Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

That would be a piece of cake. Run all the express and 90s-series buses on the parkway, straighten out the 2 and introduce one frequent Scott-Churchill-Richmond route from Tunney's to Bayshore (2X?), and everyone in the near west end would be happy as PIS. We won't miss the smell of diesel from the trench and I'll even start a "No More Buses on the Transitway, Yes Way" movement

Cool... great answer... I was wondering the same thing. As someone who lives a stones throw from Churchill/Scott, I'm pretty excited about this already...

My fantasy would be to get rid of Dominion/Westboro stations, and put one under Island Park and the other under Churchill. The new Cleary station should be close enough for the existing Dominion traffic.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

That would be a piece of cake. Run all the express and 90s-series buses on the parkway, straighten out the 2 and introduce one frequent Scott-Churchill-Richmond route from Tunney's to Bayshore (2X?), and everyone in the near west end would be happy as PIS. We won't miss the smell of diesel from the trench and I'll even start a "No More Buses on the Transitway, Yes Way" movement

I have never smelled diesel from the trench.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

That would be a piece of cake. Run all the express and 90s-series buses on the parkway, straighten out the 2 and introduce one frequent Scott-Churchill-Richmond route from Tunney's to Bayshore (2X?), and everyone in the near west end would be happy as PIS. We won't miss the smell of diesel from the trench and I'll even start a "No More Buses on the Transitway, Yes Way" movement

Which brings up the next question. Once the Confederation Line opens, will the express buses end at an LRT station, or will they be use an alternate route downtown?

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Which brings up the next question. Once the Confederation Line opens, will the express buses end at an LRT station, or will they be use an alternate route downtown?

All express buses will end at an LRT station; either Tunney's, Hurdman, or Blair.

There's also talk of merging the locals and expresses from Orleans with all the Orleans local routes extended to Blair and all express trips renumbered as local trips. (For Kanata and Barrhaven, this would happen later on once LRT is extended to Bayshore and Baseline as locals to Tunney's would be a stretch).

[Andrew_G]

Construction accident at Bayview today. A portion of the old bridge collapsed and damaged an excavator. No injuries reported.

[eemy]

What a great picture! Does anyone know if they have broken through at any other points in the tunnel?

[MaxHeadroom]

Originally Posted by roger1818

One thing I was wondering, does anyone know why they picked Tunnies Pasture as the western end of Phase 1? Why not Westboro, since the Transitway continues there and the relative incremental cost would have been small. I can understand why beyond that wasn't feasible.

Probably because Tunneys has a larger space for an expanded platform for bus transfers which will be needed once the LRT is operation. If you've ever been through one of the TTC terminal subway stations like Finch, or Downsview, you'll understand.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

For uOttawa alum with curiosity as to how the LRT project is going,this event has been scheduled as part Alumni Week. It is free, but you need to register at the Uottawa alumni web site.

This is one of the largest engineering projects ever undertaken in the National Capital Region.

And the University of Ottawa has partnered with the City of Ottawa to help make the city's LRT dream a reality.

We welcome back uOttawa civil engineering alumnus Rock Fortier, lead of civil work on the Ottawa LRT team, to provide an update on how the project is progressing.

Limited space. Please register in advance.

Date: Saturday, May 7, 2016
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Location: SITE Building (SITE), Room A0150, 800 King Edward Ave, Ottawa

Add to calendar

[rocketphish]

Construction Update
Week of February 22

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Rebar installation in Lyon Station cavern

Lyon Station

Crews install rebar and pour concrete for the L-Wall foundation slab in Lyon Station cavern. Preparations begin to pour the pre-slab.

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Crews spray shotcrete in Parliament Station cavern

Parliament Station

In Parliament Station cavern, Jawbreaker mines the central pillar and north bench support activities continue.

In the running tunnel, Chewrocka excavates east toward Rideau Station. Tunnel support activities including shotcrete occur.

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Progress of excavation in Rideau Station cavern

Rideau Station

Crocodile Rouge excavates the station cavern in drifts. Crews complete pouring the tunnel arch final lining in the east running tunnel.

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Rock removals at Rideau Station east entrance

Downtown Integrated Stations – East and West Entrances – Lyon, Parliament and Rideau Stations

Lyon Station west entrance: line drilling and blasting continue. At the HVAC shaft, line drilling and excavation are ongoing.

Lyon Station east entrance: crews pour concrete columns and beams at the parking and concourse levels. Utility relocations including plumbing and electrical are ongoing.

Parliament Station west entrance: at the parking levels, crews complete formwork and install rebar on the escalator pit in preparation for concrete pours in the coming weeks.

Parliament Station east entrance: at ground level, demolition and removals take place. On the concourse level, concrete work and column reinforcements are ongoing.

Traffic restrictions on Queen and O’Connor streets switch to the west side of O’Connor Street.

Rideau Station east entrance: blasting and rock removals are ongoing.

Rideau Station west entrance: crews excavate and reinforce the entrance with wire mesh, whalers and shotcrete. Shoring begins on the north side of Rideau Street as part of west vent shaft works.

Traffic restrictions on Rideau Street remain in effect.

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Installing rebar and beams at Blair Station

Hurdman, Tremblay, St-Laurent, Cyrville and Blair Stations

Hurdman Station: excavation for the future station structure and backfilling continue. Crews install underground plumbing. Construction of the station’s permanent bus loop is ongoing.

