East-west line to be built 1st in Ottawa's rapid transit network

The first section of Ottawa's proposed rapid transit network to be built will include, at minimum, an east-west rail line connecting the city's downtown with its east end.

The city unveiled four possible scenarios for the first phase of the light rail  network Thursday, all including a tunnel through downtown. The scenarios are:

1. An east-west line connecting Blair station in the east with Tunney's Pasture, just west of downtown, which would cost $1.9 billion.
2. An east-west line connecting St. Laurent in the east with Baseline station in the west, which would cost $2.3 billion.
3. An east-west line connecting Blair station with Tunney's Pasture and a north-south line connecting Riverside South with Bayview station, the current northern terminus of the O-train, at a  cost of $2.6 billion.
4. An east-west line connecting Blair station in the east with Baseline station in the west, costing $2.4 billion.

Same route as cancelled plan

Mayor Larry O'Brien and the chairs of the city's environment, transit and transportation committees have all expressed a preference for the third option, which follows the same route as the light rail plan cancelled by a council vote in 2006.

Alta Vista Coun. Peter Hume, chair of the city's planning and environment committee, said the north-south line would help guide development in the city's south end.

Nancy Schepers, deputy city manager of planning, transit and the environment, said that would make the route easier to implement.

However, it also makes the route unpopular with some councillors. Council voted 13-11 in December 2006, following the November municipal election, to scrap the original $778-million light rail contract approved by the previous council in July.

Kanata North Coun. Marianne Wilkinson said the north-south line in the previous plan didn't work.

"And if people find out that they're just putting back what we cancelled before, I think that there's going to be a lot of very unhappy people in this city."

Schepers said Scenario 2 and Scenario 4 would both be difficult, as they would require negotiations with the National Capital Commission to put rails on the Ottawa River Parkway.

There are to be five public consultation sessions on the scenarios between Sept. 11 and 22. People can register via the City of Ottawa's transportation master plan website.