Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Vanier

There is an almost Marie Antoinette attitude in this city of let the "plebes" take the bus (they have no choice) because we need to get the suburbs to "buy in" to mass transit with shinny new trains. This argument is so back assward...it doesn't merit rebuttal.

There is no "almost" about it: not in so many words it is the official transit planning policy of the city of Ottawa, and the official transit operating philosophy of OC Transpo.

I wish OC Transpo managers, city councillors, and city planners would bother to show their faces some mornings on Montreal Road or Beechwood when there are 10, 15, 20 people - in some cases more - waiting at bus stops for 12s, 7s, sometimes even the 1s that originate in Rockcliffe, that are already crush-loaded by the time those (usually 40-foot) buses arrive, and then tell the good people, in all seriousness, that there are no problems with capacity on these routes.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by JM1

Actually, there are several routes where surface LRT could work.

1. Rideau-Montreal

Too bad the Very Smart People at the city killed the LRT study on that corridor and condemned Rideau Street and Vanier to crappy bus service for the rest of this century.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

You know that they will likely build 3rd line in the future? Maybe that line will help solve some of the problems you see.

Right now the LRT is running in such a way that most of the old Transitway line from out afar to downtown is covered.

That "future" is long after we are dead, and likely long after the next generation is also dead.

The city's finances and politics are committed to building LRT to all the far suburbs first. And, by the time the finances and politics will be able to turn its attention to building real mass transit to serve people who actually live in older, denser, transit-supportive neighbourhoods, the current and booked LRT projects will be requiring expensive life-cycle maintenance work.

It will be the 23rd century before Ottawa might have real mass transit within its old urban core.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by acottawa

The "upgrade" was probably a mistake, but the initial project cost $21M and ran close to capacity, so I would argue it was a good value. A Montreal Road subway would cost billions and run way below capacity, so I don't think that would be a good value (100x the cost, same number of passengers). If Vanier had a disused rail line that was already grade separated I would totally support an o-train type project.

It would only need to be underground from the Rideau Canal to the Vanier Parkway. East of that, it could run on the surface.

[zzptichka]

Not sure if the forum is broken or it's just me but I feel like I'm reading the same posts over and over again.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

It is also about urban renewal and Vanier has a bunch of empty lots that need redevelopment. And as long as there is only a bus, any redevelopment will be low density.

And as long as there's low-density redevelopment, there'll only ever be buses.

And as long as those buses are being run by the city of Ottawa, they will be too short, too infrequent, and too crowded.

The CFB lands project would have been the perfect opportunity to break that cycle, and build some REAL urban development along with REAL urban transit, all at the same time. But no, we get more suburban crap. Ottawa sure loves its suburban crap.

[Andrew_G]

Okay well I think everyone gets the point. If not, they probably never will. Confederation Line is as it is and we cannot change the past. Whether or not you think the current plan or future plans are adequate, I think it is time the conversation move on or a new thread be created. The topic of this thread is the Confederation Line section to open by 2018, not a theoretical discussion about elements that are to come after or 'should have been'.

[rocketphish]

Multimedia experience in LRT tunnel is latest Ottawa 2017 signature event

OBJ Staff
Published on March 30, 2016



The Ottawa 2017 Bureau is going underground with its latest signature event announced Wednesday.

The LRT’s Confederation Line may not be up and running until May 2018, but over a 10-week period during Canada’s 150th birthday year, the Lyon Station will be home to what the bureau is calling an “impressive underground multimedia production.”

“Knowing the importance of the Confederation Line to Ottawa’s future, this was the very first concept that I proposed when I took the role of leading the Ottawa 2017 celebrations, and this is the program element that I’m most proud of,” Ottawa 2017 Bureau executive director Guy Laflamme said in a statement. “This Ottawa 2017 signature event will be more than just entertainment. We want to elevate people’s souls and inspire them to do great things, in 2017 and beyond.”

The bureau said it completed an “open, competitive process” to find a company to produce the event before turning to Montreal’s Moment Factory, the same firm that in 2010 produced the first Mosaika sound and light show on Parliament Hill.

Moment Factory co-founder Sakchin Bessette said it was an honour to collaborate on what he called a “momentum-building project” that will tell the story of a city moving toward a connected future.

“At Moment Factory, we tell stories with light, video and sound. But more than this, we bridge the divide between the digital and physical realms to allow a sense of magic to flourish,” he said in a statement.

The project will shine a spotlight on light rail and its role in transforming the capital, the bureau said, building anticipation for the project before it officially opens.

The full concept and title of the multimedia experience will be revealed at a later date, but a promotional video posted on Vimeo is telling viewers to get ready to embark on a journey in time.

http://www.obj.ca/Local/2016-03-30/artic...-is-latest-Ottawa-2017-signature-event/1

[rocketphish]

I guess this means that at least the elevators and escalators will have to be ready by then.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by MoreTrains

The Confederation line would have served us much better if it had continued from the Rideau Centre to St Laurent via Rideau/Montreal and then down St Laurent to the current alignement heading east. But even this leaves major flaws in the transit scheme.

