Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service

[lrt's friend]

Hopefully next year will be better with the Trillium Line finally operating again.

[rocketphish]

OC Transpo boss says decision to close Pimisi station for Canada Day made by Canadian Heritage, police

Staff Reporter, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jul 01, 2023 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 1 minute read

OC Transpo’s general manager says transit agency workers should not be blamed for a decision to move riders away from Pimisi transit station during Canada Day celebrations.

“These traffic decisions were taken by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) in consultation with the City of Ottawa’s traffic services in order to ensure that crowds are able to be managed safely and effectively,” Renée Amilcar, transit service GM, said in a message released Saturday afternoon.

A decision to limit access to Pimisi Station, the most convenient station for Canada Day events at LeBreton Flats, had sparked a firestorm of indignation on social media.

Access to the station would be limited to those with accessibility issues until 8 p.m., it had been announced. From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., trains were to bypass Pimisi entirely.

“That will allow event partners to maintain clear queue lines and manage the number of people on Booth Street during the fireworks show,” Amilcar said.

OC Transpo recommended travellers go to Lyon Station if they wanted to travel to Parliament Hill.

“OC Transpo staff has been communicating about street closures and transit options for visitors over the last week,” Amilcar wrote.

“(Transpo) is receiving reports of visitor frustration being directed to our staff, particularly at Pimisi Station, with respect to getting around sites in that area,” she said.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...eritage-police

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

OC Transpo boss says decision to close Pimisi station for Canada Day made by Canadian Heritage, police

Staff Reporter, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jul 01, 2023 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 1 minute read

OC Transpo’s general manager says transit agency workers should not be blamed for a decision to move riders away from Pimisi transit station during Canada Day celebrations.

“These traffic decisions were taken by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) in consultation with the City of Ottawa’s traffic services in order to ensure that crowds are able to be managed safely and effectively,” Renée Amilcar, transit service GM, said in a message released Saturday afternoon.

A decision to limit access to Pimisi Station, the most convenient station for Canada Day events at LeBreton Flats, had sparked a firestorm of indignation on social media.

Access to the station would be limited to those with accessibility issues until 8 p.m., it had been announced. From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., trains were to bypass Pimisi entirely.

“That will allow event partners to maintain clear queue lines and manage the number of people on Booth Street during the fireworks show,” Amilcar said.

OC Transpo recommended travellers go to Lyon Station if they wanted to travel to Parliament Hill.

“OC Transpo staff has been communicating about street closures and transit options for visitors over the last week,” Amilcar wrote.

“(Transpo) is receiving reports of visitor frustration being directed to our staff, particularly at Pimisi Station, with respect to getting around sites in that area,” she said.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...eritage-police

If only the OCP had this kind of resolve in February 2022.
I do wonder how they will be when the LRT gets to the CTC. It holds more than were expected to be at the Hill. Maybe they will force a long walk to a further station to "maintain clear queue lines".

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

If only the OCP had this kind of resolve in February 2022.
I do wonder how they will be when the LRT gets to the CTC. It holds more than were expected to be at the Hill. Maybe they will force a long walk to a further station to "maintain clear queue lines".

The Lebreton site for Canada Day festivities held 40K. More than the CTC or any future Sens arena at Lebreton.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

The Lebreton site for Canada Day festivities held 40K. More than the CTC or any future Sens arena at Lebreton.

And they left it open?
Oh wow!

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

The Lebreton site for Canada Day festivities held 40K. More than the CTC or any future Sens arena at Lebreton.

If there is a Sens plaza, other attractions and a playoff run, there could more than 40,000 people near the new arena on game days

[J.OT13]

The arena will also be in between Pimisi and Bayview (and Line 2 will hopefully be open), so crowds will be split.

[Andrew_G]

Do we have any indication yet as to why the trains are moving so slow on the east end of the line over the last couple of weeks/months? It is at an almost embarrassing crawl at certain segments (not just the curves either).

The part between Hurdman and Cyrville is just brutal during my commute. It was that way on parts of the west end awhile back, but now that seems resolved and east is... sad. I was hoping that the heavy maintenance they did would have helped yet nothing changed. I get that they need to be "gentle" through some areas but this is seriously a bit much.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Andrew_G

Do we have any indication yet as to why the trains are moving so slow on the east end of the line over the last couple of weeks/months? It is at an almost embarrassing crawl at certain segments (not just the curves either).

The part between Hurdman and Cyrville is just brutal during my commute. It was that way on parts of the west end awhile back, but now that seems resolved and east is... sad. I was hoping that the heavy maintenance they did would have helped yet nothing changed. I get that they need to be "gentle" through some areas but this is seriously a bit much.

I got the impression that the recent maintenance closures did not resolve all problems. Isn't there supposed to be some update on this in the near future?

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The arena will also be in between Pimisi and Bayview (and Line 2 will hopefully be open), so crowds will be split.

Crowds will quickly learn which station to go to which gives them the best chance of getting on the first train. Going west, that means Pimisi, and going east, Bayview. I highly doubt that we will really see an even split.

