Trillium Line
| OC Transpo O-Train | |
|---|---|
| Capital Railway | |
| Reporting marks | |
| Locale | Ottawa |
| Years of operation | 2001 – Present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm - standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | Ottawa, Ontario |
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The O-Train was introduced in 2001 as a pilot project for light-rail service in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, which had long depended exclusively on busways for its high-grade transit service (see Ottawa Rapid Transit). The present line runs north-south on a railway line, from Bayview to Greenboro, a distance of approximately 8 km. It is entirely isolated from road traffic but shared with other trains (after hours the track has been infrequently used by Ottawa Central for freight service to the National Research Council).
Various explanations for the system’s name have been suggested; however, it was first put forth by copywriter Tom Gerylo at an Ottawa advertising agency working for OC Transpo. The name O-Train was based on the classic Duke Ellington signature tune "Take the A Train". It survived an internal OC-Transpo naming competition and was adopted soon after.
Pilot project
The present system uses three diesel-powered Bombardier Talent BR643 low-floor diesel multiple unit trains. It is legally considered a mainline railway despite being used for local public transport purposes, and the service it provides at present is, in terms of its route and service frequency, more like that of an urban railway than a metro or tramway. OC Transpo operates it under the official name of ‘Capital Railway’, which appears on the trains along with their regular logo. It was, however, described as ‘light rail’, partly because plans called for it to be extended into Ottawa’s downtown as a tramway-like service, and partly because the Talents, though designed for mainline railways in Europe, are much smaller and lighter than most mainline trains in North America, and do not meet the continent’s standards for buffer strength. Ottawa is also authorized to run trains with only a single operator and no other crew, something quite rare on mainline railways.
As a pilot project, the O-Train system was built at the cost of $21 million, relatively low compared with the hundreds of millions of dollars usually required to build a new transit line. It runs on a pre-existing Canadian Pacific Railway track, so the only construction work necessary was to build the stations themselves and the passing tracks necessary to allow trains to operate in both directions. The downside to this, however, is that much ground pollution remains from the track’s previous use. This will become a liability one day when the city has to pay to clean it up, but they have avoided doing so thus far by not digging into the ground under the tracks (which would require them to clean it up).
The current service frequency of a train every fifteen minutes makes it possible to run the line with a fleet of only three trains (of which only two are in service at any given time) and a single track apart from passing sidings at Carleton station; if service is to be increased significantly in the future, double tracks and more trains will be needed.
Ottawa’s three Talent units were built by Bombardier Transportation as part of a larger order for Deutsche Bahn’s regional network, and the only significant difference between them and the German units is that their on-board toilets have been decommissioned. Deutsche Bahn’s red-and-white colour scheme was deemed similar enough to OC Transpo’s livery that the trains did not need to be repainted. The trains were purchased under an agreement under which they could be sold back to Bombardier if they were replaced or retired, but the agreement has since expired.
As of early 2006, the O-Train carried an average of approximately 10,000 riders each weekday.
Route
- Bayview provides an interchange with the Transitway and is the closest station to downtown Ottawa. It is located on a stub-end track branching off from the railway line, immediately under the Wellington Street and Transitway overpasses.
- Carling is located at Carling Avenue and Preston Street. South of Carling, the train enters a tunnel to pass under the Rideau Canal.
- Carleton serves Carleton University, and is the only station with separate tracks and platforms for each direction. The schedule is timed such that the southbound train arrives first and moves onto the platform siding, and then proceeds once the northbound train has entered the station. South of Carleton, the train crosses over the Rideau River on a bridge.
- Confederation is located at Heron Road and Bronson Avenue, and primarily serves Government of Canada offices in the Confederation Heights area.
- Greenboro provides an interchange with a large Transitway station, which has a large park-and-ride lot and is located next to the South Keys Shopping Centre. The O-Train platform is level with the pedestrian overpass crossing the Transitway.
At the station
Carleton is the only O-Train station with separate platforms for both directions; at Carling and Confederation one can tell where a train is headed by the direction from which it enters the station and by its electronic destination sign.
Ticketing on the O-Train works entirely on a proof-of-payment basis; there are no ticket barriers or turnstiles, and the driver does not check fares. Tickets can be purchased from a vending machine on the platform, and certain bus passes are also valid for the O-Train.
