Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[Buggys]

Given the various possible branches, I think it would be less confusing if they use 1 for confederation line and 2 for Trillium Line. Then, letters to say what the end station is (or just say what the end station is).

[TMA-1]

First photo is of University of Ottawa at the Canal tunnel. When I took the second picture below 15 years ago no one thought the present level of construction would take place. I suppose it still *isn't*, north-south. It was enough at the time to keep rubber tired vehicles off the rail bridge to Hull. No wonder I couldn't find the Ped. tunnel when I walked UfO at night last week. The bridge over Greenfield was being erected. Long, unexpected, walk to Laurier just to figure out where I was.

I like the dazzle camouflage motif.




UfO D828287 by Chuck Clark, on Flickr


The three Talents from 15 years ago.



ottawa 0107-005 by Chuck Clark, on Flickr

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Construction Update
Week of October 10

At uOttawa Station, the station begins to take shape with crews completing a large concrete pour for the suspended slab. At the integrated entrances, to date crews have poured more than fifty percent of the concrete required.

• Vehicle testing and Overhead Catenary System will be energized in phases along the guideway between Belfast Yard and Blair Station.
• Traction power sub station installations along the alignment.

http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/construction/construction-update-94/

[Uhuniau]

That shot of U of O is stunning! It took me a long time to recognize what I was looking at.

[PHrenetic]

Good Day...
...me too....absolutely beautiful.
Only recognized the uOttawa station as the clue.
EnJoyed.

[Cre47]

Anybody posted this by chance?

http://www.octranspo.com/images/files/maps/detours/2016/DOWNTOWN_Detour_17Oct2016.pdf

[ortelius]

Rideau Street to close as sinkhole repair slows tunnel construction
'They're behind where they wanted to be on this,' city's O-Train construction director says


Construction delays precipitated by June's sinkhole on Rideau Street have prompted the City of Ottawa to shut down a busy stretch of the road to all vehicular traffic so crews scrambling to complete the light rail tunnel underneath can work around the clock.

The closure, from Sussex Drive to Dalhousie Street, will go into effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday and will remain in effect until the end of December, the city said. Buses will be re-routed, and taxis and deliveries will be forced to steer clear of the area.

Rideau Transit Group, the construction consortium building the Confederation Line, needs to inject grout-like material into the ground to stabilize the area surrounding the concrete that was poured into the crevasse caused by the sinkhole before workers can complete the final 35 metres of the 2.5-kilometre tunnel.

"They were delayed in that area because of the sinkhole under Rideau," said Steve Cripps, director of O-Train construction of RTG. "They're behind where they wanted to be on this."

RTG wanted 24/7 closure from outset

Cripps said RTG always wanted Rideau closed around the clock, but the city asked the consortium to try working from 8 p.m to 6 a.m. instead.

"They tried overnight only, but the production rate was not what they needed it to be to remain on schedule."

RTG would be on the hook for costly penalties if it does not complete the LRT by spring of 2018.

Cripps said working around the clock will also let crews avoid winter weather as much as possible.

The final decision to close the road to traffic was made in the last few days, so businesses along Rideau had little notice of the impending road closure.

Sidewalks will remain open to pedestrians, but the 200-metre stretch of road near Rideau Centre will be off-limits to buses, taxis and delivery trucks for more than two months.

That section has been restricted to those vehicles for more than a year due to construction, and overnight detours have recently been in place.

OC Transpo has made the following changes because of the closure:

Routes 1 and 7 will operate via Daly Avenue and will stop at the intersections of Rideau and Dalhousie streets, and Daly and Nicholas Street.
Routes 2 and 4 will operate along Albert and Slater streets, ending at the corner of Elgin and Sparks streets.
Route 9 will start at Rideau and Sussex and end at Rideau and Dalhousie.
Routes 12 and 18 will stop at Rideau and Dalhousie and will end at Daly and Nicholas. That intersection will become the starting point for eastbound trips.
Route 14 will run on the Mackenzie King Bridge.
Free OC Transpo buses will run from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from the ByWard Market to the Mackenzie King Bridge, where passengers can transfer to Transitway routes.

This closure is similar to the road closures put in place as construction crews worked to repair a large sinkhole on Rideau near Sussex in June.

The Confederation Line is due to be finished in 2018, in the city has said the project remains on time and on budget.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/rideau-street-closure-construction-1.3810608

[Guideway]

Originally Posted by ortelius

Rideau Street to close as sinkhole repair slows tunnel construction
'They're behind where they wanted to be on this,' city's O-Train construction director says


Construction delays precipitated by June's sinkhole on Rideau Street have prompted the City of Ottawa to shut down a busy stretch of the road to all vehicular traffic so crews scrambling to complete the light rail tunnel underneath can work around the clock.

