Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by OtrainUser

There are lots of condos in the same area and there are people like me who live close by.

Place Du Portage does get busy on Saturdays even though there are no government workers working that day

Now if Place de Ville had more residential and condo units nearby like Place du Centre at Place du Portage does then it would be busier beyond regular office hours.

Do condo owners like hanging out in basements of office buildings? Most Toronto or Montreal office building basements are pretty dead as well. I lived in Centretown for several years and I don't think I ever thought to go to PdV on a Saturday.

I think PdP is a little different because there is nothing else around.

[ars]

Saw an LRT train hanging around at the Blair station yesterday from the highway, looking good

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

Kanata, 5:30pm, Spring, 2019:
"Honey, why don't we hop on octranspo and head downtown to the mall?"
"Sure, dear, sounds like fun!"
1.5 hours, one car drive, and three transfers later
"Oooo Honey, this underground tunnel mall sure is good for after-work hours shopping, I'm so glad we came all the way downtown for the pharmacy and flower shop! Shall we have Subway for dinner *wink wink* pun intended?" - said nobody ever.

For sure. That is total nonsense! No husband would ever suggest going shopping with his wife regardless of the mall (unless it contained a Canadian Tire, Cabela's or other man store).

Seriously though, I think you missed the part where I said, "It won't become a Rideau Centre or anything like that." I don't expect it to be a destination unto its own right, but with thousands (possibly tens of thousands) of people walking through the mall to get to/from the LRT station, it can't help but improve business.

The only thing this 'mall' has going for it is that the tower workers will now walk through it 100% of the time, instead of only during the winter.

Plus many of those in other office towers to the north and south will be funnelled through this mall. That increase in foot traffic will make it more viable for more and other types of retailers in the mall in an attempt to catch the eye of those walking by.

At 5:30 this will eternally be a ghost town until the government and city get their act together and start mixed-using the neighbourhood.

There is literally nothing in the vicinity of this train station that will attract people outside of business hours, unless you're staying at the Delta and wanted to travel to the Gloucester Centre, definitely itself a hive of touristic attractions.

But that may change with an LRT station nearby. For example, there is a vacant theatre upstairs so one of the local theatre groups might decide to move in, knowing that it will be much easier for people to get to/from their productions.

Also, given that this entrance is the easiest way to get to Spark Street (though admittedly the deadest part), at least some of those using transit to get there will be travelling through the mall, so retailers might want to catch those eyeballs.

OR if you live at Tunney's Pasture and wanted to visit Baton Rouge for a steak before heading to either Swizzles for karaoke or Barbarellas (depending on your persuasion) on Saturday before tapping out before midnight so you don't miss your transfer home. I suppose a pizza joint open in the 'mall' would come in handy in this situation. (Note that I've listed 100% of the open for business on weekends businesses in the area).

Off the top of my head you forgot the Glue Pot Pub, so I am not convinced your list is so complete. Regardless, as I said, LRT could spawn change. I am not suggesting it will happen overnight, but I suspect things will gradually get better.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Do condo owners like hanging out in basements of office buildings? Most Toronto or Montreal office building basements are pretty dead as well. I lived in Centretown for several years and I don't think I ever thought to go to PdV on a Saturday.

Hanging out? No, but many will walk through it on their way to/from the LRT and might be temped by the smell of fresh cinnamon buns, realize that they are out of something, or see a little something that they "just have to have."

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Hanging out? No, but many will walk through it on their way to/from the LRT and might be temped by the smell of fresh cinnamon buns, realize that they are out of something, or see a little something that they "just have to have."

Maybe, but they are two stops and probably under a minute in travel time from the sixth biggest mall in Canada. It is hard to see the basement of an office building being an attractive alternative.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Maybe, but they are two stops and probably under a minute in travel time from the sixth biggest mall in Canada. It is hard to see the basement of an office building being an attractive alternative.

Are you suggesting they would walk to the Rideau centre to catch the LRT instead of catching it at the closest station? Or are you saying that people would rather detour to the Rideau Centre to quickly grab something en-route?

