Long-awaited launch of O-Train expansion met with optimism
Trillium Line extension now reaches Riverside South, airport
Eager riders and city officials alike greeted the long-awaited launch of extended LRT service to south Ottawa with optimism when the Trillium Line reopened Monday morning.
The light rail line was originally expected to reopen in September 2022, but delays pushed the launch back more than two years.
It marks the return of LRT service to Carleton University, and now reaches as far south as Limebank station near Riverside South. There's also a connection from South Keys to the Ottawa International Airport — another first.
The diesel train currently runs every 12 minutes and will operate from Monday to Friday until enough operators are trained, according to OC Transpo.
Riverside South resident Azaan Sayani took a ride Monday morning, and said the expansion gives residents of that community more options for getting around town.
"Being able to have frequent service to the downtown and areas of the city where things actually happen, as a young person, is very nice," Sayani said.
Riverside South-Findlay Creek Coun. Steve Desroches said the expansion is long overdue, and will finally allow for transit-oriented development in the city's south end.
"This is a rapid transit system that will move people in and out of the core of the city and through the Greenbelt much more quicker and in a much more reliable fashion," he said.
Desroches has long advocated for the extension, and said the 2006 council vote to scrap a similar plan "set back our city and this community in particular."
The area around Limebank station has already been zoned for a future town centre with towers and a new library. Additional zoning changes have been proposed for Bowesville station, one stop to the north.
Carleton back on track
Carleton University students will now be able to ride the Trillium Line for the first time since it was shut down in May 2020 for construction.
Aidan Kallioinen, vice-president of university and government relations with the Carleton University Students' Association, said it's hoped that replacing buses with the higher-capacity trains will make getting to and from campus easier for everyone.
"This is big for students," Kallioinen said. "It's something that a lot of our students don't remember having, and remember it was supposed to be open when they started their educations — and we're just getting it now."
He said the delayed opening, coupled with controversy over a proposed hike to the student U-Pass and concerns over reliability, have contributed to a general mistrust of OC Transpo among students.
Full service expected in February
On Monday, OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar told reporters ridership on the morning of the launch had been light but steady.
Amilcar said it's too early to predict how the planned addition of weekend service will unfold.
"I'm very glad, but I'm cautious. We know it's winter and we know we'll have to deal with some issues. It's important to take our time," Amilcar said.
OC Tranpo plans to offer weekday service on the Trillium Line for at least two weeks, followed by partial weekend service for another two weeks or more. If all goes well, full service would begin in early February.
With files from Joe Tunney and CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning