction of a lower level support system continues as the first half of the formwork and support is complete.
• Installation of storm sewers and conduits progresses.

Mining advances in the central shaft west toward Lyon Station


East Portal (Crocodile Rouge)

• Roadheader approaching transition[i] to Rideau Station cavern.
• Shotcreting and rockbolt installation occur as mining advances past Dalhousie Street.
• Cavern excavation is anticipated to begin as early as late December.

Shotcreting and rockbolting occur as mining from East Portal advances past Dalhousie Street


For weekly updates on tunnel excavation progress please visit the Roadheader page.

East Segment

Belfast Yard

Long-term closure of Belfast Road, south of Tremblay Road to Trainyards Drive and north of Tremblay Road to Coventry Road continues.


Belfast Yard Administration and Maintenance Building

• Steel erection on the Belfast Yard shed is nearing completion.
• Formwork advances and roofing is ongoing with parapet installation.
• Masonry work progresses in advance of building envelope works scheduled for the third week of November.
• Site utilities continue north and south of Belfast Road.

Final beam is placed on Belfast Yard administration building / La dernière poutre est mise en place sur le bâtiment de l’administration de la Cour Belfast

Belfast Yard Connector – Works on the Belfast Yard connector, which will allow vehicles to travel to and from the Light Rail Transit (LRT) track to Belfast Yard, advance and include:

• Installation of whalers[ii]
• Formwork, reinforcement, placing concrete and excavation
• Removal of the steel bridge (Verona System) for the temporary VIA Rail track support systems (is scheduled to occur in the third week of November).

Hurdman Station (Station construction is scheduled to begin as early as spring/summer 2015)

• Ongoing elevated guideway work for the future Hurdman Station continues until the New Year and includes piling and drilling caissons north of the existing Hurdman Station.

Drilling caissons at Hurdman Station


Civic Works

Highway 417 Roadwork, Widening and Structure Rehabilitation

Roadworks

• Median barrier wall removal, excavation, drilling of median foundations, pouring median walls and sewers advances in the median lanes along Highway 417.
• Panel installation continues on the retaining wall along the highway.
• Wiring, boring[iii], and pouring of concrete footing continue for light pole installations.
• Work at St. Laurent and Lemieux intersection including, electrical work, curbs and island reconfiguration is scheduled to be completed in November.
• Roadway excavation, milling[iv], placing and compacting granular continue along the highway as grading work at Robinson Avenue advances.
• Winter preparations are underway along the highway.

Median lane rehabilitation continues along Highway 417


Signage

• The three message signs have been installed and are expected to be operational shortly. Electrical testing is being conducted by the Ministry of Transportation.

Structures

• Widening, reconstruction and rehabilitation of various bridge structures advance along the highway. Final works are ongoing at the Lees Avenue underpass, the Vanier Parkway overpass and on the St. Laurent overpass.

Lees Avenue Underpass

• Pouring, stripping and forming of the retaining wall continue at Lees Avenue underpass and installation of precast panels[v] and other final works are ongoing for the next weeks.

Pouring, stripping and forming of the retaining wall continue at Lees Avenue underpass


Hurdman Bridge

• Ongoing demolition and reconstruction of the structure’s median span advances with installation of panels at the abutments.
• The placement of reinforcing steel at the east and west footings is ongoing.
• Alternating closures of the east and west multi-use pathway continues as panel installation and headwalls[vi] progress.

Forming of piers at Hurdman Bridge


Vanier Parkway Overpass

• Backfilling, forming and curing of concrete continue at Vanier Parkway overpass.
• Rehabilitation works including completing the new curb, paving and relocating the intersection lighting are ongoing until the end of November.

Coventry Pedestrian Footbridge

• Installation of the roofing system, hangers for the suspended ceiling system[vii] and glazing panels on the east side of the footbridge continue.
• Construction on the south abutment stairs and vault ceiling also advance as well as general site cleanup in anticipation of substantial completion of works by end of the year.

Ongoing construction of the ramp at Coventry Pedestrian Footbridge


Installation of glazing panels at Coventry Pedestrian Footbridge


Belfast Road Underpass – Reconstruction is ongoing as long-term closure of Belfast Road, north of Tremblay Road to Coventry Road continues.

• Construction on the underpass’ median pier advances and curing, stripping and installation of railings occur on parapet walls.

Forming of parapet walls at Belfast Road underpass


St. Laurent Overpass

• General site clean-up and demobilization is ongoing for the next weeks on the St. Laurent overpass.

Albert Street Civic Works

• Installation of sanitary sewer at City Centre
• Begin curb installation on Albert Street
• Placement of Granular A on Albert Street

Stay on-track with us and follow our progress by visiting the sections related to each area of construction at the top of this webpage.

[i]Transition refers to the area between the running tunnel and the station cavern.
[ii] Whalers are horizontal reinforcement used to secure upright structures, such as formwork for the pouring of concrete.
[iii] Boring refers to the act or process of enlarging a hole.
[iv] Milling refers to the process of removing asphalt pavement with a machine.
[v]Precast concrete is concrete that is made in a reusable mold or “form” which is then transported to the construction site and lifted into place. In contrast, standard concrete is poured into site-specific forms and cured on site.
[vi]Headwall refers to the small retaining wall placed at the outlet of a culvert or stormwater pipe.
[vii]A suspended ceiling is a secondary ceiling, hung below the main (structural) ceiling that is used for the structure’s infrastructure, including piping, wiring and/or ductwork.

[McC]

Albert!

[rocketphish]

Tunnel Punch Through
November 12, 2014



Roadheader mining in the central shaft from the east segment to the west segment punched through on November 7, 2014.

Watch Video

http://www.confederationline.ca/en/lrtv/tunnel-punch-through

[rocketphish]

Mining machines meet, rock out during first year of LRT tunnel work

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun
First posted: Tuesday, November 11, 2014 03:40 PM EST | Updated: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 12:47 PM EST

One year into construction of the LRT tunnel, two of the digging machines have met in the excavation.

Late last week, Chewrocka, the roadheader machine that started digging at Queen and Kent streets, broke through rock to the tunnel carved out by Jawbreaker from the west.

The machines will now start carving out the cavern for the future Lyon station.

Jawbreaker started chewing through the core at the west portal along Albert St., just west of Bronson Ave., in November 2013. Chewrocka began its descent into the central shaft last January, and Crocodile Rouge started digging at the east portal near the University of Ottawa last December.

All three machines together have carved out more than 1.2 km of the tunnel. When it's done, the tunnel will be 2.5 km long.

The carving of Lyon station is about 45% complete and is scheduled to be done in early 2015. Parliament station, near O'Connor St., is about 12% dug out.

On the other side of the Rideau Canal, Crocodile Rouge has made its way north to Dalhousie St. and is beginning to turn west toward Rideau St.

The Rideau Transit Group, the city's construction contractor, expects workers will start mining Rideau station by the end of 2014.

A crew of five miners began the digging the tunnel a year ago. Now there are 70 workers spread over 10 crews in the cavity.

The full tunnel excavation and lining are scheduled to be done in 2016.

The tunnel work isn't the only construction going on for the 12.5-km first-phase LRT.

Workers are building the maintenance and storage facility on Belfast Rd. It's where the 32 LRT vehicles will be built and stored, plus it will act as the maintenance hub for the LRT system. The steel frame of the building has been constructed and the formwork is being established for the track system. Construction of a connector tunnel to the facility is expected to be done in May and the facility is scheduled to be complete next summer.

The Hwy. 417 widening -- which is part of the LRT project since buses will temporarily use the extra lanes when the Transitway converts to rail -- continues with the new pedestrian overpass at the Ottawa Stadium expected to be substantially complete by the end of the year. Buses are expected to be diverted off the Transitway to the highway in late 2015.

The $2.1-billion LRT line is scheduled to open in spring 2018.

Twitter: @JonathanWilling

http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/11/11/mini...out-during-first-year-of-lrt-tunnel-work

[MoreTrains]

With the speed at which they are excavating and building the trainyard, is it really inconciveable that a Summer 2017 launce is out of the question?

[1overcosc]

Summer 2017 would be quite an achievement. There's lots of components to this project--not just the tunnel. They have to build the surface segments of the track (which can't start until detour routes are ready), they have to assemble the trains & train operators to use them. And they have to test. An opening a few months early (say, in January 2018 or so) is feasible, much more than that not so much.

[c_speed3108]

It would be cool if they could get a 2017 launch of some form even in December. Even if is the train equivalent to the Ottawa Civic Centre's 1967 opening where they lined up some chairs in December and had a hockey game in the not quite done building so they could secure their centennial year funding.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

It would be cool if they could get a 2017 launch of some form even in December. Even if is the train equivalent to the Ottawa Civic Centre's 1967 opening where they lined up some chairs in December and had a hockey game in the not quite done building so they could secure their centennial year funding.

I believe there are to be events held in 2017, which might include a moving train. Certainly tours of completed stations and facilities.

[MoreTrains]

Well, I think the biggest issue in not having majority completion and partial use by June 2017, is Canada 150 is that year. How in any Gods name will Busses be able to operate in streets where over 1 million are expected to gather? I think that they really need to have at minimum, by June 2017 is Hurdman to Bayview... to take busses out of downtown, and decrease the potential for major accidents and delays... mostly delays.

[ACmodels]

Would Carling Ave be more of and elevated streetcar line or a full on elevated metro line? The reason I'm asking is I am going to make a dream transit plan map to show my friends and maybe you guys?

[ACmodels]

I believe in 2017 the public will be able to ride the LRT from Blair to Hurdman by what I have heard!

[ACmodels]

In this picture I found at one point what Ottawa was considering for the TMP? It has Streetcars for Bank St, Carling Ave and Rideau/Montreal corridors... Comment on what you think!

[FFX-ME]

That seems like a much better plan than the current phase 2. Focussing on the core instead of the suburbs.

[rocketphish]

Rats flee Ottawa's LRT tunnel

Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: November 14, 2014, Last Updated: November 14, 2014 5:10 PM EST

Ottawa’s rats are on the move, disturbed by construction of the LRT and other big road and bridge construction projects and now looking for a new home.

It could be yours.

Ottawa’s pest control companies are getting more calls recently for rats in buildings, and say tunnelling for the light rail project is one reason.

That’s because rats have a comfort zone, says Marty Rainville of Pro-Tech, a pest control form in Ottawa and Gatineau. They’re happy up to four metres underground where there’s no loud machinery.

“If there’s any construction that’s involved, putting in streets, fixing water mains, sewers — that is like taking a stick and hitting a bees’ nest … they can definitely be repelled and moved around.”

Rats scatter from the disturbance.

“They don’t like new stuff. They don’t like having disturbance. They always like the old ways,” which is why they are hard to get rid of once they find a food source they like, he said.

“They have a comfort zone.”

Simple keys to keeping rats out include not giving them a hole to enter a home, such as floor drains in the basement that connect with the sewer system; and not leaving food out where they can get it easily. That includes garbage.

It’s not the first time a big project has scared rats out of one home and into neighbouring properties. The Lansdowne construction era sent rats scurrying into neighbouring Glebe buildings.

[email protected]
twitter.com/TomSpears1

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/rats-flee-ottawas-lrt-tunnel