I am not suggesting this will become a shopping destination, but certain service based retailers could make a good business from walk-by traffic since, the mall will see a huge increase in traffic, even if all the businesses are closed.

[Kitchissippi]

Given the right product, business model and hype, I think you can get people to hang out just about anywhere El Camino and Art-is-in Bakery do it.

I have a feeling a lot of building managers in CBDs aren't that keen on opening extended hours though, as their bread-and butter is providing office space (and amenities that revolve around workers), not shopping. The added cleaning and security costs are probably not worth it.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Maybe, but they are two stops and probably under a minute in travel time from the sixth biggest mall in Canada. It is hard to see the basement of an office building being an attractive alternative.

And this is an advantage that Place du Centre - the mall at Portage in Hull - has, at least potentially. There is literally nothing else in the vicinity in terms of shopping options.

[AndyMEng]

Having thought about it more, I agree that eventually this access point will become a bit more lively with a few shops that will be open 7 days a week.

A mall it is not, but a similar Montreal-style tunnel with shops it will be.

So there. Too mall? No. To Mall? Yes.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

I have a feeling a lot of building managers in CBDs aren't that keen on opening extended hours though, as their bread-and butter is providing office space (and amenities that revolve around workers), not shopping. The added cleaning and security costs are probably not worth it.

They did agree to house an LRT station, so they will have those cleaning and security costs regardless of the mall hours. At a minimum, they will need to keep the Queen St. mall entrance open whenever the LRT is operational.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Given the right product, business model and hype, I think you can get people to hang out just about anywhere El Camino and Art-is-in Bakery do it.

I have a feeling a lot of building managers in CBDs aren't that keen on opening extended hours though, as their bread-and butter is providing office space (and amenities that revolve around workers), not shopping. The added cleaning and security costs are probably not worth it.

There is a skeleton presence of business activity in 240 Sparks' basement on Saturdays (not sure about Sundays), and as sad as it is, it's still more than there used to be (zero) years ago.

If more of these ground- and basement-level food courts and such were connected underground, they'd have a better mix and more activity at more times of the day and week. Historically, the City of Ottawa has been opposed to any kind of linkage system, and while I see the disadvantages of above-ground ones, below-ground ones aren't the same street-killers. I think underground links and street-level activity aren't incompatible like they may have been in the 70s and 80s.

[lrt's friend]

There was a lot of optimism when those underground malls opened up at the end of the 60s and into the 70s. Their deterioration is also linked to Sparks Street going downhill which accelerated when the Rideau Centre opened in 1983 and vacuumed up much of the remainder of downtown retail inside its walls. The Rideau Centre was a nice addition but nobody predicted the devastation that it left in the rest of downtown including on Rideau Street itself. The transit mall and shelters were one thing but the indoor mall itself made everything else unattractive afterwards. Before the Rideau Centre, nobody thought of trekking through the snow between stores but afterwards, it was just too comfortable inside to face cold, wind and snow to go to other stores.

Place de Ville and 240 Sparks Street failed when there was no longer a critical mass of good retailers within a very short walking distance.

[Kitchissippi]

Rideau street was already dying a slow death before the Rideau Centre was built, and the market was a grungy place with a bad reputation. The allure of shiny new suburban malls like St Laurent and Bayshore was what was sucking the life out of downtown. The Rideau Centre was a strategy to sustain it in the 1980, without it the core would have been worse off.

I think that a good balance of indoor and outdoor spaces complement each other, especially in our variable seasons. It makes short treks to street front stores more bearable in the winter and provides a fresh air lounging experience in the warmer months. The Rideau Centre and the Byward Market actually have a symbiotic relationship, and an underground/overground pedestrian system might possibly do the same for the Sparks/Bank area to create a critical mass of services and experiences that is sustainable for longer hours year-round.

I think the city should provide incentives for linkages, possibly funding/constructing the sections that lie beneath city streets. A Place de Ville–240 Sparks link is a good example, it could easily be dug below Kent Street.