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Crowds will quickly learn which station to go to which gives them the best chance of getting on the first train. Going west, that means Pimisi, and going east, Bayview. I highly doubt that we will really see an even split.

That’s why clear, concise crowd control measures with audible announcements and visual signage should be used to direct people to the proper station. Better yet, officially make Bayview west/south only and Pimisi east only when a big event lets out at Lebreton.

Montreal handles 100K+ people going through one metro station during the grand prix by having dozens of cops corralling people and telling them exactly where to go. Everyone’s on the same page unlike staff onsite at Pimisi yesterday.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Andrew_G

Do we have any indication yet as to why the trains are moving so slow on the east end of the line over the last couple of weeks/months? It is at an almost embarrassing crawl at certain segments (not just the curves either).

The part between Hurdman and Cyrville is just brutal during my commute. It was that way on parts of the west end awhile back, but now that seems resolved and east is... sad. I was hoping that the heavy maintenance they did would have helped yet nothing changed. I get that they need to be "gentle" through some areas but this is seriously a bit much.

OCCheetos might be able to provide a more concise explanation, but basically they haven't completely figured out one of the derailments a few years back. They understand it on a high level, but not the root cause, so until that's figured out, we'll have some speed restrictions. These speed restrictions are mostly between Lees and Cyrville, where we have a lot of curves. We're trying to reduce heat build-up and pre-mature wear. They are doing some progress on finding a resolution, but it could still be a while.

Good news is, we have seen some speed restrictions lifted. Lees to uOttawa was mind-numbingly slow for about a year, but it's now back to full speed, as one of the highest speed sections of the Confederation Line.

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Crowds will quickly learn which station to go to which gives them the best chance of getting on the first train. Going west, that means Pimisi, and going east, Bayview. I highly doubt that we will really see an even split.

Not expecting a 50/50 split, of course. Of maybe 10k or 12k who will take transit, assuming none stick around after the game (which many will depending on how much is available at LeBreton by then), we'll probably see 10% headed to Gatineau using STO, 45% east, 15% south and 30% west. Very very rough estimates, but my theory is that west has more population, but many heading south will go east to Hurdman since Trillium has limited capacity.

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

The other extremely stupid thing they did was block all pedestrian and bike access between LeBreton park and Bayview station, preventing better diffusion of transit users. The LRT could have been a great shuttle between Parliament Hill and LeBreton, instead people looked tired and weary from the long boring walk.

Gone are the throngs of mostly happy cheering people that used to go from Wellington to Rideau, it’s now all open to busy traffic. The most visible things in front of Parliament were the F#CK Trudeau anti-vaxxers and sidewalk preachers. Canada Day in Ottawa used to be fun (especially in the 80s and 90s when people really participated). It doesn’t seem to be anything substantial anymore, people just ‘attend’ and don’t do much else.

It was actually hugely inconvenient to even bike in from the west end, not only did they cancel the weekend bike day parkway closure, the river pathway and parkway were closed to all starting at Lemieux Island. Really horrible planning.

Dude.. I couldn't attend this year as I was busy.. but last year SUCKED. Everything was fenced in.. I felt like I was in a cattle run being led to a slaughterhouse. I couldn't even cross the Eddy bridge to go get beers...

At the end of the night on both sides of Booth they had the street kind of fenced off with the sidewalks open. like.. parallel runs with the middle of street open for vehicles related to the festivities.

But on the east side of booth.. the fence parallel to the bridge just abruptly ended with some short barriers and guards trying to tell us we had to turn back. Like.. bro.. do you not see the hundreds of people behind us all unaware that this path "ends"? we are all assuming we can exit the area and goto the train or just walk to Preston st which was my goal.

Thankfully me and a few other guys were at the front of the pack. Lets just say we pushed the barriers and the guards out of the way for everyones sake. I was ready to get down. I'm not going to be at the front of a crowd crush situation.

Yeah. Was super unimpressed with last years Canada Day. I'm getting older and don't have kids. I would be hard pressed to find a reason to back downtown after last years exp.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The arena will also be in between Pimisi and Bayview (and Line 2 will hopefully be open), so crowds will be split.

Will the new Arena beat the extensions of the LRT to the current arena?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Will the new Arena beat the extensions of the LRT to the current arena?

Pretty confident it won't beat any Stage 2 extension. Best case scenario, it might open 2028, which could cut it close to Stage 2 west if it's further delayed, but it will likely open in the early 2030s if all goes to plan.

My thought is that Line 2 will need further upgrading within a few years of re-opening, either to increase frequency (and thus capacity by doubling Wakley) and/or a rebuild of Dow's Lake either to accommodate the hospital link or if the single platform cannot handle the volumes post 2028.

I think Wakley can be done without major shutdowns, but maybe not Dow's Lake, especially since it doesn't seem the City will widen even the trench south of Carling before the parking garage is built.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I got the impression that the recent maintenance closures did not resolve all problems. Isn't there supposed to be some update on this in the near future?

The recent maintenance work was never intended to resolve "all" problems. The two major works done were waterproofing repairs to the east end of the tunnel, and regular annual rail grinding.

