Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by OtrainUser

I 100% agree with this, its too bad the city didn't have the common sense to do this. One thing you forgot to say in addition this setup would have resulted passengers waiting for buses in a shaded protected area which would have protected people from the summer heat but i guess the city doesn't care that much about our health.

That kind of design would have been ideal for almost all of Ottawa's weather unpleasantness.

[J.OT13]

I get why they built the bus shelter type waiting area at the Tunney's loop. It's temporary, so one could argue against the expense. But Blair (which will always be a major local transfer) and Hurdman should have included more coverage and canopies that match the ones over the rail stations.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[J.OT13]

There are definitely times where that is a good strategy, like when the station is a major transfer between buses and subways. Hurdman and Blair are good examples here, as I've said, of stations that need a properly integrated transit station and bus loop. There are stations in Toronto where, likewise, this is necessary.

In Ottawa, I think the City fails when it comes to Lincoln Fields. Forcing the station to be a major transfer, when it would be much more efficient to have the station under Carling, with entrances on both sides, providing bus/rail transfer simply by dropping people off a sidewalk width from the station entrance (see Pimisi).

When Bayshore and Moodie can act like major bus/rail transfers, we don't need another at Lincoln Fields.

[rocketphish]

OC Transpo wants to buy commemorative O-Train swag before launching LRT

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: August 3, 2018

It seems you can’t launch a $2.1-billion LRT line without some commemorative swag to mark the largest capital expense in the City of Ottawa’s history.

The city is in the market for hundreds of special transit jackets for the opening of the Confederation Line.

Billed in tender documents as the “O-Train Launch Commemorative Fleece Jacket,” the swag will be handed out to transit staff dedicated to LRT operations. The city is asking for quotes on providing the zip-up jackets by late October, which is the month before the LRT line is scheduled to open.

The 400 three-season micro-fleece jackets, which must have removable sleeves, will be handed out to LRT operators, supervisors, superintendents and other staff working in the stations.

The sample drawings show a simple black jacket with either an O-Train or OC Transpo logo on the upper-left chest. The city wants 300 of the jackets to have the O-Train patch and the others will have the Transpo patch. The logo on both jackets will feature the big red O that Transpo hopes will become synonymous with Ottawa transit.

The city wants most of the new jackets to be size large. It needs a dozen to be extra-extra-extra large.

Another version of O-Train-branded jackets has been spotted in the city, sometimes being worn by elected officials.

The LRT office has also purchased branded merchandise, such as water bottles, foam toys and pens, to hand out at events.

The 12.5-kilometre LRT line will have 13 stations between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair station. The city wants the Rideau Transit Group to finish building the system by Nov. 2 and it intends to start carrying passengers by the end of that month.

The full rail network — the Confederation Line, known as Line 1, and the existing Trillium Line, or Line 2 — is being branded as the O-Train.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...rative-o-train-swag-before-launching-lrt

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

One again, you are very kindly invited to not attribute words or ideas to me which I have not expressed.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Maybe the ideas you believe you are expressing, and the ideas that we hear you expressing don't match then. Because it certainly seems like you're pro personal transit, not pro transit from the messages you're posting.

[Hybrid247]

Tunney's

https://twitter.com/JimWatsonOttawa/status/1025439940153200640

[lrt's friend]

Seeing colour at a station is so nice. I tire of everything being grey and concrete.

[Norman Bates]

Lovely use of colour. It will raise our spirits in the depths of winter.

[OttawaSteve]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I've been going through Toronto's subway stations featured on this website. It seems an unnecessary amount of TTC's rapid transit stations have overbuilt bus loops or underground bus terminals.

I don't understand why buses can't just pick up and drop off people on each side of the street (with proper bus shelters), at subway entrances.

The TTC has 'transfer-free' connections to and from surface routes at most of its subway stations, much like the Confederation Line will. This necessitates dedicated pick-up and drop-off areas within the stations' fare-paid zones.