The closure, from Sussex Drive to Dalhousie Street, will go into effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday and will remain in effect until the end of December, the city said. Buses will be re-routed, and taxis and deliveries will be forced to steer clear of the area.

Rideau Transit Group, the construction consortium building the Confederation Line, needs to inject grout-like material into the ground to stabilize the area surrounding the concrete that was poured into the crevasse caused by the sinkhole before workers can complete the final 35 metres of the 2.5-kilometre tunnel.

"They were delayed in that area because of the sinkhole under Rideau," said Steve Cripps, director of O-Train construction of RTG. "They're behind where they wanted to be on this."

RTG wanted 24/7 closure from outset

Cripps said RTG always wanted Rideau closed around the clock, but the city asked the consortium to try working from 8 p.m to 6 a.m. instead.

"They tried overnight only, but the production rate was not what they needed it to be to remain on schedule."

RTG would be on the hook for costly penalties if it does not complete the LRT by spring of 2018.

Cripps said working around the clock will also let crews avoid winter weather as much as possible.

The final decision to close the road to traffic was made in the last few days, so businesses along Rideau had little notice of the impending road closure.

Sidewalks will remain open to pedestrians, but the 200-metre stretch of road near Rideau Centre will be off-limits to buses, taxis and delivery trucks for more than two months.

That section has been restricted to those vehicles for more than a year due to construction, and overnight detours have recently been in place.

OC Transpo has made the following changes because of the closure:

Routes 1 and 7 will operate via Daly Avenue and will stop at the intersections of Rideau and Dalhousie streets, and Daly and Nicholas Street.
Routes 2 and 4 will operate along Albert and Slater streets, ending at the corner of Elgin and Sparks streets.
Route 9 will start at Rideau and Sussex and end at Rideau and Dalhousie.
Routes 12 and 18 will stop at Rideau and Dalhousie and will end at Daly and Nicholas. That intersection will become the starting point for eastbound trips.
Route 14 will run on the Mackenzie King Bridge.
Free OC Transpo buses will run from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from the ByWard Market to the Mackenzie King Bridge, where passengers can transfer to Transitway routes.

This closure is similar to the road closures put in place as construction crews worked to repair a large sinkhole on Rideau near Sussex in June.

The Confederation Line is due to be finished in 2018, in the city has said the project remains on time and on budget.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/rideau-street-closure-construction-1.3810608

Why don't they simply just run all the buses through Mackenzie king and make them stop there aswell? What they did just complicates everything.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Guideway

Why don't they simply just run all the buses through Mackenzie king and make them stop there aswell? What they did just complicates everything.

Thanks, Mathieu Fleury!

Honest to pete.

[lrt's friend]

Ha ha! Didn't I say this? Close the street until the tunnel is finished and secure.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Guideway

Why don't they simply just run all the buses through Mackenzie king and make them stop there aswell? What they did just complicates everything.

My guess is that the stops on the MKB are already close to capacity, so adding all of those routes would put it over the edge and create a huge bottleneck.

[OTSkyline]

Looking at that great shot from OttawaU, it — that the confed line couldn't "dip" under campus after Lees and be underground through the whole campus more in the middle (vis-a-vis Cumberland St). That way it would've made it more of an urban system and it would've been better for OttawaU students AND Sandy Hill residents, bringing the station closer to where people live or want/need to go... As it stands now, the system is on the very edge of campus; meaning most people need to walk several hundred feet to their building afterwards anyways.

This would've also freed up some space along the canal IF we wanted to add a lane or two to Nicholas to ease congestion.

Just a thought...

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Looking at that great shot from OttawaU, it — that the confed line couldn't "dip" under campus after Lees and be underground through the whole campus more in the middle (vis-a-vis Cumberland St). That way it would've made it more of an urban system and it would've been better for OttawaU students AND Sandy Hill residents, bringing the station closer to where people live or want/need to go... As it stands now, the system is on the very edge of campus; meaning most people need to walk several hundred feet to their building afterwards anyways.

This would've also freed up some space along the canal IF we wanted to add a lane or two to Nicholas to ease congestion.

Just a thought...

If I recall correctly, the original plan called for the station to be in the current location... but fully underground.

That was sacrificed in the name of "cost savings" by bringing the LRT to the surface sooner and having an exposed station....

So as sensible as your thought is... I guess just be happy they decided to keep a station there at all

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Looking at that great shot from OttawaU, it — that the confed line couldn't "dip" under campus after Lees and be underground through the whole campus more in the middle (vis-a-vis Cumberland St). That way it would've made it more of an urban system and it would've been better for OttawaU students AND Sandy Hill residents, bringing the station closer to where people live or want/need to go... As it stands now, the system is on the very edge of campus; meaning most people need to walk several hundred feet to their building afterwards anyways.

