Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

One works expect some improvements when building two decades after the other two, spending more and anticipating higher levels of ridership.

The real question is why they didn't aim higher.

The same can be said with their newer stations and future lines. Look at the Metro Line and Valley Line in Edmonton or the Green Line in Calgary.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Does anyone know when the STO buses switch to Albert and Slater? Are there any changes at all after Confederation Line launch?

The STO doesn't want to disturb the current routes weeks after the start of the Fall schedule. My guess would be January.

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

We've been comparing the Confederation Line with the REM a whole lot however, Edmonton and Calgary are arguably better comparisons. The Confederation is superior than anything built or proposed in those two cities. Fully grade separated, higher capacity, better frequency, more weather protection.

Speaking of Edmonton...

CBC.ca: Latest report shows Valley Line construction falling further behind.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/valley-line-construction-behind-schedule-1.5274843

[caveat.doctor]

New station name stickers in white-on-black replacing the white-on-red - an easy and simple update of the branding.

[acottawa]

Enclosing all of the stations would have been impractical, particularly as the system expands, but I also question the policy of not enclosing any of them. Hurdman in particular I think stands out as one that should be enclosed given the high exposure to the elements and the expectation that it will pretty much permanently be a major transfer station. Tremblay I think would have been a good candidate, given the city's aspiration to attract more conventions.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Enclosing all of the stations would have been impractical, particularly as the system expands, but I also question the policy of not enclosing any of them. Hurdman in particular I think stands out as one that should be enclosed given the high exposure to the elements and the expectation that it will pretty much permanently be a major transfer station. Tremblay I think would have been a good candidate, given the city's aspiration to attract more conventions.

To me the bigger miss at Hurdman (and likely at Tunney's and Blair as well) is the lack of heat in any of the bus shelters.

They are nicely enclosed, but waits for buses are likely to be much longer than waits for trains.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Does anyone know when the STO buses switch to Albert and Slater? Are there any changes at all after Confederation Line launch?

Apparently one route (#20) has changed to the new routing.

http://www.sto.ca/fileadmin/user_upload/...rets_non_desservis_Wellington_Rideau.jpg

The STO's website says "2020" for the full implementation of their downtown Ottawa service changes.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by caveat.doctor

New station name stickers in white-on-black replacing the white-on-red - an easy and simple update of the branding.

Everything old is new again!

(The original Transitway signage from the 80's was white letters on a black background, albeit with a plainer font).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

Apparently one route (#20) has changed to the new routing.

http://www.sto.ca/fileadmin/user_upload/...rets_non_desservis_Wellington_Rideau.jpg

.

Yes, route 20 has always been slated to be the first STO route to change due to the Confederation Line's opening.

Which is odd because it's the STO route that links downtown Ottawa hotels to the Casino du Lac-Leamy. You'd think that of all routes they'd want to keep that one running as far east as possible (Westin, Château Laurier and other hotels) for as long as possible.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

The STO's website says "2020" for the full implementation of their downtown Ottawa service changes.

I think the line's opening became such an on-again, off-again thing that the STO gave up on trying to align its service changes with OC Transpo's moving target dates.

So they settled for keeping things as they are, with adjustments to STO lines at their next service change milestone. Which in this case will probably be in January after the Christmas holidays.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The same can be said with their newer stations and future lines. Look at the Metro Line and Valley Line in Edmonton or the Green Line in Calgary.

They are different models completely. Both those systems are far closer to LRT than Ottawa. The Confederation Line is basically premetro. If you're building a fully-segregated exclusive ROW system, and have near metro levels of ridership, why you wouldn't pursue a light metro like REM is beyond me.

Does the Confederation Line beat the Transitway? Absolutely. But that's mostly because it ends the bus parade on Albert and Slater. What other benefit does it provide users? I don't see much. And post-launch, as winter kicks in and people are transferring to unsheltered platforms, the novelty is going to wear off quickly.

[Kitchissippi]

Curious to see how the Transitway stations will fit into the branding in the future. Lollipops without the train icon cube below it? O-train type lanterns without the lollipops?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Curious to see how the Transitway stations will fit into the branding in the future. Lollipops without the train icon cube below it? O-train type lanterns without the lollipops?

Or perhaps a red T in the same font as the O?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by caveat.doctor

New station name stickers in white-on-black replacing the white-on-red - an easy and simple update of the branding.

