Ottawa LRT - Confederation Line and Highway 417 Widening Project

operational

Opportunity The population of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city is projected to grow 30 per cent by 2031. The current transit system is nearing the end of its operating life with public transit and highways at close to capacity in the downtown core during peak hours. The city’s continued prosperity is dependent on moving people more efficiently. In 2008, the City began making plans to expand public transit services to meet future demands. Public consultations, research and an environmental assessment contributed to the development of the City’s Transportation Master Plan, providing a roadmap to expand the City’s rapid transit system through several stages, beginning with the Confederation Line.   Challenges The largest public infrastructure investment in Ottawa’s history has to be built in areas that are densely populated with residential and commercial buildings, including national heritage properties such as the Parliamentary precinct. Almost a year into construction, a massive sink-hole opened while tunnel excavation was underway on Wellington Street. To ensure safety, RTG suspended work to investigate the cause and found unanticipated soil conditions to be the cause. Innovations The Confederation Line project is the first stage in Ottawa’s future light rail network. Widening Highway 417 and completing more than $300 million in integrated roadworks in advance of the most intense construction will minimize detours. Results The 12.5-kilometre electric rail system replaced existing diesel-powered buses, providing rapid transit between Blair Station in the east and Tunney’s Pasture Station in the west. The route includes 13 stations and a 2.5-kilometre tunnel that will alleviate congestion through the downtown core. The majority of the Confederation Line track is built in the Transitway’s existing footprint. It will have a mix of at-grade, elevated and tunnel sections. The tunnel through the downtown core reduced travel time between Blair Road and Tunney’s Pasture Station to less than 24 minutes at any time of the day. Time saved is projected to provide a net economic benefit to the City of $276 million between 2019 and 2031. The Confederation Line launched with a peak capacity of 10,700 passengers per hour in each direction, with potential to grow to more than 18,000 passengers per hour in each direction by 2031. Studies suggest that the reliability and speed of LRT led to a 9 per cent increase in public transit ridership. Replacing bus and car trips with the LRT’s zero- emission electric trains reduces carbon dioxide by approximately 38,000 tonnes per year by 2031—the equivalent of taking 7,300 cars off the streets.  The project is a major catalyst for job creation, and resulted in at least 20,000 person-years of direct and indirect employment, with economic output of approximately $3.2 billion. The transit system is fully accessible for all users.

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