And there are a *lot* of buses originating/terminating at TTC subway stations. The entire TTC surface network is designed to feed into the rapid transit network.

That said, there are definitely certain stations that are hilariously overbuilt (Wilson, Warden) because they were designed as terminus stations but became obsolete after the subway was extended.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Catenary

Maybe the ideas you believe you are expressing, and the ideas that we hear you expressing don't match then. Because it certainly seems like you're pro personal transit, not pro transit from the messages you're posting.

I'll admit that Uhuniau is sometimes negative to the point where it can get a bit much, but when it comes to transit, I get he's trying to convey. He doesn't expect to have a subway station at his door. He just wants the City to put in as much focus on urban commuters as it does for suburban commuters, and that's a valid point.

It would still be nice if he had something positive about our current transit direction. Or anything really.

[J.OT13]

Tunney's station looks absolutely amazing! So far, I've been impressed with nearly all of the artwork throughout the system.

The only one that I've seen that I'm less than enthused about is the cartoonish bonhommes at Lyon.

And I'm not a fan of concepts for the other tunnel stations and uOttawa.

Parliament seem a bit childish looking.

Rideau is very underwhelming, with wavy glass and what seems to be a thing recycled from the Toronto subway. The "Art Gallery" theme does not come out in any way.

uOttawa's art is brought to you buy lazy artists who do the same bland (and in one case plagiarize, fitting for a University) work all over. Again, quite far from the "Innovation" theme.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by OttawaSteve

The TTC has 'transfer-free' connections to and from surface routes at most of its subway stations, much like the Confederation Line will. This necessitates dedicated pick-up and drop-off areas within the stations' fare-paid zones.

Ottawa will only have bus-train fare-paid zones at Greenboro, Hurdman, Blair and Tunney’s Pasture stations (Bayview will only have a train-train fare-paid zone). So it will be nowhere near “most stations.“

I find it strange that St. Laurent Station (which appears made for a fare-paid zone and has many buses to transfer to/from) won’t have one but the stage 2 Lincoln Fields (which will only service a couple bus routes) will.

http://www.octranspo.com/ready4rail/fare_paid_zones

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Ottawa will only have bus-train fare-paid zones at Greenboro, Hurdman, Blair and Tunney’s Pasture stations (Bayview will only have a train-train fare-paid zone). So it will be nowhere near “most stations.“

I find it strange that St. Laurent Station (which appears made for a fare-paid zone and has many buses to transfer to/from) won’t have one but the stage 2 Lincoln Fields (which will only service a couple bus routes) will.

http://www.octranspo.com/ready4rail/fare_paid_zones

Fair paid zones require controlled entrances with fare gates which require a roof over the fare machines. St Laurent doesn't really have those. But otherwise, it would be a good fare paid zone.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I'll admit that Uhuniau is sometimes negative to the point where it can get a bit much, but when it comes to transit, I get he's trying to convey. He doesn't expect to have a subway station at his door. He just wants the City to put in as much focus on urban commuters as it does for suburban commuters, and that's a valid point.

It would still be nice if he had something positive about our current transit direction. Or anything really.

I come to the forum for discussion and debate about public transit in Ottawa. Though I may poke and prod, I absolutely understand that Uhuniau is a transit rider, and therefore has a vested interest in making the system better. As you say, my issue is with the negativity, both here and what I believe is his Twitter account at @OCFailspo. I have spoken to transit staff at many levels, from front line staff to planners and some management, and know some of them well. I don't know anyone at OC Transpo who doesn't share the goal of making transit better, and works every day to do so. As I have mentioned before, the negativity is the issue when you're trying to make something in government better: people who are constantly negative are immediately written off and ignored by the people making decisions. It's very easy to be cynical, and I can be that way too in many situations. That cynicism masks the underlying sentiment, and weakens the point one is trying to make.