The current station does serve eastern parts of the Golden Triangle via the Corktown Footbridge, so it isn't a total loss, though I do agree it would be better further east. Moving it further east would also having to have such a sharp turn after Rideau. The problem with Cumberland St is it ends at University Private, and then there are a bunch of towers in the way which you would need to tunnel deep under, making it difficult to come to the surface. It would probably have to be Copernicus St./Louis-Pasture Pvt. or more likely King Edward, which would mean a significantly longer tunnel.

This would've also freed up some space along the canal IF we wanted to add a lane or two to Nicholas to ease congestion.

Umm. Adding a lane or two to Nicolas would actually increase congestion. All those extra cars have to go somewhere ... unless you are proposing that we put a giant parking garage at the corner of Nicolas and Laurier.

[rocketphish]

Stretch of Rideau closed until end of year for LRT work

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: October 19, 2016 | Last Updated: October 19, 2016 1:39 PM EDT



Construction of Ottawa’s light-rail transit system has forced the city to shut down a short stretch of Rideau Street in the same area where a massive sinkhole in June swallowed three lanes and a parked van.

From 8 p.m. Wednesday until the end of December, Rideau will be closed to all vehicular traffic between Sussex Drive and Dalhousie Street.

Buses, taxis and delivery vehicles are currently the only vehicles allowed to use that section of Rideau, but a detour will soon be in place for taxis and delivery vehicles. Pedestrian access to businesses and residences will not be affected, the city says.

The changes — announced late Tuesday — also affect eight OC Transpo routes (see details below).

Rideau Transit Group, Ottawa’s LRT builder, requested the 24/7 closure after a limited nightly shutdown between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., which began on Oct. 3, didn’t give crews sufficient time to complete the work that needs to be done.

Workers are injecting grout into the area of the sinkhole to provide more stable and stronger ground to support the road above and the tunnelling work below, said Steve Cripps, head of O-Train Construction.

RTG is trying to finish excavating the 2.5-kilometre underground tunnel, which would have been done by now were it not for the June 8 sinkhole.

But Cripps said the company is taking steps to “get them back where they need to be.”

“It’s obviously something we’re watching and we’re working closely with RTG on, but they’ve committed to us to take all reasonable measures to get themselves back to where they need to be and keep themselves on schedule,” he said.

Calling it “one of the most difficult parts of this project,” transportation services general manager John Manconi said Wednesday he understands the latest changes are a further disruption to transit users and commuters, as well as some Rideau Street businesses.

“I always remind them of what’s coming at the end of the day — state-of-the-art, multi-billion-dollar system that for their community will be fantastic, and yes there is some pain, that’s part of doing a transformative city-building project,” he said.

Jasna Jennings, executive director of the ByWard Market BIA, doesn’t anticipate problems for businesses after the Rideau Street closure. It’s more of a disruption for the transit services, she said.

“I don’t think we’re going to see that because the vast majority of buses are using Mackenzie King Bridge anyways,” Jennings said.

A report on the cause of the sinkhole has yet to be released and Manconi wouldn’t say when it will be ready.

“When we can share that, we’ll share it publicly,” he said.

OC Transpo routes that normally serve Rideau Street will be affected in the following ways:

• Routes 1 and 7 will operate via Daly Avenue and will stop at the intersection of Rideau Street and Dalhousie Street and Daly Avenue and Nicholas Street
• Routes 2 and 4 will operate along Albert Street and Slater Street and will end at the corner of Elgin Street and Sparks Street
• Route 9 will end at Dalhousie Street and Rideau Street and will start at Sussex Drive and Rideau Street
• Routes 12 and 18 will stop at Rideau Street and Dalhousie Street and will end at Daly Avenue and Nicholas Street. The first stop for eastbound trips will be at Daly Avenue and Nicholas Street
• Route 14 will operate via the Mackenzie King Bridge

Sections of routes 2 and 4 east of the Rideau Canal and routes 9 and 12 west of the canal will no longer operate.

These changes could be a headache for some cross-town riders.

For example, riders of the eastbound 2 that normally transfer to the eastbound 12 on Rideau Street will have to get off on Slater at Bank or Metcalfe and pick up any bus to continue to Mackenzie King Bridge. From there, the customer will walk to the temporary stop on Daly or the stop on Rideau just west of Cumberland and board a 12 eastbound.

Westbound, riders would transfer to any westbound bus on Mackenzie Bridge and then catch the 2 on Albert at either Metcalfe or Bank after which it returns to its regular route.

During the closure, a free OC Transpo shuttle service will be offered from Thursday to Saturday between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. between the ByWard Market and the Mackenzie King Bridge with various pick-up locations.

For more information, OC Transpo customers should visit octranspo.com and STO customers should visit sto.ca.