There certainly would be several advantages of this route; however, this route wouldn't serve UofO or the Train station. Also, buses from the southern transitway wouldn't have a good transfer point to the LRT, so they would continue to run on downtown streets.

The reasons for choosing the current route are:

1. Albert and Slater streets had reached maximum bus capacity.
2. It is much cheaper to reuse the transitway than it would be to use a new route (true the tunnel is new, but that is where the bottleneck is).

OCTranspo's mantra is it is better to use an existing right of way, even if it isn't optimal than it is to use the optimal but more expensive new right of way. I don't subscribe to that philosophy, but that is their mindset.

Very interesting link provided by FFX-ME. The link to show only the Ottawa population map is here. Looking to the west, it shows that for the Bayshore extension, it would make far more sense to split before Lincoln Fields and run up Richmond instead of paralleling the Queensway, with stations at Croyden and Grenon.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by roger1818

There certainly would be several advantages of this route; however, this route wouldn't serve UofO or the Train station. Also, buses from the southern transitway wouldn't have a good transfer point to the LRT, so they would continue to run on downtown streets.

The reasons for choosing the current route are:

1. Albert and Slater streets had reached maximum bus capacity.
2. It is much cheaper to reuse the transitway than it would be to use a new route (true the tunnel is new, but that is where the bottleneck is).

OCTranspo's mantra is it is better to use an existing right of way, even if it isn't optimal than it is to use the optimal but more expensive new right of way. I don't subscribe to that philosophy, but that is their mindset.

Very interesting link provided by FFX-ME. The link to show only the Ottawa population map is here. Looking to the west, it shows that for the Bayshore extension, it would make far more sense to split before Lincoln Fields and run up Richmond instead of paralleling the Queensway, with stations at Croyden and Grenon.

A second map would be needed to do a full proper assessment and that is a map of employment density.

The city's choice of rebuilding the Transitways offered the least cost and risk but at the same time offers the least opportunity to grow ridership beyond current levels.

The population density map shows that a Montreal Road route would be preferable especially when the Rockcliffe project goes ahead. But without the employment densities, we are not getting the full picture, and that would have better shown the advantages of the Transitway route.

In the end, we are better off to connect employment nodes (retail and offices) with rapid transit instead of residential areas. Local transit serving residential areas is also better off if they connect to at least one employment node.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Multimedia experience in LRT tunnel is latest Ottawa 2017 signature event

OBJ Staff
Published on March 30, 2016



video posted on Vimeo

http://www.obj.ca/Local/2016-03-30/artic...-is-latest-Ottawa-2017-signature-event/1

Nice. Looking forward to it. Too bad Brookfield didn't take advantage of the subway to revamp their concourse before 2017. It will be kind of a bummer for people to visit the Lyon Station and then come out in that craptastic 80s mall.

Originally Posted by roger1818

There certainly would be several advantages of this route; however, this route wouldn't serve UofO or the Train station. Also, buses from the southern transitway wouldn't have a good transfer point to the LRT, so they would continue to run on downtown streets.

The reasons for choosing the current route are:

1. Albert and Slater streets had reached maximum bus capacity.
2. It is much cheaper to reuse the transitway than it would be to use a new route (true the tunnel is new, but that is where the bottleneck is).

OCTranspo's mantra is it is better to use an existing right of way, even if it isn't optimal than it is to use the optimal but more expensive new right of way. I don't subscribe to that philosophy, but that is their mindset.

Very interesting link provided by FFX-ME. The link to show only the Ottawa population map is here. Looking to the west, it shows that for the Bayshore extension, it would make far more sense to split before Lincoln Fields and run up Richmond instead of paralleling the Queensway, with stations at Croyden and Grenon.

Another solution would have been a hybrid of what we're doing now and what was initially planned with the conversion. Build rapid transit from Blair to Baseline, and double track the current O-Train, but keep the diesel technology. Money saved with the Bayshore extension and outside the Greenbelt to Orleans and Riverside South (and by killing any BRT plans such as Moodie) could have been invested to start the Bank-Rideau-Montreal subway.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Nice. Looking forward to it. Too bad Brookfield didn't take advantage of the subway to revamp their concourse before 2017. It will be kind of a bummer for people to visit the Lyon Station and then come out in that craptastic 80s mall.

What happened to the plan for a new podium building? I thought that was when they would fix the food court area.

[MalcolmTucker]

Electric tech isn't really the costly part of the upgrade.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

A second map would be needed to do a full proper assessment and that is a map of employment density.

Very true. That is the missing piece from that map.

In the end, we are better off to connect employment nodes (retail and offices) with rapid transit instead of residential areas. Local transit serving residential areas is also better off if they connect to at least one employment node.

