For at least the first two weeks, train service on the new Lines 2 and 4 will operate on a reduced schedule.
The O-train Trillium Line has been cleared to open for service.
The Stage 2 extension of the O-Train means trains will run on Line 2 between Bayview Station and Limebank Station in the city’s south end, as well as a “spur line” known as Line 4 between South Keys and the Ottawa airport.
The first of three stages to fully implement the new train service will begin as planned on Jan. 6, transit general manager Renée Amilcar said in a memo Jan. 2.
For at least two weeks, train service on Lines 2 and 4 will operate only on Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. until 12 a.m. During that time, bus service will also continue on existing bus routes, called B2, and on routes 99 and 97, seven days a week. Additionally, OC Transpo staff will be at some stations “to welcome customers and support them on their trips.”
At the same time, OC Transpo fares increased to $4 per ride for adults as of Jan. 1, per the city’s budget decisions that aimed to fill a $120-million operating deficit.
The opening comes after staff “completed hundreds of drills, practiced diversion scenarios and refined standard operating procedures,” Amilcar said.
“This increased familiarization and knowledge of the system will help us respond quickly and efficiently to disruptions when they occur and minimize potential delays to customers.”
Line 2 will bring train service to Carleton University students after a four-year hiatus. The Trillium Line shut down in spring 2020 for what was supposed to be just two years for extensive construction on Line 2, but the opening was delayed by pandemic-era supply chain snags, among other issues. The city had previously expected the line to open as early as spring 2024.
