Ottawa scales up Stage 2 light rail extension

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Photo: City of Ottawa.
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Planners in Ottawa have extended the proposed route of the Stage 2 Light Rail Transit Project.

A new report for Stage 2 LRT has now been produced. It will go before the city’s Finance and Economic Development Committee on February 24 and then the City Council on March 8.

The document includes details of an extended alignment, procurement models and outlines the next steps for city officials.

The new alignment will extend the Confederation Line West beyond Bayshore to Moodie Drive, with a southwest spur to Algonquin College; the Confederation Line East beyond Place d’Orleans to Trim Road; the Trillium Line will be extended further south to Bowesville and Riverside South; and an Airport Rail Link will be constructed from South Keys Station on the Trillium Line.

The latest announcement includes an additional station at Moodie Drive. Stage 2 will now extend Ottawa’s O-Train by 38 kilometres, adding 23 new stations to the network. A new maintenance and stabling depot will also be built around Moodie Drive.

Stage 2 will be procured in two phases. A new $2.5 billion design-build-finance contract will be tendered for the Confederation Line East and West extensions. A separate $535 million design-build-finance-maintain contract will be let for the Trillium Line extension.

Jim Watson, Mayor of the City of Ottawa, said: “In 2013, council set out an ambitious goal for our city: to extend and share the benefits of light rail to more people in Ottawa by going farther and faster to the South, East and West.”

Procurement is expected to commence by the end of the year. A final report is then due in early 2018 to announce the winners of the contracts before final design and construction commences.

The timetable currently predicts that the Trillium Line South extension will be completed by 2021, the Confederation Line East, including Trim, by 2022 and the Confederation Line West to Moodie by 2023.