Stage 2 LRT gets longer, but pricier
Posted Feb 17, 2017 05:14:21 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA — Stage 2 LRT is going to be longer and pricier than expected.
At an announcement at City Hall Friday, the City outlined plans for the Confederation and Trillium line extensions, along with some additions.
The new price tag is $3.615 billion, which is $600 million more than previously announced. It includes an extension of the Confederation Line east to Trim and west to Moodie, as well as adding an additional extension from South Keys to the airport.
If all goes according to plan, the airport extension should be complete by 2021, with the Confederation Line east to Trim and west to Moodie open in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Part of the additional cost is a $492 million agreement with the Rideau Transit Group, which is currently building the $2.1 billion Stage 1 LRT, to provide and maintain 38 new light rail trains and oversee Stage 2 construction.
It also means RTG won’t be able to bid on the east and west LRT contracts, but the group will be able to bid on the Trillium Line extension.
Stage 2 is set to take 14,000 vehicles off the road and accommodate 24,000 people per hour in each direction — doubling the current capacity.
According to Director of O-Train Planning Chris Swail, some changes to the construction of the Trillium Line will mean a shutdown of the line, which would affect Carleton University students, and could last 16 months.
“That would likely start after classes are out April/May 2020 and then the full line extended would open by the time students go back to school in September of 2021,” said Swail.
The City is also hoping to share the $3.6 billion dollar price tag three ways with the Ontario and federal governments.
The Province has already committed to paying up to $1.6 billion for the project, which includes 50 per cent of the Trim and airport extensions.
The City is waiting to find out the Federal government’s commitment through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund.
