The Trillium Line is now running on Saturdays. Here's what riders think

Councillors marked the beginning of Saturday service with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Walkley station, one of the north-south line's new stations.

Sunday service expected to begin in the next couple of weeks

Faith Greco · CBC News · Posted: Jan 25, 2025 6:05 PM EST | Last Updated: January 25

A man and women smile outside of a train station. — Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr, left, and River Coun. Riley Brockington, right, take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Walkley station on Saturday, the first day of weekend service on the recently reopened Trillium Line. (Faith Greco/CBC)

City officials and transit riders celebrated the reopening of the expanded Trillium Line today — the first Saturday the line's been in service.

The north-south line, which now connects Riverside South to Bayview and includes a spur line to the Ottawa International Airport, opened on Jan. 6 after a multi-year closure.

River Coun. Riley Brockington and Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday at Walkley station, one of the new stations along the line.

It will eventually be open seven days a week as part of a phased rollout.

For now, trains are running from Monday to Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to midnight. The gradual approach follows lessons learned from the problem-plagued launch of the Confederation Line in 2019.

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Trillium Line to reopen in stages starting Monday, Jan. 6

Sunday service on the Trillium Line is expected to begin in the next couple of weeks, once OC Transpo has ensured the system is fully ready for the additional day of service. The city's transit commission plans to share further details at its meeting on Feb. 13.

Here's what a few riders had to say Saturday about the first two weeks of service.

Stephon Farrow

Man holds poster in front of bus station.

As a Carleton University student, I've been waiting over the past several years. When I was in first year, the Trillium Line was supposed to open, and I'm now in third year. So it's been that long, and it's just been teasing me in the middle of campus.

I'm excited because I can finally ride the train all the way down Limebank and get off campus without being stuck in traffic.

Andrew and Yvonne Jackson

Couple sits next to eachother on a train.

The train is very smooth and came on time. We traveled on the earlier train before it was upgraded. This definitely meets the same standard, if not better.

The train is also very spacious and the seating is very comfortable. We're very impressed.