The train is coming: LRT track testing to start in November
Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: October 20, 2016 | Last Updated: October 20, 2016 5:52 PM EDT
Just weeks from now, Alstom Citadis Spirit trains will begin rolling along a stretch of track between Blair station and the Belfast Yard plant where they are being assembled.
They won’t pick up passengers just yet but instead will use the coming months to test and troubleshoot the fully automated LRT system in advance of its opening in 2018.
The latest milestone — expected sometime in November — in the construction of the $2.1-billion Confederation line, comes near the end of a big year for the project during which construction began or continued at all 13 LRT stations. Necessary detours were put in place to shut down a stretch of the Transitway for the conversion to rail. And, if all goes well, there will be the completion of a 2.5-kilometre tunnel underneath downtown.
Matthew Pearson brings us the latest on Ottawa’s largest construction project.
The Citizen gets a sneak peek inside the construction of the LRT lines.
Italian ingenuity
How do you build a tunnel underneath a busy Via Rail line without disrupting train service?
Ask some Italians.
Rideau Transit Group, Ottawa’s LRT builders, hired an Italian firm famous for what it calls the Verona system.
This involves building a concrete box culvert adjacent to an underpass, moving it on a horizontal sliding slab and putting it in place with hydraulic jacks. The method supports and reinforces railway tracks and allows trains above to travel at up to 80 km/h.
It’s a popular method because it ensures construction stays on schedule and means little to no interference to train traffic, said Roger Schmidt, RTG’s technical director.
The only real disruption to Via service between Montreal and Ottawa was a single overnight closure that stretched into the next morning, Schmidt said.
Tunnel graffiti
Some walls in the tunnel that connects Confederation line to Belfast Yard — officially known as the MSF Connector — are already adorned with graffiti.
In one spot, a fluorescent pink tag, outlined in black and blue paint, stands out on the sombre concrete canvas.
Ottawa Light Rail Construction is warning people to stay out of tunnels and off the tracks as it prepares to begin testing new LRT trains and systems.
O-Train Construction, the recently renamed city department overseeing the LRT project, has already sent out a memo to city councillors, schools and other agencies to warm them that trains will soon be using the tracks and that the overhead wires will soon be live.
“We’re concerned people are wandering around on the tracks,” said Steve Cripps, head of O-Train Construction. “The graffiti just highlights the need to let the public know what’s coming.”
The ties that bind
So far, about seven kilometres of rail have been laid in Belfast Yard and along the MSF Connector, and another nine kilometres have been laid along the main line between Blair station and points west. Keep in mind the line is twinned, so this actually represents about 4.5 kilometres of rail out of a total 12.5 kilometres.
St. Laurent Station under construction.
Rails are fastened in two ways. The traditional method involves attaching rail to concrete ties that sit on heavy gravel, which is called ballast.
There’s also direct fixation, which is when rails are drilled directly into concrete. This is common in the MSF Connector, the downtown tunnel and St. Laurent station.
Rail comes in 18-metre long sticks. They are pulled into place by a machine and then seamlessly welded together in the field, Schmidt explained.
Travelling above and below ground from the MSF Connector area on Belfast Road east to what will become the St. Laurent Station.
Made-in-Ottawa trains
Inside Belfast Yard, about four dozen Alstom workers are busy building trains.
Since the first one rolled off the line in July, two more have been completed. And work is underway on three others.
The goal is to complete two per month until all 34 are done.
Building trains in the same facility where they will eventually be maintained and stored overnight isn’t common for LRT projects, but it’s pretty ingenious, says Schmidt. “It’s a good innovation.”
The early usage of the Belfast Yard MSF as an assembly facility encourages the entire project team to consider the vehicle as an integral project component rather than a separate element that is added later by others, he explained. “It makes a lot of sense to do testing in the same city in which it will eventually operate.”
The trains used on Vancouver’s Canada line were built in Korea, and trains used on the city’s Millennium line were built off-site in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver, Schmidt said.
Belfast Road east to what will become the St. Laurent Station.
Rideau delay
Only about 50 metres of tunnelling remained when a massive sinkhole opened up on Rideau Street on June 8, throwing a wrench into the plans.
Work has resumed, but progress is slow. Crews are tunnelling from east to west, starting in the Rideau station cavern and working toward Sussex Drive. They’ve progressed about 20 metres, Cripps said.
In the area where the sinkhole was, RTG is using extra ground stabilization techniques, such as jet and compaction grouting. The technique involves injecting grout into the ground to make it more stable for when crews are tunnelling through, as well as for the road above.
“That’s the work that’s been going on on Rideau Street for the last week or so at night, when Rideau Street is shut down,” Cripps said.
Nightly closures began Oct. 3, but the street, as of Wednesday at 8 p.m., is closed completely between Sussex Drive and Dalhousie Street until the end of the year.
Were it not for the sinkhole, the entire 2.5-kilometre tunnel would be done already. It’s now expected to be done by the end of the year, Cripps said.
“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,” Cripps said.
It’s important to remember, he added, that work on the balance of the tunnel — including at the three underground stations — has continued.
Stations rising
Blair and Cyrville stations in the east end definitely look like stations. And in early 2017, the same will be true for stations at the other end of line — Tunney’s Pasture, Bayview and Pimisi.
“You’ll see them rising from the ground and looking more like stations similar to what Blair and Cyrville and Tremblay look like today,” said Cripps.
Construction at all stations is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2017.
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With LRT, there will only be 2 destinations initially (and up to 4 after stage 2), so it will be very easy to see when your train is coming. Once you get to the transfer station, only the buses that go to that station will be listed. Initially Tunnies Pasture will still be a bit chaotic, but once stage 2 is complete, things should be reasonable at all stations.
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