There are no electronic signs giving real-time departure information at the stations, though paper schedules are posted. At Carling and Confederation stations, signs are posted indicating the direction of travel for northbound and southbound trains; Carleton has separate platforms, and from Bayview and Greenboro trains travel in only one direction.
The O-Train stations offer covered waiting areas for passengers, but except at Greenboro, which is also a major Transitway bus station, these are little more than large bus-style shelters beside the tracks. All stations have level boarding platforms to allow for wheelchair access and easier boarding for all passengers.
The European train cars are narrower than the North American standard. In order to enable night-time use of the line by standard-width freight services, retractable platform extenders are mounted at each station (other than Bayview which is constructed on its own private rail spur). Passengers gain access to the O-Train on these extenders, three sets of which are visible in the above photo (at the location of the solid yellow platform markings). If the line is used for freight, the extenders are retracted allowing a wider train to pass through the station. The extender interface with the train has been refined over time, and cyclists and wheelchair users now have no trouble accessing the train.
On board the train
At present, the trains stop at every station and all trains run directly from one end of the line to the other (with only five stations, short-turns would be of questionable value). The Talent units can be coupled together to form longer trains, but current ridership levels do not require this extended service, which in any case would require more trains and longer platforms at the stations. Each of the three carriages has a plug-type doorway for each side of the train. Rather than all doors opening at each station, passengers must individually open the door of which they intend to board or disembark by pressing a button.
Despite their diesel engines, the trains are quite comfortable; even for passengers sitting directly above the motors, the ride is quiet and smooth. Seats are arranged with two on each side of the carriage, and the rows alternate facing directions, such that half the seats are facing forward in either direction of travel.
The interior is clearly one designed for a mainline train; there are only a few poles for standing passengers, mostly located around the doors and closely integrated into the train’s overall design. There are no advertisements on board the trains. Although the trains consist of three carriages, they are connected such that it is possible to walk from one end to the other; the only noticeable divisions between the carriages are a short articulated section in the walls and a slight ramp over the dividing line. The trains have low floors, but the half-carriages at the ends of the trains have high floors with several steps up, to provide room for under-floor motors. The doors into the cabs are clear, allowing passengers to see in, but some drivers prefer to pull curtains across.
There are no maps posted on the trains, but electronic screens in each carriage and recorded voice messages announce the stations as they come up. The station announcements and all signs are bilingual in English and French; a few features of the trains are also marked in German as a result of their design heritage.
Criticism of pilot project
The main complaints about the O-Train pilot have revolved around its placement and ridership levels. Some say that as the O-Train’s route was determined by pre-existing railway tracks, it serves areas that were in little need of a new transit connection, instead of parts of the city which are hard to reach by public transport, which would require new tracks to be laid. Carleton University students would probably disagree, since they are the main group to have benefitted from the O-Train pilot project, and no longer have to ride buses through traffic to get to the University campus.
The other criticism is that the trains receive very low ridership compared to some very crowded bus lines such as Route 95, and some believe that the money should be spent accommodating the most people possible on the current network, instead of paying for expensive side projects. It should be noted, however, than one fully loaded O-Train carries 285 passengers compared to 131 passengers for an articulated bus [1], so the objection is more relevant to the O-Train schedule which is limited by current track capacity. The current system is unquestionably limited, but as a pilot project many of these limitations are intentional.
Beyond the pilot: Extension and electrification
On July 12, 2006, Council voted in favour (by a vote of 14 to 7, 1 Councillor absent) of awarding the North-South expansion to the Siemens/PCL/Dufferin design team. The proposed extension was more accurately termed a replacement, as the final O-Train would have been an electric tram system running on double track (as opposed to the current single-track diesel system).
According to the plan, the line – which would have included the current line – was to be extended (see map) east from its current northern terminus to run through LeBreton Flats and downtown Ottawa as far as the University of Ottawa, and south-west from its Greenboro terminus to the growing Riverside South community and Barrhaven. Much of the route would have run through the currently undeveloped Riverside South area, and it was hoped that the train would allow a large new suburb to be constructed in the area south of the airport. The line itself would have not connected to the airport. Construction of the extension would have been scheduled to begin in the autumn of 2006, resulting in the shutdown of operations in May 2007, and been completed in autumn 2009 with operations resuming under the new systems and rolling stock.
