City highlights progress on Stage 2 South extension
Walkley Yard will be a key component in the Stage 2 Trillium Line South extension. Vehicles will be cleaned, inspected, maintained, stored and operated from the yard. This includes the existing six Alstom Coradia Lint trains that will be fully refurbished, along with seven new Stadler FLIRT vehicles that will support the extension.
Construction of the new Walkley Yard is well underway. After only breaking ground last year, the 200-tonne exterior shell is nearly complete with track installation set to begin. The new Walkley Yard will be a 4,700 m2 LEED certified facility that will house the 13 Stage 2 O-Train South vehicles. The new facility will consist of three train maintenance bays, a train wash facility, 1800 metres of ballasted track, and 500 metres of interior track within the facility.
TransitNEXT, the contractor building the Stage 2 Trillium Line South extension, is adding an additional 16 kilometres of track to the current portion of the O-Train Line 2, which runs from Bayview Station to Greenboro Station. Work includes adding passing tracks at South Keys and double tracks south of Leitrim to Limebank Road. Four kilometres of new track will provide a link to the Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. The contract with TransitNEXT also includes maintenance of Line 2 for 27 years.
The existing portion of Line 2 will see two new stations added at Corso Italia and Walkley, and other stations will have their platforms extended to accommodate longer, larger capacity trains. The new southern portion of the line will include new stations at South Keys, Leitrim, Bowesville and Limebank. The link to the airport will connect at South Keys Station and will include two new stations at the Airport and Uplands, which will serve the EY Centre.
Construction is scheduled for completion in 2022. The design allows for conversion to twin-track electric LRT in the future. It will also accommodate the planned widening of both the Airport Parkway and Lester Road.
Line 2 will use high efficiency diesel Stadler FLIRT trains. The trains are 80 metres long and can carry 420 passengers, approximately twice as many as the current trains. Trains will be fully accessible and meet the highest international environmental and performance standards.
The current Alstom Coradia Lint trains, with a capacity of 260 passengers, will operate in their current configuration along Line 4 (Airport Link). The 42-metre long trains will be doubled up to run along Line 2 when additional vehicles are needed. These trains also use high-efficiency diesel engines and are fully accessible.
The O-Train Trillium Line South extension is one of three projects that make up Stage 2 LRT. Line 1 is also being extended west from Tunney's Pasture to Lincoln Fields, where it will split, travelling south to Algonquin Station and west to Moodie Drive. Line 1 is also being extended east from Blair Station to Trim Road.
The Stage 2 Light Rail Transit Project is a $4.66 billion project that is jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa.
Stage 2 LRT is good news for our city and its residents, as it expands the reach, comfort and convenience of light rail transit. Using world-class vehicles with low-floor seating and other accessibility features, and stations supporting transit-oriented development, Stage 2 will transform commuting in Ottawa. It will connect communities, including Ottawa's major employment centres, postsecondary institutions, shopping and recreation destinations, and arts and culture hot spots. Stage 2 will relieve congestion, reducing approximately one sixth of Ottawa's total vehicle kilometres travelled and greenhouse gas emissions, and save commuters time and money.
Stage 2 supports healthy commuting, gives residents more options for how they commute, including biking to work. Ottawa is integrating the city's pathway network with all light rail developments in support of mixed-mode commuting.
Quotes
"Affordable and reliable public transit is critical to building sustainable and inclusive communities. Stage 2 Ottawa Light Rail Transit, including the Trillium Line South extension, is a significant project that will help connect residents to essential services and reduce traffic congestion. Canada's infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities."
Chandra Arya, MP for Nepean, on behalf of The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
"The start of the next stage of this project at the new Walkley Yard Maintenance and Storage Facility is an exciting milestone on the south extension of the Trillium Line. This extension will bring rapid transit to new communities, and connect people to places, which allows more Ontarians to experience all that Ottawa has to offer. Ontario is providing up to $1.208 billion for Stage 2 and is proud to support key infrastructure projects that modernize our transit network, and expand on economic opportunities."
The Honourable Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, and MPP for Nepean
"Stage 2 is being built with the future in mind. It will connect growing communities in Ottawa South, such as Riverside South, Manotick, Findlay Creek, Greely and Osgoode and bring them much closer to high quality train service. It will encourage active transportation through the creation of three new pedestrian bridges and a new 13.6-kilometre multi-use pathway (MUP) along the length of the new extension, connecting Riverside South with adjacent communities, the NCC Greenbelt pathway network, and the City's pathway network. Stage 2 will help ensure that Ottawa continues to be one of the best places in the world to live, work and play."
Jim Watson, Mayor, City of Ottawa
Source : City of Ottawa