I would love to see the entire Kent-Queen-Bank-Albert block redeveloped into a multi-level multi-use complex linking to the two LRT stations and its 8 surrounding blocks. Add a supermarket and cinemas to the mix, and it could defibrillate that part of town.

[Kitchissippi]

"Next stop: Frontal Inhibition." I guess Ottawa is still insecure to fully expose itself

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Are you suggesting they would walk to the Rideau centre to catch the LRT instead of catching it at the closest station? Or are you saying that people would rather detour to the Rideau Centre to quickly grab something en-route?

I am not suggesting this will become a shopping destination, but certain service based retailers could make a good business from walk-by traffic since, the mall will see a huge increase in traffic, even if all the businesses are closed.

I'm saying that if a downtown resident is heading to/from Lyon station and also wants to do some shopping or food courting then then it is super easy to zip over the the Rideau Centre (either en route or as a small detour). If they are coming from the south or west (which most residents would be doing) then it wouldn't be particularly convenient to use the PdV entrance anyway.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by roger1818

They did agree to house an LRT station, so they will have those cleaning and security costs regardless of the mall hours. At a minimum, they will need to keep the Queen St. mall entrance open whenever the LRT is operational.

From what I recall, while the North entrance is in the PdV building, the main entrance is directly to Queen street - the connection to the building is a secondary entrance. There is no need to go through the mall to use that entrance.

[OtrainUser]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Rideau street was already dying a slow death before the Rideau Centre was built, and the market was a grungy place with a bad reputation. The allure of shiny new suburban malls like St Laurent and Bayshore was what was sucking the life out of downtown. The Rideau Centre was a strategy to sustain it in the 1980, without it the core would have been worse off.

I think that a good balance of indoor and outdoor spaces complement each other, especially in our variable seasons. It makes short treks to street front stores more bearable in the winter and provides a fresh air lounging experience in the warmer months. The Rideau Centre and the Byward Market actually have a symbiotic relationship, and an underground/overground pedestrian system might possibly do the same for the Sparks/Bank area to create a critical mass of services and experiences that is sustainable for longer hours year-round.

I think the city should provide incentives for linkages, possibly funding/constructing the sections that lie beneath city streets. A Place de Ville–240 Sparks link is a good example, it could easily be dug below Kent Street.

I would love to see the entire Kent-Queen-Bank-Albert block redeveloped into a multi-level multi-use complex linking to the two LRT stations and its 8 surrounding blocks. Add a supermarket and cinemas to the mix, and it could defibrillate that part of town.

Fully agree. When there used to be cinemas at PDV, Queen and somerset i used to go down there a lot and it royally pissed me off when they took those cinemas out. I absolutely hate having to go far distances to watch a movie at a cinema when they should have kept them where they used to be.

[J.OT13]

For the first time in a while, pretty decent update (image wise).

April 5, 2018
Construction Update

In the underground stations, crews prepare the West Entrance of Rideau Station for the installation of elevators. At the East Portal, roof waterproofing resumes with backfilling to follow in the coming weeks. At St-Laurent Station, porcelain panel installations are ongoing and work on the mullions for the glass walls is mostly complete. In the West, at Pimisi Station, crews are putting up porcelain panels at the stairways and completing the roof at the entrance canopy, while at Bayview Station, work is taking place on the platform edge angles



West Stations

Tunney’s Pasture Station
The work to install composite panels on the south roof continues. The signband conduit has been installed on the south side and installations continue on the north. The skylight framing will begin.

Bayview Station
The composite metal panels (CMP) and the windscreen bases and posts installations progress. Crews have completed preparations for the north side platform edge plates and preparations for the south side are ongoing. The wiring for the cameras and PA system continues.

Pimisi Station
This week crews are putting in edge plates on the westbound platform. Porcelain panels are going in at the stairways, and at the entrance canopy, there is work taking place to complete the roof. Crews are also making progress on the lower-concourse service rooms.


