No Sunday service on Trillium Line until end of April at the earliest
Social Sharing
Ottawa's Trillium Line and airport link won't start operating on Sundays until the end of April at the earliest, OC Transpo's managing director Renée Amilcar said Thursday.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the city's transit commission, Amilcar said the delay in Sunday service on lines 2 and 4 is due to a shortage of train operators, and because passenger information screens are still malfunctioning.
She said taking a break from service on Sundays gives OC Transpo time to update their computer systems and allows contractor TransitNext to continue running drills.
"We are trying to do those things before we launch the 'New Ways to Bus,' which will be, I would say, the mark to start the real opening of lines 2 and 4," Amilcar said.
New Ways to Bus is what OC Transpo is calling widespread changes to the transit system that will be implemented on April 27. The city hopes to start seven-day-a-week service on the Trillium Line around that time.
The newly extended Trillium Line began reopening on Jan. 6 with weekday service. At the time, city officials said it would be at least two weeks before Saturday service began, and another two weeks before Sunday service could start. Saturday service was launched Jan. 25.
Short 23 operators
The update comes just days after the city's auditor general tabled an investigation showing the instructors who trained Trillium Line operators themselves lacked the experience and necessary training.
Those findings were circulated internally before Jan. 6, and Amilcar said earlier this week that when the Trillium Line opened the system was "safe and all operators have been properly trained."
At the transit commission meeting on Thursday, OC Transpo reported 53 operators are currently available for service on the diesel Trillium Line and airport link, also known as lines 2 and 4. Twenty more operators are currently completing training, the city said Thursday.
The city said it needs at least 66 operators available before Sunday service can begin. Ultimately, OC Transpo plans to train 76 drivers to cover sick leave and other unexpected situations.
The passenger information screens have been experiencing problems since at least last July, both aboard trains and on station platforms.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
13-06-2025
- CTV News
No LRT service on Line 1 this weekend for planned maintenance
An eastbound O-Train pulls in to Rideau Station on the Confederation Line of the Light Rail Transit system in Ottawa, Ont. (Brenda Woods/CTV Ottawa) Line 1 O-Train service will be offline this weekend. Planned maintenance occurring on Line 1 this month requires some partial or full interruptions to service for passengers, with most of the work occurring at night or on weekends. Service stopped early the evenings of June 6, 7, and 8, with more days of interruptions planned. The next planned shutdown takes place this weekend and will affect the whole line. 'The maintenance and Stage 2 East integration activities will continue as planned on June 14 and 15. During the weekend there is no train service on Line 1 and R1 bus service will be running between Tunney's Pasture and Blair stations,' said Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar in a memo Thursday. The Line 1 east extension is getting closer to completion, with the Transit Committee hearing Thursday that the public is expected to be riding the train east from Blair Station to Trim Station in Orléans before the end of the year. The maintenance schedule for Line 1 also includes no train service on the entire line between 8 a.m. and noon on June 22 and on June 29, with R1 buses moving transit riders between Tunney's Pasture and Blair stations during those times. Amilcar says these interruptions are required for additional adjustments to Line 1 service for Stage 2 East Extension integration work. A planned early closure on Thursday night did not happen, as Amilcar said work was completed ahead of schedule. Line 1 service was slated to be offline between uOttawa and Blair stations after 10 p.m. Thursday, with R1 bus service running between Rideau and Blair stations, but instead ran as normal until 1 a.m. 'Since June 6, Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) has been performing annual maintenance activities on O-Train Line 1. They have been able to accelerate some of the work, and as a result the early closure of Line 1 on Thursday, June 12 is no longer required,' Amilcar wrote. 'Customers have been advised through all our communication channels that Line 1 service will continue to operate until the normal closing time.'