Now if only they'd finally do something about the four-digit-stop-number problem that was supposed to have been fixed five years ago.

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Now if only they'd finally do something about the four-digit-stop-number problem that was supposed to have been fixed five years ago.

I'm not sure I understand your complaint about the 4 digit stops. I can't say I've ever had issue finding it.

[lrt's friend]

At last night's meeting at the Jim Durrell Arena, nobody from OC seemed to know whether 13 or 15 trains will be in service starting next Monday.

The main concern was the minimal improvements to neighbourhood bus service that may constrict the success of the Confederation Line and will emphasize transfer delays outbound. While our emphasis has been on the trunk line, less attention has been given to the overall transit network.

I brought up the issue of orange bus routes and the fact that some routes do not provide frequent service throughout. This was a marketing decision to mark bus routes in orange even where frequent service was not offered. I pointed out that this was misleading to the public.

There was some nervousness expressed about how this massive change will all turn out.

Contrary to some public comments suggesting that ridership was down significantly, Councillor Cloutier who is on the transit commission, stated that ridership has been up for the last two quarters. The original comments appear to relate to ridership being down in comparison to projections made some years ago.

[rocketphish]

LRT ready to roll, transit boss reports
Rehearsals have gone without a hitch as system readies for Saturday's launch

Kate Porter · CBC News
Posted: Sep 10, 2019 12:42 PM ET | Last Updated: 33 minutes ago



The Confederation Line is ready for its launch on Saturday, the city says.

The system has undergone dozens of drills, including a full dress rehearsal last weekend involving hundreds of city employees and their families. It tested not just the readiness of the system, but also simulated various emergency scenarios such as a lost child.

"The rehearsal went really well," transportation manager John Manconi told city councillors on the finance committee Tuesday.

Manconi said getting feedback from "a fresh set of eyes" was invaluable.

Rail operators, paramedics, firefighters and other have conducted some 90 drills to simulate everything from a passenger causing a disturbance to coping with a biohazard to evacuating the train because of smoke.

"That's to ensure that we're ready for anything that comes our way," Manconi said.

Representatives of groups including the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada have also toured the system to assess its accessibility.

Former city councillor Alex Cullen, who tested the system on belhalf of the Council on Aging of Ottawa, gave it a glowing review.

"[Rideau] station itself is airy, is well lit, is dry," he told committee, likely referring to leaking in the tunnel during construction. "Very impressive, the art as well."

Cullen's only quibble was that the city is missing a marketing opportunity by not offering free rides on opening weekend.

OC Transpo chose months ago not to go that route because it didn't want to inundate the system and risk leaving first-time riders with a bad impression.

Instead, OC Transpo may offer free rides at some point within the first four to six weeks.

Coun. Shawn Menard said residents at a public meeting Monday night told him they still fear the new system will be unreliable.

In particular, they're worried about last week's 10-hour shutdown, caused when radio transmitters were knocked out during a storm, Menard said.

"I can tell you that RTG believes very strongly that the lightning storm did have an impact," Manconi said. "We are zeroing in on the root cause."

Manconi noted Gatineau's Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) still needs to decide on when it will integrate its buses with the Confederation Line at Lyon station.

"I need to draw that out of them," Manconi told the committee.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lrt-launch-fedco-september-update-1.5277451

[rakerman]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Does anyone know when the STO buses switch to Albert and Slater? Are there any changes at all after Confederation Line launch?

I think they may wait for the Albert and Slater reconstruction to be finished first, which would place the STO change sometime in fall 2020 at the earliest, or potentially much later depending when the reconstruction project actually starts.

[J.OT13]

Manconi talked about this at the FEDCO meeting. He's hoping to get an answer from the STO this week. As far as I know, as per Acajack's comment earlier, the STO plans on changing the bus routes as part of the next schedule season (so likely January to April).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rakerman

I think they may wait for the Albert and Slater reconstruction to be finished first, which would place the STO change sometime in fall 2020 at the earliest, or potentially much later depending when the reconstruction project actually starts.

This might wait under Albert-Slater is done, but in the interest of offering the best service to riders, I can't see why they would.

All they really need to make the switch is for the bus stops and signage around Lyon Station and also east of Rideau (Besserer, Waller, etc.) to be done.

Albert-Slater as they are now are pretty darn good bus corridors with dedicated lane signage and stops already in place. All STO would need to do is install bus stop flags and some maps and info in the shelters and... presto.