The diesel-powered Talents would have been replaced with electric trams more suitable for on-street operation in the downtown area, by the Siemens S70 Avanto (due to the ‘design, build, and maintain’ contracting process which has focused upon the bid proposing this vehicle [2]). Other bids had proposed the Bombardier Flexity Swift and a Kinki Sharyo tram.
With the use of electric power, greater frequency, and street-level running in central Ottawa, the expanded system would have borne much more resemblance to the urban tramways usually referred to by the phrase ‘light rail’ than does the pilot project (though the use of the Capital Railway track and additional existing tracks which have been acquired along its route may cause it to remain a mainline railway for legal purposes).
The estimated cost of the North-South expansion would have been just under $780 million (not including the proposed maintenance facility), making the project the largest in the City's history since the Rideau Canal project. The federal and provincial governments have each promised $200 million for the expansion, with the City of Ottawa contributing the remainder of the cost using funds from from various sources including the Provincial Gas Tax, the City's Transit Reserve Fund, and the Provincial Transportation Infrastructure Grant. 4.5% of the total project cost was expected to come from the property tax base. The City has also requested studies on an extension of the railway from the proposed University of Ottawa terminus through to Hurdman Station.
Expansion controversies
The north-south expansion planning process has not been without controversy. It was a major issue in the 2006 municipal election. The incumbant mayor Bob Chiarelli had long been the main advocate for light rail in Ottawa. Terry Kilrea, who finished second to Chiarelli in the 2003 municipal election and briefly ran for mayor in 2006, believed the plan was vastly too expensive and would also be a safety hazard for Ottawa drivers. He called for the entire light rail project to be scrapped. Mayoral candidate Alex Munter supported light rail, but argued that the current plan will do little to meet Ottawa's transit needs and that the true final expense of the project has been kept secret. He wanted to cut the Barrhaven leg, and start work on the East-West line. Larry O'Brien, a businessman who entered the race late, wanted to postpone the project for six months before making a final decision.
Transport 2000 president, David Jeanes, a long time supporter of light rail in Ottawa and a member of the City of Ottawa's transportation advisory committee, stated that he believed that the project was being designed to fail. City transportation staff, though long in favour of bus rapid transit systems, disagree with Jeanes' assessment.
Because of the need to accommodate the O-Train on the already congested downtown streets, the current East/West bus Transitway would have been be greatly reduced, with far fewer express buses travelling along the main commuter route between east and west. During the environmental assessment process, business groups lobbied for the downtown portion of the line to run in a tunnel rather than above ground where it would have to negotiate city streets already carrying heavy car and bus traffic, a bottleneck for the existing Transitway system. The tunnel option was not included in the public consultation process because city officials did not view the option as cost effective.
Current users of the pilot facility would have had to use replacement bus service if the north-south expansion proceeded. The electrification and twinning of the existing tracks required the current diesel service to be suspended for two to three years. OC Transpo had organized public consultations called Trans Plan in October for a proposed-replacement route 100 that would link South Keys to Tunney's Pasture via Carleton University and the federal buildings near Heron Road and Riverside Drive. However, the duration of a trip would likely have been longer than the O-Train and its northern terminus at Tunney's Pasture would have been be farther away from downtown than its current terminus at Bayview Station[3]
A related controversy surrounds the placement of the train maintenance yard for the system. Grassroots organizations supporting the O-Train have objected to the plan to move maintenance facilities from a large existing rail yard Walkley Yard (currently used for O-Train servicing) to greenspace and parkland on the airport. City staff and consultants have stated that purchasing the yard will require a $7.5-9 million investment vs. using airport property in return for increased sewer capacity. Ottawa Citizen columnist Randall Denley has determined that city staff's estimates for acquiring Walkley yard are high (11 April 2006 Make staff explain why they don't want Walkley rail yard). Despite this opposition, the plan to locate the yard on airport land prevailed.
Canadian Auto Workers union leader Buzz Hargrove wrote a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to halt the project, stating that it should be Bombardier building the new vehicles for the project. Hargrove asserted that if the contract was awarded to Siemens the cars would have been manufactured in a U.S plant [4].