CTV News
12-06-2025
- CTV News
OC Transpo says no early LRT closure tonight
An eastbound O-Train pulls in to Rideau Station on the Confederation Line of the Light Rail Transit system in Ottawa, Ont. (Brenda Woods/CTV Ottawa) Line 1 O-Train service will run as normal Thursday night instead of stopping early, OC Transpo says. Planned maintenance occurring on Line 1 this month requires some partial or full interruptions to service for passengers, with most of the work occurring at night or on weekends. Service stopped early the evenings of June 6, 7, and 8, with five more days of interruptions planned. Line 1 service was slated to be offline between uOttawa and Blair stations after 10 p.m. Thursday, with R1 bus service running between Rideau and Blair stations, but in a memo to city councillors and the mayor Thursday afternoon, Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar said that won't be necessary. 'Since June 6, Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) has been performing annual maintenance activities on O-Train Line 1. They have been able to accelerate some of the work, and as a result the early closure of Line 1 on Thursday, June 12 is no longer required,' Amilcar wrote. 'Customers have been advised through all our communication channels that Line 1 service will continue to operate until the normal closing time.' This means Line 1 service will run until 1 a.m. The planned shutdown this weekend will still take place, Amilcar says. 'The maintenance and Stage 2 East integration activities will continue as planned on June 14 and 15. During the weekend there is no train service on Line 1 and R1 bus service will be running between Tunney's Pasture and Blair stations,' Amilcar wrote. The Line 1 east extension is getting closer to completion, with the Transit Committee hearing Thursday that the public is expected to be riding the train east from Blair Station to Trim Station in Orléans before the end of the year. The maintenance schedule for Line 1 also includes no train service on the entire line between 8 a.m. and noon on June 22 and on June 29, with R1 buses moving transit riders between Tunney's Pasture and Blair stations during those times. Amilcar says these interruptions are required for additional adjustments to Line 1 service for Stage 2 East Extension integration work.
CTV News
12-06-2025
- CTV News
O-Train eastern extension expected to open to transit riders by end of 2025, staff say
Passengers will be riding the O-Train into Orléans by the end of the year, but there is no firm date on when the Line 1 extension will open as construction continues in Ottawa's east end. The Transit Committee received an update on construction on Stage 2 of the light rail transit system on Thursday, including work to extend Line 1 from Blair Station to Trim Station. 'Overall, we're making good progress, but it's important that we take our time and follow all the necessary steps to ensure we have a successful launch, as we recently experienced with Lines 2 and 4,' Richard Holder, director of rail construction, told councillors. 'Trial running is anticipated to begin in the fall and the system is projected to open to the public in Q4 2025.' A presentation to councillors showed handover to the city is expected in the July to September period, with trial running and trial operations scheduled for October to December. The pathway to passenger service includes five to 10 days of pre-trial running work, followed by a minimum 21 days of trial running. The pre-trial work and trial running will be conducted once OC Transpo and its partners reach substantial competition. The trial running period will 'exercise and evaluate the performance' of the system's infrastructure, vehicles, operating and maintenance personnel and operating procedures, according to staff. Montreal Road A look at the Montreal Station platform on the new O-Train Line 1. (OC Transpo/report) Coun. Tim Tierney said he's not optimistic the LRT line will open by the end of this year. 'Very exciting news. Of course, promise less, deliver more,' Tierney joked. 'Definitely, towards the end of the year, we'll see something - train testing will take place. Most likely it will be fare revenue, you're saying probably Q4, I'm not going to say that. I've been spit-balling with some colleagues, I'm thinking it's probably going to be February 2026. If it's earlier, that's gravy.' Tierney calls the LRT a 'game changer' for the east end. Trim Station An overhead view of the new Trim Road LRT Station in Ottawa's east end. (OC Transpo/report) A report for the Transit Committee says major activities to complete include software upgrades and operator training for the fleet, and staff say 'work is progressing' on the training program, staffing and recruitment and maintenance readiness. The hiring of new Electric Rail Operators and familiarization training are underway, and training on Stage 2 is expected to begin in late July. The western extension of the O-Train Line 1 from Tunney's Pasture to Moodie Drive and Algonquin College is expected to open to the public in 2027.
