City of Ottawa officials held a technical briefing today to outline the results on the Stage 2 LRT procurement. The technical briefing was accompanied by a report that outlines the results of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process for Council approval. The report will go to Committee of the Whole for consideration on February 27 to hear public delegations on this matter, and Council on March 6. Once approved, construction will begin in 2019 to extend the O-Train farther south, east, and west and is anticipated to open in stages starting in 2022 with full construction completion date in 2025.
Stage 2 is made up of two projects extending the Confederation and Trillium Lines totalling 44 kilometres of new rail and 24 new LRT stations. It will extend the existing Trillium Line south to Riverside South with a link to the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, and it will extend the Confederation Line, scheduled to open this spring, farther east to Trim Road and west to both Moodie Drive and Algonquin College.
The Stage 2 project is funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa. The project has been divided into three separate contracts, the Confederation Line Extension (including east and west extensions) as a Design Build Finance and the Trillium Line South Extension as a Design Build Finance and Maintain Project and a Memorandum of Understanding for 38 Vehicles, the construction of the Belfast Yard Maintenance and Storage Facility expansion and for civil and vehicle maintenance and lifecycle.
East-West Connectors has been recommended as the private sector partner to design, build and finance the Stage 2 Confederation Line Extension, which adds 12.5km of new rail and five new stations in the east, extending the line from Blair Station to Trim Station, and 15 km of new rail and 11 new stations in the west, extending the line from Tunney’s Pasture Station to Moodie and Baseline station.
TransitNEXT has been recommended as the preferred proponent to design, build, finance and maintain the Stage 2 Trillium Line Extension, which adds 16 km of new rail and eight new stations extending the line farther south from Greenboro Station to Limebank Station, with a link to the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. The preferred proponent will also be responsible for upgrading the existing stations as well as maintenance for the existing infrastructure and rolling stock.
The preferred proponent’s submissions indicate staggered construction completion dates with the Trillium Line South Extension completed in 2022, with the Confederation Line east and west extensions opening in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Stage 2 will change the way we move around Ottawa, providing shorter commutes, bring 77 per cent of Ottawa residents with five kilometres of fast, efficient, clean and reliable rail, capable of reaching a future capacity of up to 24,000 passengers each way during peak periods. Construction will generate economic output of approximately $5.6 billion (2018$) and over 27,000 person-years of employment. When complete, the Stage 2 O-Train system will result in a fully grade-separated system that spans nearly 64 kilometres to include 41 stations, 85 vehicles and three maintenance and storage facilities.