The other side of having spoken to many people at OC is understanding the vast complexity and many conflicting demands the organization faces. Here, we analyze every move they make, from routing, to vehicles, communications, infrastructure, and operations, and it's easy to take issue with many things we see. What is not always obvious is that almost every one of those decisions was made for a reason with many conflicting demands. Usually, the decisions that get criticized are actually quite reasonable when you know why. Sometimes through, there are political pressures, budget pressures, and just general mistakes. Blindly criticizing every decision you don't agree with hurts your personal credibility, and doesn't make for good feedback to OC, or good discussion on this forum.

I don't agree with every decision OC Transpo makes, but I try to understand why things are the way they are before jumping into cynicism and negativity. It's an exciting time to be a transit rider and enthusiast in Ottawa, and though the changes won't be perfect for everyone, providing reasonable and constructive feedback (through the proper channels) will result in the best system for everyone.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by OCCheetos

Fair paid zones require controlled entrances with fare gates which require a roof over the fare machines. St Laurent doesn't really have those. But otherwise, it would be a good fare paid zone.

You could close the upper level crossing from the mall and force people through a gate line on the lower level, but then you run into issues with accessibility and access at night. The unofficial pathway to the east end of the station is also an issue, as it would have to be blocked.

The general location of the station wedged between the mall and the highway and completely surrounded by buses makes it very difficult to have a fare paid zone there, which is too bad but also manageable.

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by Catenary

You could close the upper level crossing from the mall and force people through a gate line on the lower level, but then you run into issues with accessibility and access at night. The unofficial pathway to the east end of the station is also an issue, as it would have to be blocked.

The general location of the station wedged between the mall and the highway and completely surrounded by buses makes it very difficult to have a fare paid zone there, which is too bad but also manageable.

The other challenge was the entrance from Tremblay that's also a neighborhood access to the mall. They promised to restore it without making people up pay to enter the station. I'm sure they considered all options, but the original station wasn't designed for faregates

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Catenary

You could close the upper level crossing from the mall and force people through a gate line on the lower level, but then you run into issues with accessibility and access at night. The unofficial pathway to the east end of the station is also an issue, as it would have to be blocked.

That seems like an inconvenient solution to a non-existent problem.

[Richard Eade]

Is there really that much benefit in having a ‘Fare-paid’ zone? I don’t mean between trains that connect at a subway station. I am referring to the cost, time, and space requirements of a connection between a train and buses.

Above, it was pointed out that St. Laurent will not have a ‘fare-paid’ zone; but that it is “manageable”. Would it not have been ‘manageable’ for customers who disembark a bus at Hurdman to also have entered the LRT station through the same gates that others have to?

How much benefit is there for a person transferring from the train to a bus if they don’t need to ‘tap’ onto the bus? The PRESTO system has made boarding a bus fairly fast and tapping their card has become ‘normal’ for most riders. Those taps could also provide OC Transpo with origin-destination nformation and routing choices that people make.

In order to create a ‘fare-paid’ zone, the entire area must be cordoned off. This limits entry to a very few (sometimes only one), controlled, access points. This, generally makes walk-ins have to travel further. Don’t we want to make it as easy as possible to get to a transit stop?

Having a ‘fare-paid’ zone also means having to pay your bus fare upon entering the zone. This can eat up a fair amount of time that might be needed for future transfers. For example, if you enter the Baseline Station zone (assuming that there will be one there) and have to wait 30 minutes for the # 88, you will be limited as to when you can transfer onto your # 96 to get to Stittsville. Without a ‘fare-paid’ zone, your transfer window would not start until you boarded your first bus.

Would OC Transpo have been wiser to forgo ‘fair-paid’ zones and simplified the stations? Is there enough benefit in having ‘fare-paid’ zones?

[OCCheetos]

I don't think there is really much of a point in trying to explicitly create fare paid zones (like at St Laurent), but at stations where there are naturally only a few entrances that will already have fare gates, why not? It's a minor convenience at no real extra cost.

For me personally though, the idea of fare paid zones in Ottawa is so unclear and unfamiliar that most times I still tap my PRESTO card when transferring from train to bus at Greenboro (and most other people do too).