Tremblay Station: crews continue building station walls and footings, and pouring concrete. Excavation for the station platform, rough-ins and plumbing work occur.

St-Laurent Station: formwork for the ceiling slabs on the north side of the future station, backfilling and concrete pours continue. Work on the south side of the station is ongoing.

Cyrville Station: crews continue forming the station walls up to Cyrville Bridge as well as the stairs for the future station.

Blair Station: crews form ceiling slabs, and install rebar and beams. Mechanical and electrical rough-ins are being installed. Backfilling and waterproofing occur.

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Rehabilitation of the south abutment of the Rideau River Transitway Bridge

Guideway Construction – CPR Overpass, Booth Street Bridge and Rideau River Transitway Bridge

CPR Overpass: crews demolish the overpass and remove materials from site.

Booth Street Bridge: crews continue forming the deck in preparation for concrete pouring. This next stage of bridge construction is expected to occur in
spring 2016.

Rideau River Transitway Bridge: work is ongoing for the next months to rehabilitate the abutments, and includes excavation of the south side.

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Upcoming Construction Activities

In the coming weeks, the following construction activities are scheduled to occur:

• Tunney’s Pasture bus loop works.
• Pimisi Station caisson installation.
• Investigative boreholes on Rideau Street.
• Deck work at the Hurdman Station elevated guideway.
• Watermain work near St-Laurent Station.
• Structural steel erection at Cyrville and Blair stations.

In the coming months:

• Tunney’s Pasture Station preliminary works.
• Bayview Station preliminary works.
• Booth Street Bridge deck pour.
• Excavation of the ramp at West Portal.
• Transitway service adjustment from Lees to Laurier stations.
• uOttawa Station construction.
• Lees Station construction.
• Guideway and trackwork along the alignment.

http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/construction/construction-update-61/

[concrete06]

Up close view of the bridge demolition by the O-train. Taken Feb 23rd

[Andrew_G]

Here we have one of the first pictures of a real Confederation Line vehicle being assembled.
Photo was released by Jim Watson via his Twitter.

[Kitchissippi]

When I saw the mockup at Lansdowne I thought the interior was sort of narrow and cramped. That photo makes the train look even narrower. The aisles by the perpendicular seats seemed really tight, if there was someone standing in them it would be difficult for someone else to squeeze through or if a seated passenger needs to get out.

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

When I saw the mockup at Lansdowne I thought the interior was sort of narrow and cramped. That photo makes the train look even narrower. The aisles by the perpendicular seats seemed really tight, if there was someone standing in them it would be difficult for someone else to squeeze through or if a seated passenger needs to get out.

I'm shuddering in fear that we'll regret forever not going with a true "high floor" subway train. This has the potential to look really cheap.

These things are designed for streets... not "long distance, grade separated" subway type systems.

[JM1]

+1

Right on the money with this comment. Ottawa transit through and through. Build something for suburban transit with the vehicles of an urban system. The compromise intended to give something for everyone but which, in the end, gives everyone nothing.

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

I'm shuddering in fear that we'll regret forever not going with a true "high floor" subway train. This has the potential to look really cheap.

These things are designed for streets... not "long distance, grade separated" subway type systems.

[Aylmer]

Well, it's no Toronto, but at 2.65m, it's actually 15cm wider than Montreal's Metro cars. I think that a big reason why it seems so cramped is because they've squeezed two sets of seats side by side in certain sections, which leaves less space for standing/walking than you'd see on the Métro.

[1overcosc]

They should replace the 2-2 seats with single parallel seats. Less seats available but more capacity overall and better circulation.

Though the system has a capacity well beyond demand for at least 20 years, so it's not a huge concern in the early years.

Calgary's LRT trains used to have a layout very similar to the one in the Lansdowne mockup, but a few years ago they switched to a parallel seating configuration to create more capacity.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

They should replace the 2-2 seats with single parallel seats. Less seats available but more capacity overall and better circulation.

Though the system has a capacity well beyond demand for at least 20 years, so it's not a huge concern in the early years.

Calgary's LRT trains used to have a layout very similar to the one in the Lansdowne mockup, but a few years ago they switched to a parallel seating configuration to create more capacity.

Likely the next batch of new trains in 10+ years will be built with less seating. If there was less seating at the start, people would be whining about it.

[JM1]

I don't know about measurements. But I do know the mock ups at Lansdowne were much tighter feeling that Montréal's metro cars. I know Montreal has narrow cars, but they still feel a lot roomier than this LRT. Having no wheel wells and fully usable deck space makes a difference.

Originally Posted by Aylmer

Well, it's no Toronto, but at 2.65m, it's actually 15cm wider than Montreal's Metro cars. I think that a big reason why it seems so cramped is because they've squeezed two sets of seats side by side in certain sections, which leaves less space for standing/walking than you'd see on the Métro.

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Calgary's LRT trains used to have a layout very similar to the one in the Lansdowne mockup, but a few years ago they switched to a parallel seating configuration to create more capacity.

But Calgary is really a street level LRT... Edmonton is much more a true subway train.

Montreal Metro may be narrow, but at least people aren't crawling up and down over wheel wells all the time.

This low floor concept really doesn't fit to what is essentially a full blown grade separated subway type system.

Would it really have cost that much more to put high floor cars on the system?

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Likely the next batch of new trains in 10+ years will be built with less seating. If there was less seating at the start, people would be whining about it.

They don't new trains to reduce seating. They can just redo the seating layout of existing trains.