City will get keys to Ottawa's LRT system by end of March, builders say
Tom Spears & Shaamini Yogaretnam, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: January 3, 2019
The builders of Ottawa’s much anticipated light rail transit system say it will be turned over to the city on or before March 31 and, according to the city, riders can expect to be on the trains within one month of that date.
The Rideau Transit Group was originally to have told city officials by Wednesday when it could hand over the completed LRT system after several delays on delivery, but city officials gave the consortium a one-day extension to Thursday to reveal the updated time frame. The new date was announced after 5 p.m. Thursday, in a memo by rail construction program director Michael Morgan to city council.
The date is in line with Mayor Jim Watson’s previously expressed confidence that the system would be completed by the end of March. Watson is on vacation until Jan. 7 and was not available to comment on the announcement, according to his press secretary.
Kanata South Coun. Allan Hubley, who chairs the transit commission, said he won’t be celebrating until he hears that the system is actually functional.
“My only concern is that all the testing and preparations need to be completed to ensure a safe and stable operating train,” Hubley said. “Yes we have a date from RTG, which is great news. but until I hear from our experts and John Manconi that they are confident that the system is ready to carry residents on their daily commutes, I won’t be celebrating.
“We need to stay focused on safety and providing the best possible service to our citizens.”
The handover date is the date by which RTG must have completed its work on the system, including all civil work, work on mechanical and electrical systems, delivery of all light rail vehicles, all signage, in-train announcements and public announcement system, wayfinding, safety certifications, independent safety auditor compliance and the results of successful trial runs.
Once the city receives the system, city staff will still need to do more work to make sure the Confederation Line system works with the existing OC Transpo network. That work will include practising using the system, simulating the system’s operations and training staff. The city expects the line to be fully launched within one month of the handover from RTG.
RTG is a consortium of more than a dozen firms in charge of building and outfitting the LRT, including construction heavyweights EllisDon and SNC Lavalin and trainmaker Alstom.
The $2.1-billion, 12.5-kilometre system was originally scheduled to begin carrying passengers in the middle of 2018.
In February 2018, the mayor announced the first handover date of May 24, 2018 wouldn’t be met. The delivery was pushed to November. In September, it was clear that no trains would run in 2018 and the handover was pushed yet again, this time to 2019.
The June 2016 sinkhole on Rideau Street has been cited as the main reason why the LRT system couldn’t be finished on time.
Tunnelling in wet, sandy soil led to a collapse that ruptured a water main and flooded the Rideau Street station. It took 3,000 cubic metres of concrete to fill the hole and stabilize the tunnel enough that construction could resume.
The city estimates the LRT delay has cost $25 million in extra busing costs and lost fare revenue. It’s unclear whether RTG will pick up that tab. The consortium faced a $1-million fine for failing to meet one of its earlier deadlines, but the city chose not to impose the penalty.
The 13-station east-west Confederation Line runs between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair Road.
There were more than 300 OC Transpo workers — mainly bus drivers — who were scheduled to be laid off as of Dec. 1 of last year. They were asked to keep working until the LRT line is open.
In September 2018, when it was clear the line wouldn’t be ready till 2019, transportation general manager John Manconi said nothing would change with the Stage 2 project, which will extend rail service to Moodie Drive, Algonquin College, Trim Road, Riverside South and the Ottawa airport. Construction had been expected to start sometime in this year.
The City of Ottawa could not say Thursday, after the late announcement on the handover date, how much money it would cost to continue to employ bus drivers or how the later delivery date might now impact Stage 2 LRT expansion.
The LRT: A timeline
Dec. 19, 2012: Ottawa’s city council approves the Confederation Line, a 12.5-kilometre light rail transit line from from Tunney’s Pasture to Blair Road.
April 2013: Construction begins at a maintenance and storage yard on Belfast Road though tunnelling and track work do not start immediately.
June 2016: A major sinkhole opens during tunnelling under Rideau Street, delaying construction by five months. It is the second sinkhole after a much smaller one opened at Laurier Avenue and Waller Street in early 2014.
Dec. 5, 2016: The first light-rail vehicle runs as a test between Blair and Cyrville stations.
Jan. 19, 2017: The tunnelling machines downtown meet in the middle, connecting the tunnel’s two ends.
March 8, 2017: Council approves a $3.6-billion Stage 2 rail and road package. Councillors anticipate making Bayshore Shopping Centre and Algonquin College the western end points for the LRT system in 2023.
April 2018: The first LRT train travels through the downtown tunnel on a weekend. Mayor Jim Watson tweets out a photo.
Feb. 6, 2018: Watson announced RTG will not meet its initial date to turn over the LRT system to the city. That date had been May 24, 2018. It’s pushed now to Nov. 2. “You don’t know all of the variables around this very complex project,” Watson said. “I’ve always said my goal was to see the trains running with passengers in 2018 and we’re doing that.”
Sept. 10: The city reveals the system will not be ready until 2019. John Manconi, the city’s transportation general manager, says Rideau Transit Group tried to convince the city to accept a partially completed transit system. “I’m not biting,” he says, adding that the builder will face a $1-million penalty for failing to meet the deadline.
Nov. 14, 2018: Watson announces he has “great confidence” the project will be complete by the end of March this year.
Late November 2018: The plan to redevelop LeBreton Flats, which has key links to the LRT, falls apart publicly, leaving a largely empty area between Pimisi and Bayview stations instead of condos, businesses and an NHL arena.
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