16 Jun City of Ottawa secures funding for Stage 2 LRT
Photo taken by Councillor Brockington at the June 16, 2017 funding announcement at Belfast Yard.
Ottawa – Mayor Jim Watson was pleased to welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the Belfast Yard Maintenance and Storage Facility today, where the Government of Canada announced its financial support for the Stage 2 LRT project.
The federal government has pledged to contribute up to $1.09 billion in total eligible costs to Stage 2 through their long term plan, Investing in Canada. This is in addition to the over $67 million the federal government committed to Stage 2 through the first phase of the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund last year.
Mayor Watson and Prime Minister Trudeau were also joined by Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli from the Province of Ontario, which has already promised to invest $1 billion towards Stage 2 LRT, plus 50 per cent of the cost associated with extending the O-Train system to the Ottawa airport and from Place d’Orléans to Trim.
The remainder of the LRT costs, approximately $1 billion, will be covered by the City of Ottawa.
In the South, the Trillium Line will be expanded to reach Bowesville Station, with a link to the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier Airport, by 2021. In the East, the Confederation Line will extend to Trim Road by 2022. In the West, it will reach Algonquin College and Moodie Drive by 2023.
Once complete, Stage 2 will bring 70 per cent of Ottawa residents within five kilometers of efficient,
With Councillors Michael Qaqish and Keith Egli, following the LRT Funding Announcement, admiring one of the new Alstrom trains.
clean and reliable rail service with the capability of carrying an estimated 24,000 riders per hour per direction during peak periods. The complete O-Train system will span nearly 60 kilometres and include 41 stations.
The confirmed federal and provincial funding allows the City to move forward with its innovative procurement solution for the Stage 2 extensions, including issuing the Request for Proposals for the extensions of both the Confederation and Trillium Lines, as well as ordering the additional vehicles required to service the expanded system.
“Today’s announcement puts the final piece in place for the funding of the Stage 2 LRT project. We can now plan to put shovels in the ground in 2019 as we continue expanding our world-class LRT system. Building Stage 2 will not only create jobs during construction, it will also give Ottawa a competitive edge to attract talent and new businesses to our city once the project is complete.”
Mayor Jim Watson, City of Ottawa
With Council colleagues, Mayor Watson and MPP Bob Chiarelli following the funding announcement.
“Stage 2 will change the way commuters travel around the city. It will save you time and get you to work and home faster, expanding the reliability, accessibility and comfort of light rail transit. It will save residents money with reduced car costs, including fuel costs, vehicle wear and tear and even accident avoidance. It will take 14,000 vehicles off the road during rush hour and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 110,000 tonnes and air contaminants by 3,000 tonnes every year.”
Councillor Stephen Blais, Chair, Transit Commission
Quick Facts:
- Confederation Line (Stage 1)
- Length – 12.5 km
- Downtown tunnel – 2.5 km
- Number of stations – 13
- Stage 2 (Confederation Line and Trillium Line)
- 24,000 people per direction per hour at peak capacity
- 38 km of new rail
- 23 new stations
- South extension
- 11 km including a spur to the Airport
- 7 new stations
- Completion 2021
- East extension
- 5 km
- 5 new stations
- Completion 2022
- West extension
- 15 km
- 11 new stations
- Completion 2023
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