Elevator Work Lyon

Central Stations

Lyon Station
Platform level tiling begins this week, in addition to the various wall and floor tiling occurring throughout the station. Intumescent painting as well as art work painting progresses, and ceiling HVAC equipment is installed at the west entrance.

Parliament Station
The east platform fan rooms have been handed over to the mechanical team and the east concourse HVAC continues to be installed and commissioned. Stairway construction and work on the elevators and escalator installations advance.
Hydrovacing will occur intermittently during day time hours over the coming weeks to clean surface areas and underground lines in the tunnel.

Parliament Station west entrance
Escalator installation and assembly continues at the West Entrance. Stair construction and additional concrete works are ongoing. Waterproofing and rebar installation take place at the west TVS.

Parliament Station east TVS
Formwork is installed in preparation for the first concrete pour at the end of the week. A second pour is expected to happen next week.


Parliament Escalator Installation

Rideau Station
Visible progress is made at the station with stair construction, installation of overhead conduits, and mechanical and electrical rough-ins. Work continues on the passenger platforms and at the elevator shafts.

Rideau Station west entrance
This week, stair and escalator wall construction occurs. The west TVS continues with formwork, rebar and concrete pours. Additionally, escalator installation will commence as early as next week.

Rideau Station east entrance
Ongoing works include electrical and mechanical work throughout the station, and grade level intumescent painting. The installation of elevator divider beams wraps up this week. Roof arch adit forming continues in preparation for next week’s concrete pour.

East Portal
Roof waterproofing resumes with backfilling to follow in the coming weeks.

uOttawa Station
Crews are currently working on composite metal and porcelain panel installation. Formwork and rebar for the entrance stairs is underway. The snow-melt mesh and heat tracing are being installed.


Tremblay

East Stations

Lees Station
Efforts will focus on the final platform topping pour, the composite metal panel (CMP) installations, and the east exit stair formwork. Elevators are being finished in preparation for testing. Crews are also completing mechanical and electrical finishes in advance of wood ceiling work.

Hurdman Station
Porcelain panel installations continue. The composite metal panel (CMP) work for the south side is almost done and the CMPs for the north have been delivered. The wiring for the PA system and the cameras continues to be installed.

Tremblay Station
Crews are preparing to complete the concrete topping slab in the fare gate areas and they are completing elevator installations. The digital signband installation is nearly done. Other activities focuses on the layout and install of glazing.


Wood Work Blair Ceiling

St-Laurent Station
Digital signband installation is underway. Porcelain panel installations are ongoing. The work on the mullions for the glass walls is mostly complete. The electrical work at the BRT level is substantially completed. The entrance lantern structure has been completed.

Cyrville Station
Crews have completed the curbs in the upper concourse area. Work on the digital signband continues. Landscaping work is scheduled to resume in the coming weeks, including pouring concrete foundations for the bike racks.

Blair Station
Handrails are being completed at the station. The wood ceiling installation continues. There is ongoing work on the edge-of-platform light band and digital signband. The elevator stainless steel cladding is completed.


West of Rideau

Guideway and Trackwork

In the tunnel, crews will continue to advance the eastbound track slab at Rideau Station. Tunnel lighting installation is progressing. Overhead Cantenary System (OCS) installation in the East Portal-Rideau area is underway.

Upcoming Construction Activities

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

• Wood ceiling installations at eastern stations.
• Installation of digital signband and entrance lanterns at eastern stations.
• Installation of porcelain panels and glass panels at uOttawa Station.
• Installation of stray current monitors at various locations.
• Pour of the arch at Rideau East entrance connection.
• Glazing work at Pimisi Station and Bayview Station.

http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/news/construction-update-169/

[J.OT13]

Tim Tierney's twitter.


https://twitter.com/search?q=ready4rail&src=typd&lang=en

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Tim Tierney's twitter.


https://twitter.com/search?q=ready4rail&src=typd&lang=en

I really want to see what a coupled pair of trains looks like going down the track. I imagine they'll have to test this sooner or later.