There has been controversy surrounding non-rail costs being rolled into the light rail budget. These included the widening of Strandherd, the construction of a bridge linking Riverside South and Barrhaven, introduction of a smart-card system similar to STO's, sewer rehabilitation in the downtown area as well moving telephones lines that are located directly under the proposed O-Train route on Albert and Slater Streets. While some believe these costs were indirectly due to the light rail project, others counter that road initiatives should not be funded from the light rail budget. The bridge (whose design includes one light rail lane and six vehicle lanes) has been particularly criticized by both sides. The price tag of the project is currently estimated at $725 million, but with the additional items the final cost could top $900 million.
There were critics that the project would have not served a large portion of the Barrhaven area. Initially, the light-rail line would have stopped at the corner of Woodroffe Avenue and Strandherd Drive without serving the new commercial core of the community further to the west. In May 2006, Ottawa Council had voted in favor of a 3 kilometre-extension of the line to the centre of Barrhaven at the corner of Greenbank Road and Strandherd Drive and would have also provided a connection to an extended route 95. However, the portion between Greenbank Road and Leitrim Road would have only a single track. [5]
City staff limited the design to 85 km/h in the request for proposals. Although the vehicles of the preferred proponent could travel at up to 106 km/h, these speeds would have not been attainable because the track design and curve tightness. Detractors of the proposal argue that it would have been faster to access downtown from Barrhaven by busway rather than riding the train (which would have been faster if it could operate at its maximum speed).
Light rail supporters have asserted that the arterial road design for Riverside South has been carried out as if the LRT were never going to be constructed. The abundance of large arterial roads would have discouraged use of the transit facility, they charge. This analysis was disputed by supporters of road construction who argue that transit must succeed or fail upon its own merits, not by artificially creating road congestion. Supporters countered by arguing that the system must actively discourage car usage in order to meet its environmental goals and reduce cars entering downtown.
The proposed route of the O-Train also drew controversy from light rail supporters: the stops intended to be integrated with the Riverside South community would have been located too far for easy walking, meaning that residents would likely drive to the stations on the extensive road network; once in their cars they would have simply drive downtown rather than to an O-Train station.
On July 19, CBC Radio Ottawa ran a feature story about the fact that key ridership data related to the north-south expansion was kept from City Council debate and hidden from the public. The data in question results from a ridership study that was commissioned as a requirement for the federal and provincial government financial assistance. The study found that, compared to an evolution of existing transit services, the new project would only generate 1,090 net new riders by the year 2021 [6].
On July 24 2006, Chief Kirby Whiteduck of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation told the Ottawa Sun that his band wanted to see the project (as approved by council) put on hold until the First Nation's 23-year-old land claim has been settled. The O-Train route would have run over disputed land in the greenbelt between Leitrim and Hunt Club roads. The city solicitor replied that the land claim has been known since March 2006, but as the federal and provincial governments had approved the project's environmental assessment the project would have move forward nonetheless [7].
On October 2, 2006, there were reports from the City of Ottawa, that the President of the Treasury Board of the federal government, John Baird, would remove the $200 million federal grant for the light rail extension project after conducting an audit review on the value of it. He would also look for cost over-runs before approving the grant. Ottawa mayoral candidate Larry O'Brien, who estimated that the project would cost Ottawa taxpayers over $1 billion, wrote a letter to Baird on September 21 demanding an audit of the project. Councillor Gord Hunter also discussed his concerns over the ridership potential and price tag of the project with Baird. Ottawa councillor Diane Deans, stated that if the federal funding were annulled, the project would be cancelled. [8]
On October 5, the City of Ottawa sent a copy of the O-Train contract to the Treasury Board of Canada for the review, urging a quick response to avoid contract penalties by Siemens. [9] [10]
On October 10, 2006, media reported that the federal government officially approved the funding for the project but would not be giving it until after the municipal election. Baird also mentioned that the newly-formed Council after the November elections would have the final say. Shortly after the announcement, Mayor Bob Chiarelli and city manager Kent Kirkpatrick mentioned that it the decision would delay the project and cost taxpayers millions of dollars. [11] Some of the Council members, the Mayor and federal opposition party members denounced Baird's interference on the project. [12]
On October 23, 2006, candidate Alex Munter announced his own LRT plan that it would have included the downtown and Barrhaven segments of the proposal. Munter would have used some of the funding to develop the east-west light rail line. [13]
On October 30, 2006, a volunteer organization of transit experts and advocates called Friends of the O-Train[14] announced their “Practical LRT Plan”[15] for Ottawa. Their Practical Plan was introduced as an alternative to the City’s proposed project, which called for shutting down the current O-Train down for over three years. The Practical Plan would have used a hybrid hub-and-spoke network employing high-capacity electric light rail (ELRT) in a 6 km route through Ottawa’s downtown core in a designated LRT lane on both Albert and Slater streets. Two large terminals at either end of the ELRT line are served by both an expanded diesel light rail (DLRT, based on the current O-Train service) and the City’s bus rapid transit (BRT) networks. This system was claimed to provide more than double the transit capacity through the City’s congested downtown core, and simple and economical DLRT expansion to more distant east and west suburban developments and north to Gatineau. The Practical Plan called for a capital budget of $438 million, a savings of over $340 million dollars compared on the City’s proposed plan.
