O-Train South Line 2 & Line 4

[J.OT13]

Take 2 for Line 2​

In 2013, the City of Ottawa put north-south rail back in its master plans. In the intervening years, it had been busy planning what would become the Confederation Line, with its tunnel under the downtown.

Under a council led by Jim Watson, those early plans for a north-south rail extension were more limited. The city said it could only afford to take the train as far south as a park-and-ride in the middle of fields at Bowesville Road.

The line that now jogs over to an extra Limebank Station closer to thousands of homes was only added in 2018, when the province chipped in $50 million and developers Urbandale and Richcraft agreed to an unusual special levy on the tax bills for new homes to raise another $30 million.

"I think that shows you how important that extra extension was," says Desroches.

The airport might not have had an LRT station either.

In 2013, city staff said they didn't want to affect travel times on the main line to the south. They didn't have the money.

The airport line only went ahead after the Ontario Liberals under Kathleen Wynne agreed in 2016 to pay for half of it, and the federal government followed.

 

[J.OT13]

There's more to the article, but Skyrise won't let me post.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/trillium-line-opening-history-north-south-lrt-1.7388313

 

[J.OT13]

Other than the ease of posting pictures, I find Skyrise causes me fare more trouble than SSP did.

Here are the images from the article.

Former mayor Bob Chiarelli is seen riding the O-Train on its launch day in October 2001. He led plans to expand the north-south light rail system, but it was hotly contested in the 2006 election. Chiarelli came third in that mayoral race. (CBC)

This map, used in a CBC Television news story in June 2006, shows the original north-south light rail route. The contract signed that year was cancelled. (CBC)

Larry O'Brien chaired the meeting on Dec. 14, 2006, when Ottawa city council voted to cancel north-south light rail in a 13-11 vote. He had been elected mayor of Ottawa one month earlier in a campaign that saw intense debate about the contract. (CBC)

The Vimy Memorial Bridge has connected the Ottawa communities of Riverside South and Barrhaven since 2014. It would have served as the crossing for the original north-south light rail project. (Kate Porter/CBC)

The newly expanded Trillium Line will travel between Limebank Station and Bayview. A short Line 4 will service the EY Centre and the Ottawa International Airport. (City of Ottawa/CBC)

 

[hoggytime]

Excellent overview of all lines and stations under construction right now.

 

[casscadia]

Excellent overview of all lines and stations under construction right now.

It's nice to see an outsider's perspective that's mostly positive. There's so much (valid) criticism of the otrain that it's sometimes hard to remember the good parts of it.

 

[J.OT13]

Line 2 has opened! Coverage from Rail Fans Canada: