Transit Committee received the report from Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar on June 12 as an update on the Stage 2 Light Rail Transit Project, which includes extensions east and west.

According to the report, the east extension is now undergoing software upgrades and operator training in addition to ongoing testing and final construction. The stations are also all complete.

The next step will be Substantial Completion, which is expected to be completed in Q2, and will be followed by trial running before the system begins service.

The west extension to Moodie Road is still undergoing construction of stations, guideway, track and infrastructure, the report said, resulting in a series of traffic detours that “continue to be necessary”. 

The stations along the west extension, including Moodie, Pinecrest and Queensview on Line 3, are undergoing testing and interior finishes. The Line 1 stations, including Westboro, Iris, Algonquin, Lincoln Fields and Kichi Zìbì are nearing completion and “progressing well”, the memo said. Construction of the pedestrian bridge at Algonquin Station is also ongoing.

The contingency fund for stage 1 is $115 million, of which $102 million has been spent, and remaining funds are expected to address property requirements. 

The original contingency fund for stage 2 was $152 million but was increased by $25 million by City council in 2022 and another $110 million in 2023 due to “unforseen costs and improvements.”

According to the report, approximately $260 million of the stage 2 contingency fund has been committed to date.  

East/West Connectors (EWC) was awarded the contract to design, build and finance the Confederation Line, also known as Line 1, in 2019. The project will extend Line 1 from blair Station to Trim Station in the east and from Tunney’s Pasture to Moodie Station (Line 3) and Algonquin Station in the west.

It was also announced at the meeting that after nearly four years as general manager, Amilcar will be leaving OC Transpo to head Quebec’s transportation agency as president and CEO of Mobilité Infra Québec. 

At the committee meeting, chair Glen Gower commended Amilcar for overseeing the launch of Lines 2 and 4, redesigning the Ottawa bus network, and improving the public perception of public transit.

“We should all be very proud of the progress we’ve made toward improving customer service, restoring public trust and building a stronger, more reliable transit system,” Amilcar told committee and staff. “I will say that OC Transpo is on the right path, guided by strong civic leaders and a dedicated workforce. I’m very sad to be leaving.”

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Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Ottawa MPs David McGuinty and Jenna Sudds announced the investment of over $18 million in annual funding for the City of Ottawa on Monday.

Through the new Canada Public Transit Fund’s Basline Funding stream, OC Transpo will receive annual funding amounting to over $180 million over 10 years to upgrade, replace and modernize Ottawa’s public transit system. 

Beginning in 2026 and continuing until 2036, the funding will help increase affordability and housing supply, leading to better-connected and cohesive communities oriented around transit options, a memo from the City of Ottawa said.

“The funding announced today will help Ottawa in a number of important areas, including closing the systemic gap in our transit budget,” Sutcliffe said at the announcement. “The transit funding ensures we can maintain and improve service for our rapidly growing city. 

“We will continue to work with the federal government on a number of other shared priorities in the weeks ahead, as we continue to tackle financial pressures and strive to build a better city for all our residents.”

The 2025 City of Ottawa Budget involves substantial investments in public transit but requires an increase in transit fares and includes a $36 million gap in funding that the municipality hoped would be filled by upper levels of government. 

OC Transpo will receive $180,231,660 over ten years, conditional on the City of Ottawa submitting a capital plan and the subsequent signing of a funding agreement. 

Ottawa-Vanier MP Mona Fortier said that while public transit should “make life easier,” “we all know Ottawa’s transit system needs improvement.”

“Buses need to show up on time, and we need a reliable train system,” she said at the announcement. “That’s why the federal government is stepping up and working with the City of Ottawa to invest in real improvements—because you deserve a transit system that actually works when you need it.”

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The O-Train welcomed passengers for the morning commute for the first time in about five years. 

The south extension, also known as the Trillium Line, has opened for public use as part of a phased opening approach and provided rail service from Bayview to Limebank stations, and South Keys to Airport Stations on Monday.

At a virtual media availability Tuesday, Amilcar said it is “too soon to tell” if the train is on track for the phased opening, but that “we’re very happy with what we see.”

“We know we will have some issues, so we will continue to monitor,” she said in response to a question from Ottawa Compass. “We will keep you posted.”

The O-Train is already being tested with winter weather conditions, launching with sub-zero temperatures this week. Ice and snow have been detrimental to operations of the Confederation Line LRT in the past, but Amilcar and Troy Charter, director of Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operations, said they’re implementing “lessons learned” for the Trillium Line.

“Winter does pose some additional challenges, whether for trains or buses… But we have robust plans in place,” said Charter. “A lot of efforts have been taken to improve resiliency on the Confederation Line… We’ve applied those lessons learned on lines 2 and 4.

Amilcar said OC Transpo will continue to share the O-Train’s progress with customers, and that open communication and “transparency” is the best hope to rebuilding trust with the public.

“I hope you have seen a lot of new ways to do things. We share a lot of information, we are an open book frankly, and we want to do that because we want customers to be engaged with us and to know what we’re doing,” said Amilcar. “We want to be very frank, and the reliability for sure will bring people back.

“But it was more than reliability… I’ve worked in Montreal, and this was the first time I’ve shared information like this, but I felt we must do it because of the past experiences,” she continued. “So far, hopefully, people are starting to see that we want to do things differently to make sure trust will come back, and I’m certain it’s only by delivering a good service that that will happen.

“We have set excellent targets… We could have set moderate targets, but we need the best, so we have a plan, and we will continue to share it.”

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