Latest news with #TransitServices
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
03-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
OC Transpo GM resigns
OC Transpo GM resigns The head of Ottawa's transit services Renee Amilcar is leaving her role next month. CTV's Austin Lee reports.
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Renée Amilcar leaving OC Transpo in July: Memo
Renée Amilcar, the City of Ottawa's general manager of Transit Services, will be leaving her role next month, City Manager Wendy Stephanson says. The news was announced in a memo sent to city councillors and the mayor Tuesday. Stephanson says Amilcar will be leaving the City of Ottawa to 'pursue a new career opportunity outside the organization.' Her last day with the city will be July 18. Amilcar came to Ottawa in October 2021, after having previously served as executive director of bus services for the Société de Transports Montréal. Amilcar became the head of OC Transpo as the transit system in Ottawa was dealing with low ridership and a litany of issues on the newly launched light rail line. In her nearly four years with the city, she has overseen the construction of the expansion of Line 1 of LRT, the delayed launch of Lines 2 and 4 of LRT, and the New Ways to Bus overhaul of the OC Transpo bus network. OC Transpo is facing significant funding issues, with lower ridership and higher costs contributing to projected shortfalls of between $120 million and $150 million over the next several years. The City has been seeking financial support from the federal and provincial governments to fill the gap. The 2025 budget included a $36 million line item for funding from upper levels of government that has yet to be confirmed. In the meantime, fares have increased, train frequency on Line 1 has been reduced, and the New Ways to Bus reorganization has resulted in 74,000 fewer hours of bus service each year. In 2023, Amilcar announced OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Group (RTG) were working with Alstom to redesign the axles and wheel hub assemblies on every vehicle on Line 1, something Amilcar called 'a permanent fix' that would address issues that had been affecting the line for years, including a derailment of an LRT vehicle at Tunney's Pasture Station in August 2021 and a 28-day shutdown in July and August 2023 after a routine inspection discovered excess grease on an axle hub assembly. Work on the redesign was briefly paused in 2024 as Alstom and RTG traded opinions on the source of the issues affecting the line, but councillors were told last September that the work had resumed. Stephanson says Troy Charter, director of Transit Service and Rail Operations, will serve as interim general manager of Transit Services. 'I recognize that ensuring strong, stable leadership during this time is of paramount importance—particularly as we continue to deliver safe, reliable transit service to residents while advancing major city-wide transformational projects,' Stephanson wrote. 'An executive recruitment process for a permanent GM of Transit Services will be launched, and an update will be provided to council.' Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower, chair of the city's transit committee, told Newstalk 580 CFRA in a statement that Amilcar led OC Transpo through a period of unprecedented change. 'Under her leadership we've seen stabilization of LRT line 1 and the successful launch of Line 2 & 4. She's led the transition from diesel to electric buses, implemented a data-driven approach to management, and changed the culture at OC Transpo to improve transparency and accountability to council and residents. All while managing significant funding challenges since the pandemic,' Gower wrote. 'She's earned the trust of council and her leadership at OC Transpo will have a positive impact on our city for many years to come. I will miss working with her, very big shoes to fill.' Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney, chair of the city's transportation committee, told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with guest host Chris Holski that he's been critical of Amilcar in the past, but credited her for the rollout of Lines 2 and 4 and for improving transparency at OC Transpo. 'A lot of the things that she was asked to do by council, she achieved, and now we have an opportunity for new leadership and it's going to have a whole series of criteria that we've only really identified in the last few years, based on what's happened,' he said. 'Who is going to be the visionary that's going to help us redirect now that we've gone through the housekeeping duties of things? How are we going to get this train working more effectively? That's what I want to see.'
CBC
30-05-2025
- General
- CBC
LRT maintenance, expansion work to disrupt service this summer
Ottawa's Confederation Line will be out of service for several days this summer as the east-west light rail track undergoes routine maintenance and other work related to its Stage 2 expansion. In a memo to the mayor and council on Friday, Renée Amilcar, the city's general manager for transit services, said Line 1 will be close intermittently throughout June and July "for planned annual maintenance and required O-Train East Extension integration activities." Replacement buses will be in service during any shutdowns. June's maintenance work includes replacing rails in some locations, upgrades to the overhead catenary system and inspection of the tunnel at St-Laurent station. Line 1 will be closed from Tunney's Pasture to Hurdman station after 9 p.m. on June 6. Trains will continue to run between uOttawa and Blair stations. Service resumes the following day at Tunney's Pasture, but will end at uOttawa station after 10 p.m. Replacement buses will run between Rideau to Blair stations. The same is scheduled for June 8 after 7 p.m., and June 12 after 10 p.m. There will be no Line 1 train service on the weekend of June 14 and 15, or on June 22 and 29 between 8 a.m. and noon. In July, additional work on the Stage 2 extension will affect Line 1 service on the weekends of July 5 and July 26. Amilcar promised more detailed information on those service adjustments closer to those dates. Amiclair warned additional disruptions are expected toward the end of summer and into the fall as the eastern extension undergoes testing.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Switch issue causing delays on O-Train Line 2 at South Keys Station
Commuters are being warned to expect delays on O-Train Line 2 today due to switch issue at South Keys. The five-month-old line runs between Bayview Station and Limebank Station. In a memo to council, Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar says Line 2 is stopping at all stations, but customers must change trains at South Keys to continue their trip. 'Due to an ongoing switch issue customers will experience longer travel times on Line 2,' Amilcar said. 'Line 2 is currently servicing all stations, but only one platform at South Keys Station.' Service from South Keys to Bayview is operating on the northbound platform, while service from South Keys to Limebank is operating on the southbound platform. Amilcar says the switch issue is expected to continue for the rest of the day, and customers will be required to change trains at South Keyes. 'This is a known issue with this switch that TransitNext was unable to resolve during the overnight hours yesterday,' Amilcar said. 'They will continue the repairs tonight after service concludes. ' Line 4 is currently running between South Keys Station and the Ottawa International Airport.
