24 Feb Finance and Economic Development Committee approves Stage 2 LRT plan
Please find below the City of Ottawa’s press release regarding the approval of the Stage 2 Light Rail Transit plan by the Finance and Economic Development Committee today. While I do not sit on this committee, and therefore cannot vote on the plan at this stage, I attended the meeting, asked questions of staff and have requested a follow up meeting with city officials to discuss the matter further. I will have the opportunity to vote on the plan when it rises to Council on Wednesday, March 8.
As part of the continuing public engagement for Stage 2 LRT, the City will be holding a Public 
Information Session on Stage 2 LRT on Wednesday, March 1. The session begins at 6:30 p.m. and will take place in the Champlain Room at City Hall.
To encourage participation, the event will be live streamed on the City of Ottawa’s Facebook page via Facebook Live, where residents will be able to interact and ask questions in real time, and the City’s YouTube Channel. Public can also attend the session in person.
I would like to hear from you, River Ward residents, on what you think of the proposed plan. Send your comments to me at Riley.Brockington@Ottawa.ca.
Committee approves plans to move forward with Stage 2 Light Rail Transit
Ottawa – The City’s Finance and Economic Development Committee approved today a report on recommendations for the implementation of Stage 2 of Light Rail Transit, including changes to the scope of the project, the procurement model and the specific activities the City will undertake to get ready to implement Stage 2.
Expanded scope:
Following extensive public consultation and preliminary engineering work, an expansion of the scope of the Stage 2 LRT Project was proposed, including final alignment adjustments, the construction of an additional Maintenance and Storage Facility in the Moodie Drive area, and the following extensions to the train lines:
- Confederation Line West: beyond Bayshore to Moodie Drive, and southwest to Algonquin College;
- Confederation Line East: beyond Place d’Orleans to Trim Road;
- Trillium Line extension to Bowesville and Riverside South; and
- An Airport Rail Link from South Keys Station on the Trillium Line.
The budget for the Stage 2 LRT project remains $3 billion, as approved in 2015. The new Moodie Extension is included within the original budget, while the Trim and Airport Extensions are conditional on receiving 100 per cent federal and provincial funding.
Outside of the LRT projects, several other related works are being bundled with Stage 2. These projects have been already planned and budgeted for, but their work will be bundled with the light-rail work, in order to improve construction integration, reduce detours, save money and reduce impacts to the community. The Stage 2 project will generate over 21,000 person-years of employment.
Procurement:
The City will continue to work with existing partner Rideau Transit Group to ensure an integrated and consistent expanded system while maximizing the amount of work to be procured under new competitions.
The Stage 2 expansion of the O-Train network will be undertaken through two new procurements:
- A new $2.5-billion Design-Build-Finance competition for the Confederation Line East and West extensions (includes Airport, Trim and Highway 417, and City-bundled works); and
- A new $535-million Design-Build-Finance-Maintain competition for the Trillium Line extension.
Implementation:
The report also detailed a number of specific preparations that the City will undertake to implement Stage 2, including traffic and transit-staging concepts to reduce construction impacts, the approach to assembling the required lands and the delegated authority to proceed with the project.
This report will go to City Council for consideration on March 8, 2017. Should the report be approved by Council, the project would go to market later this winter. A final report will be brought forward in early 2018 outlining the results of the procurement process and related activities, leading to the final design and beginning of construction. The Stage 2 project is planned to proceed with staggered openings to allow for faster expansions to LRT service:
- Trillium Line South extension in 2021
- Confederation Line East including Trim in 2022
- Confederation Line West to Moodie by 2023
The Committee also received a report on the long-range affordability of the City’s public transit plans. The report concludes that Ottawa’s transit plans remain affordable, thanks to continued strong financial support for rapid transit projects from the federal and provincial governments. This report will also go to City Council on March 8, 2017.