With files from Jon Willing

[email protected]
twitter.com/mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/stretch-of-rideau-closed-until-end-of-year-for-lrt-work

[rocketphish]

Transit commission OKs the O-Train's big red O

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: October 19, 2016 | Last Updated: October 19, 2016 4:50 PM EDT

The big red O is a go.

Illuminated Os — which will mark the stops on Ottawa’s LRT system and help the city establish a new brand for public transportation in Canada’s capital — were given the green light by the transit commission Tuesday.

The design of the O comes from the existing logos for the O-Train and OC Transpo. It will be featured prominently at LRT stations, starting with the 13 stops on the first phase of the Confederation Line.

OC Transpo was looking to make its branding clear, simple, intuitive and attractive, said Pat Scrimgeour, director of transit systems and planning.

Other “signature” design elements of the transit system will be the labelling of the two train lines – Confederation Line LRT will be the 1, marked on maps in red; Trillium Line will be the 2, marked in green – and black and white directional signs on the train platforms.

The design overhaul is part of a new labelling and wayfinding approach for the entire transit network.

Some advocates for people with a particular type of colour blindness have said using shades of red and green is a “bad idea” because it discriminates against people with a green vision deficiency. People who have red-green colour blindness have difficulty distinguishing between the two colours.

But Transpo believes it has done sufficient work to make sure the transit map won’t confuse customers with vision disabilities. All maps and signs produced and installed on the transit company’s network will meet accessibility requirements and will provide sufficient contrast for readers with most forms of red-green colour blindness, Scrimgeour said.

Scrimgeour also outlined OC Transpo’s plan for renting out retail space in some of the LRT stations.

Transpo will hire a property management expert to guide the development of the commercial spaces, which, in the first phase of LRT, would be at Tunney’s Pasture, Rideau, Hurdman and Blair stations. No extra city money would support the retail spaces, which could generate a small amount of rental revenue for Transpo.

According to Transpo’s research across 11 other transit agencies, the typical retail services are convenience stores, coffee shops, flower shops and vending machines. Seasonal stores and pop-up shops could also be options.

Crediting a clever resident who came up with the idea, Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper told the commission a possible name for a tailor shop at Blair station could be “Blair Stitch Project.”

[email protected]
twitter.com/mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/transit-commission-oks-o-trains-big-red-o

[PHrenetic]

Good Day...
from Sun Life Financial Center, Construction update : 2016 October 14 : Quote:

The LRT construction is well underway. The Station’s structural steel construction is mostly complete
and the roof concrete pour is expected to occur this month along with the pouring of the interior stairs.
As the winter months approach, the focus moves to the interior of the Station including the concrete
pour of the stairs and the pedestrian connection.
We have been informed by the City that in the next few weeks exterior noisy activity and equipment
will continue to take place with line drilling and rock removal of the west tunnel and excavation
continuing on the west side of O’Connor at Queen.
LRT construction within the parking garage is winding down with very little activity expected over
the remainder of their work.
UnQuote.

http://sunlifefinancialcentreottawa.com/...6/10/Construction-Update-Autumn-2016.pdf

Just an additional bit of FYI.
EnJoy.

[acottawa]

In hindsight, I wonder if it would have been better to put the LRT under Daly, which would have lined up better with Queen and could be closed with minimal disruption.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by acottawa

In hindsight, I wonder if it would have been better to put the LRT under Daly, which would have lined up better with Queen and could be closed with minimal disruption.

I think the NAC underground parking lot is in the way. Not sure, but the Rideau Centre parking might also be under Daly.

[Richard Eade]

Even in hindsight having the tunnel under Daly would not been better. Yes, closing Daly would be less disruptive than closing Rideau, but that is one of the very few things in favour of that routing. I’m sure others can come up with lots of reasons for not using a Daly route, but here is a partial list:

• The tunnel would have been closer to the NAC, which is a very sensitive receiver.
• The tunnel would still have gone through part of the till-filled rock valley.
• The Right of Way along Daly is much narrower than that of Rideau (i.e., ~16m vs. ~30m).
• The pedestrian environment along the stretch of Daly under the Rideau Centre is miserable, at best.
• The Rideau Canal blocks pedestrian movement to the west (i.e., no bridge).
• Physical connection to the Rideau Centre would, likely, have been more difficult.
• Station access would, likely, have been exclusively through the Rideau Centre.
• The station would have been further from the targeted Byward Market.
• The shorter Rideau Centre to uOttawa Station track distance would have forced an even steeper LRT climb.

I could go on, but I think you get the point; that Daly Avenue was not really an option. There is a lot more to choosing a route than just looking at a map, or counting cars on a road.

[Richard Eade]

I didn't notice anyone posting this link yet.
Ottawa Citizen Video

It is an update on the MSF link and the St. Laurent Station from a few days ago.