Cancellation
On December 1, 2006, the new Council took office. It started to debate on the issue during the week of December 4 with three options including the status quo, the truncation of portions of the current track or the cancellation of the contract. An Ottawa Sun article had reported on December 5 that if the project were cancelled, there could be lawsuits by Siemens against the City of Ottawa totalling as much as $1 billion[16]. With those possibilities, new mayor Larry O'Brien opted to keep the extension to Barrhaven while eliminating the portion that would run from Lebreton Flats to the University of Ottawa.However, Council have also introduced the possibilty of building several tunnels in the downtown core in replacement of rail lines on Albert and Slater. Total costs for the tunnels would have been approximately according to City Staff about $500 millon. [17] Council voted by a margin of 12-11 in favour of continuing the project, but without the downtown section. An environmental assessment will be conducted on the possibility of building a tunnel through downtown. Another attempt made by Councillor Gord Hunter to review the project later failed. [18] At the same time, the Ontario government was also reviewing the project before securing their $200 million funding. However, it was reported that both the federal and provincial funding totalling $400 million was not secured before the contract deadline of December 15. O'Brien withdrew his support, and a new vote was held on December 14. With the presence of Rainer Bloess who was absent during the previous vote [19], Council decided to cancel the project by a margin of 13-11 despite the possibility of lawsuits from Siemens, the contract holder. [20] [21]
Future plans
East-west line
The city has also committed funds to perform an environmental assessment for an east-west route, running between Kanata and Orleans mainly via an existing railway right-of-way bypassing downtown. Planners have explored the possibility of using the current system’s three Talents for an east-west pilot project after they are replaced by electric trams on the north-south line, but it seems unlikely that Transport Canada would approve their use on the existing tracks, since they would have to be shared with other mainline trains.
Other possibilities
Long-term plans include lines on Carling Avenue from the existing Carling station westward to Bayshore and Bells Corners, and from the Rideau Centre south-east to the area of Innes Road and Blair Road via Rideau Street, Montreal Road, and Blair Road. Just recently, the City of Ottawa has conducted a 4-million dollar Environmental Assessment Study for these two corridors. There were also possibilities of a rail link to Hurdman Station.
Service to Gatineau would also be possible (and desirable, considering the potential base of commuters), as there is a railway bridge over the Ottawa River nearby, but the government of Gatineau is opposed to extending the O-Train into their territory; Ottawa's city staff have taken steps to isolate the current north-south line from the bridge [22], so it would need to be re-built north of Bayview station. A line running into Gatineau is not included in the current plans for expansion up to 2021, but the city is keeping this option open through its track acquisitions.
However due to the cancellation of the north-south project, it is unlikely that those projects will be done.
See also
External links
- O-Train official site (with information about current service)
- O-Train News
- Capital Railway certificate of fitness
- O-Train Evaluation Report
- O-Train Light Rail Project Summary (Transport Canada)
- O-Train construction pictures
- Critical Analysis of Ottawa's Proposed North-South Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project
- Save Our Greenspace
- Friends of the O-Train and the new site: Friends of the O-Train
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