Image | LRT O-Train OC Transpo Ottawa Trillium Line 2
Caption: An Alstom-made LINT train pulls in to South Keys station. (Francis Deschênes/CBC)
Image | LRT O-Train OC Transpo Ottawa Trillium Line 2
Caption: The Stadler FLIRT train is diesel, but includes electric components. It could be converted to electric, battery or hydrogen in the future. (Kate Porter/CBC)
Caption: Renée Amilcar said she will be there at 6 a.m. on Jan. 6 when the first train on Line 2 starts up. The trains will operate on weekdays for at least the first two weeks. (Kate Porter/CBC)
Renée Amilcar, the general manager of transit services at OC Transpo, may be one of the few people in Ottawa who is hoping for bad weather over the holidays.
"Hopefully we'll have some freezing rain and we'll have more snow so we can practise," she told CBC. "I cannot believe that I'm saying that, but it's true!"
Troy Charter, director of transit service delivery and rail operations for OC Transpo, agreed they need more practice, but said he and his team are excited to get going.
"This is an exciting time," he said. "I mean, very few people can say that they were part of launching a rail line.... The whole team is proud of this."
Image | Troy Charter OC Transpo Line 2 Line 4 LRT O-train
Caption: 'We're launching in January to have some more time to continue to practise, so we can make sure that we keep to the kind of schedule that you want,' said Troy Charter, director of transit service delivery and rail operations for OC Transpo. (Elyse Skura/CBC)
Image | Michael Lesarge OC Transpo driver
Caption: Michael Lesarge has been an OC Tranpso bus driver for 15 years and will now operate the LRT, as the Trillium Line reopens to the public. (Kate Porter/CBC)
Michael Lesarge has been a driver for 15 years, and now he's been trained to operate the Stadler FLIRT trains.
"It was a great opportunity, but it was a lot of work to drive these things!" he said.
Media Audio | Ottawa Morning : A sneak peek at expanded north-south LRT line
Caption: Reporter Kate Porter joined councillors and media for a ride on the new Trillium Line, set to start opening on the first Monday in January.
Image | Carleton University station LRT Trillium Line 4
Caption: Students at Carleton University have been anticipating the expansion of the Trillium Line to get them quickly to and from campus. (Kate Porter/CBC)
Charter said the Stadler trains, which are longer and have more doors, will be particularly useful at the Carleton University station.
"We do anticipate Carleton being one of our busier stations," he said.
Image | Carleton University Trillium Line 4 LRT O-Train Ottawa
Caption: The campus of Carleton University as seen from the LRT on Dec. 16, 2024. (Kate Porter/CBC)
Straight shot to the airport
Image | O-Train LRT Ottawa Trillium Line 2 Train interior South Keys station
Caption: Line 4 trains going to the airport start at at South Keys station and also visit Uplands station. (Elyse Skura/CBC)
For the first time, people will now be able to reach the Ottawa International Airport by train.
Mark Laroche, president and chief executive officer of the Ottawa Airport Authority, said he hopes that will attract more conferences and other events to the city.
He said he was "shocked" that the original Trillium Line bypassed the airport, and fought to get it included in the expansion.
"That's why I'm retiring at the end of next week — I was making sure it got done!" he said. "We have to look at this as a long-term economic investment."
Image | LRT Line 4 O-Train Airport Entrance Ottawa
Caption: 'We view this as a future-looking investment to the airport terminal. It's not all about making a profit,' said Mark Laroche, president and chief executive officer of the Ottawa Airport Authority. (Joe Tunney/CBC)
Image | Mark Laroche, OC Transpo Line 4 O-Train Ottawa Airport Authority
Caption: Laroche stands near the train at the airport's station on Dec. 16, 2024. (Elyse Skura/CBC)
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