Watson 'disappointed' O-Train upgrade failed to reach frequency target
Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: December 21, 2015 | Last Updated: December 21, 2015 4:53 PM EST
Mayor Jim Watson says he’s “disappointed” the $60-million O-Train expansion has failed to live up to the promise of a train every eight minutes.
When council approved the project in 2011, one of its main selling features was slashing the wait time between trains from 15 minutes to eight minutes. But OC Transpo officials now say the original design frequency of eight-to-10 minutes was “an ambitious goal,” and admit the current frequency is closer to 11 -to-11.5 minutes.
“When we were told about the plan, it was going to be faster and more frequent service and we haven’t lived up to that, and obviously I’m disappointed,” Watson said. “I think this is a good lesson for us to make sure we continue to push our staff for the details to make sure what they’re promising us and what they’re delivering are the same thing.”
The news about lower-than-expected frequency is another black eye for the O-Train expansion, which was months overdue when it finally left the station in March of this year.
On the day of the opening, a mechanical failure caused an hour-long delay on the rail line, just as the city tried launch the expanded service with some fanfare, having invited media to a 9:30 a.m. briefing at Carleton University. Drivers didn’t even get the trains out of the yard the following day before more troubles set in, as an “electronic problem” at one of the switching stations knocked out service and left officials red-faced for a second day in a row.
Despite those initial hiccups, OC Transpo says the service has been running at 98 per cent of all planned trips, albeit less frequently than initially desired.
The transit operator blames several factors, such as timing delays with the signal system, reduced travelling speeds and longer-than-expected “dwell times” at stations as passengers get on and off the train.
But it’s far from a complete failure, says transit operations manager Troy Charter.
The $60 million expanded ridership capacity from four trains an hour to five or six, improved station platforms, and paid for six new trains that use newer technology and belch out fewer emissions. “The train is coming more often, it just hasn’t met the target that was established in the business case,” Charter said.
Average weekday ridership before the expansion was in the 13,000-to-14,000 range, but in September, the numbers were higher, peaking at more than 17,000 riders on Sept. 9.
OC Transpo has tried to improve frequency by making minor adjustments to the track alignment, optimizing the timing of signal at the crossing where the Trillium line and Via Rail tracks intersect, and warning passengers about delays caused by holding or blocking doorways.
“We’re going to continue to work on this and continue to make incremental improvements,” Charter said, adding OC Transpo may also replace spring switches and make track alignment changes at Carleton station, but will wait until next summer to minimize the effect of a possible service adjustment on customers.
Before the expansion, it took an average of 13 minutes for riders to travel end-to-end between Greenboro and Bayview stations, and most customers waited an average of 7.5 minutes for the train. While that wait time has been trimmed by about 90 seconds, the average end-to-end trip is now two minutes longer.
“It’s a more comfortable service with the new trains, but it’s not as fast as it should be,” the mayor said.
[email protected]
twitter.com/mpearson78
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...upgrade-failed-to-reach-frequency-target
Prev
Linear Mode