People don't typically travel from one employment node to another. They usually travel from home to work and back. As a result, you don't need to connect all of the employment nodes together, but instead connect from where they live (or a connection point they can easily get to) to where they work or go to school. People tend to work in much higher density environments than they live (people want more living space than work space), so it is easier for rapid transit to serve office districts than residential ones. As a result, most people will likely have to change modes of transit and not have one mode that does everything for them.

[rocketphish]

Construction Update
Week of March 28

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Crews prepare to pour concrete for the L-walls in Lyon Station cavern

Lyon Station

In Lyon Station cavern, crews begin waterproofing the station arch and continue pouring concrete for the L-walls. In the running tunnel between Lyon and Parliament stations, waterproofing, rebar installation and concrete pours continue as part of tunnel arch final lining.

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Excavation progress in Parliament Station cavern

Parliament Station

In Parliament Station cavern, Jawbreaker excavates the last sections of the cavern and crews continue applying shotcrete as part of cavern support activities. In the running tunnel, excavation continues moving east past
Elgin Street along with support activities such as shotcrete and rockbolt installation.

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Cavern support activities in Rideau Station cavern

Rideau Station

In Rideau Station cavern, Crocodile Rouge mines the central pillar and cavern support activities are ongoing.

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Excavation progress at Lyon Station west entrance

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

Lyon Station west entrance: crews continue blasting in anticipation of a breakthrough to the Lyon Station cavern adit. At the HVAC shaft, crews install rockbolts as part of support activities. At the west vent shaft, crews complete soldier pile drilling and begin excavation. Initial work at the east vent shaft also begins.

Lyon Station east entrance: formwork and rebar installation continue, along with plumbing and HVAC work.

Parliament Station west entrance: on the ground level, crews pour concrete for the stairs and the escalator.

Parliament Station east entrance: concrete pier and column reinforcements continue on the concourse level, along with structural steel installation. Queen Street remains closed between Bank and O’Connor streets until end of day April 2, 2016 to relocate the watermain.

Rideau Station east entrance: crews continue hoe ramming activities and remove materials from site.

Rideau Station west entrance: crews install reinforcements including tiebacks and whaler beams. Drilling continues at the west vent shaft on the north side of Rideau Street.

Traffic restrictions on Rideau Street remain in effect.

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Crews form the stairs at Blair Station

Tunney’s Pasture, Pimisi, Hurdman, Tremblay, St-Laurent, Cyrville and Blair Stations

Tunney’s Pasture Station: crews continue excavation as part of temporary bus loop construction.

Pimisi Station: crews prepare for initial excavation.

Hurdman Station: mobilization continues as crews begin permanent bus loop construction. Installation of the mud slab is ongoing, along with excavation for the escalators and elevators.

Tremblay Station: crews pour concrete, begin shoring for the stairwell and install the ductbanks and hoarding. Backfilling at the platform occurs, along with waterproofing for the escalators and elevators.

St-Laurent Station: crews continue working on grade beams and mechanical and electrical works are ongoing. Installation of the sanitary sewers continues. Excavation, backfilling and rebar installation also occur.

Cyrville Station: structural steel installations takes place. Backfilling also occurs, along with mechanical and electrical work.

Blair Station: crews pour the suspended slab, install structural steel and continue forming stairs.

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Installing formwork on the deck at the Booth Street Bridge

Guideway Construction – Booth Street Bridge, Hurdman Station and St-Laurent to Blair Stations

Booth Street Bridge: crews install formwork on the deck and abutments.

Hurdman Station Elevated Guideway: crews begin installing the deck.

St-Laurent Station to Blair Station: crews begin mobilizing this week to continue trackwork, OCS foundations and duct bank work along the guideway.

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Upcoming Construction Activities

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

• Watermain work near St-Laurent Station, along the guideway.
• Bus operator’s building construction at Blair Station.

In the coming months:

• Tunney’s Pasture Station construction.
• Bayview Station preliminary construction.
• Pimisi Station construction.
• Excavation of the ramp at West Portal.
• Excavation of the ramp at East Portal.
• Transitway service adjustment from Lees to Laurier stations.
• uOttawa Station construction.
• Mann Avenue Bridge rehabilitation.
• Lees Station construction.

http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/construction/construction-update-66/

[acottawa]

Not sure if these have been posted, the Queen street consultation has renders of the 4 downtown entrances.

http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/planning-a...ng-ottawa/open-house-boards-9-march-2016

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Not sure if these have been posted, the Queen street consultation has renders of the 4 downtown entrances.

http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/planning-a...ng-ottawa/open-house-boards-9-march-2016

Dear whoever at city hall reads this:

The structure of the "documents" pages and sub-pages is truly awful.

Thank you.

[Richard Eade]

So the Parliament Cavern excavation must be complete. That roadheader looks as if it has been parked on the left for a while.

[zzptichka]

Where is that from?