Neither of these would have any effect on the axle/bearing problem, and therefore would not eliminate the need for speed restrictions.

[rocketphish]

Pimisi station to remain open for Bluesfest after vexing Canada Day
Many revellers confused, frustrated by unexpected restrictions Saturday

Elyse Skura · CBC News
Posted: Jul 04, 2023 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

OC Transpo is reassuring passengers confused and frustrated by the partial closure of Pimisi station during last weekend's Canada Day festivities that they won't encounter similar problems when Bluesfest kicks off Thursday.

On Monday, the city assured transit users Pimisi station will remain in service during the popular music festival at LeBreton Flats.

The site is already set up for the festival, with barriers to contain winding queues of ticket holders within a minute's walk of the station exit.

The proximity to the LRT has been "a game changer" for the music festival, Bluesfest spokesperson Joe Reilly said Monday, helping move festivalgoers to and from the site with ease.

"They could park somewhere else, jump on the train, come down, get off — boom — and basically be on site," he said.

"We love keeping RBC Bluesfest in the middle of the city ... like a beautiful magnet in the middle of town for two weeks in July, and having that station there makes it fantastic."

Reilly said the O-Train will run in both directions and extra buses will be on hand if there's demand for increased service during the event. Festivalgoers may also use their Bluesfest passes or individual tickets to get a free ride.

It will be up to OC Transpo to decide whether the post-performance exodus will require further service changes, but Reilly was confident that anyone who arrives by public transit will also be able to leave by public transit.

"It worked last year. Hopefully it works this year," he said.

Things didn't run so smoothly on Canada Day.

According to a statement from the city's general manager of transit services, other agencies made the decision to curtail access to Pimisi station on Saturday.

"These traffic decisions were taken by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Ottawa Police Service in consultation with the City of Ottawa's Traffic Services," wrote Renée Amilcar on the weekend.

The move to divert riders on Canada Day was made to effectively and safely manage crowds, the city said. Organizers expected to host tens of thousands of visitors despite a rainy forecast.

Only people with accessibility needs were allowed to access Booth Street via the station for most of the day.

Between 8 and 10 p.m., when many were expected to arrive in hopes of staking out a prime spot to view the fireworks, trains bypassed the station entirely. After, the LRT resumed eastward service but anyone travelling west from Pimisi station had to board a bus.

Amilcar said staff had been working to get word of the service changes out "over the past week," but the closure still came as a surprise to many.

CBC asked the city to comment on why these particular crowd control measures were necessary, and what other options were considered.

The city referred those questions to Canadian Heritage and Ottawa police, but neither responded to CBC's inquiries.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...tion-1.6895805

[lrt's friend]

CTV News has just reported that Pimisi Station is poorly designed and unable to handle large crowds. This is why Ottawa Police wanted access to the station restricted.

Remember the value engineering that was done to contain costs. Haven't we wanted Lebreton Flats to have major attractions since LRT planning started? It never ends.

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/pimisi-lrt...-say-1.6466969

[phil235]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

CTV News has just reported that Pimisi Station is poorly designed and unable to handle large crowds. This is why Ottawa Police wanted access to the station restricted.

Remember the value engineering that was done to contain costs. Haven't we wanted Lebreton Flats to have major attractions since LRT planning started? It never ends.

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/pimisi-lrt...-say-1.6466969

Based on that article, it sounds like the issue is the placement of the station on a bridge rather than the station itself. Sounds like that should be fixable with a little crowd control (and maybe some new stairs off the bridge).

[DTcrawler]

If Pimisi is "not built for substantial crowds" then why was the plan on Canada Day for it to be open after the fireworks, when demand would've been the highest? And regardless of its capacity, measures can always be taken to control the flow of people into the station. Montreal does it every year for the F1 grand prix and other events at Jean Drapeau... have we ever tried asking for their expertise?

Here's my rough attempt at applying Montreal's approach here. Before I begin, yes I know the metro has a much higher capacity than the O-Train, but the grand prix also attracts many more people than Bluesfest. Either way, you will have long lineups.

Set up two queues on Booth, one for people wanting to go eastbound and one for westbound. Funnel each queue into one of the two station entrances on Booth, effectively making either entrance serve only one direction. As people enter the station and go down to the platform, have staff on hand to corral them down the length of the platform, using all available space. Yes it's a centre platform but by separating people by their direction of travel at the entrance, it should avoid conflict down at the platform. To avoid a crush of people reaching the platform, simply have staff posted at the fare gates to pause entry whenever the station is full. Rinse and repeat until you have cleared the crowd. The key to success for this approach is having lots of staff to effectively form a human conveyor belt, verbally encouraging people to move along until all capacity is used.

As for the police's concern for not being able to reach someone in the event of an emergency on a crowded platform, how is that any different from the difficulty of reaching someone in the middle of a 40K concert crowd? Part of becoming a big city is accepting big city risks. There's no way you'd easily reach someone on the busy, post-event platform of an STM metro station or any other transit system for that matter. At Pimisi, you could use the level 1 entrance (via the MUP from Albert St.) as a staging area for EMS to have easier access to the platform if needed.