May 2, 2020: That appears to be the last day commuters can ride the Trillium Line before it’s shut down for two years to allow for construction to extend the diesel light-rail train further south.
The eight-kilometre, north-south train route will be replaced with bus service between Bayview Station, just west of downtown and South Keys, in the south end, during that time.
Those replacement buses — which OC Transpo calls R2 service — will stop at all Trillium Line stations, according to OC Transpo.
News that the Trillium Line — or O-Train Line 2 — wouldn’t operate for a few years was first communicated this time last year when the City of Ottawa unveiled the chosen proponents for the Stage 2 LRT extensions.
There’s still no word about a specific closing date on OC Transpo’s website, but an update on Carleton University’s website says the city confirmed the Trillium Line will close May 2.
The Trillium Line runs through the school’s campus and many students use the train.
The school wrote that construction on the line’s extension would begin May 3.
Asked to confirm the dates on the university’s website, the city referred Global News late Tuesday to a collection of PowerPoint slides presented at three Stage 2 LRT Trillium Line information sessions in February.
Those slides say the last day of service on the line will be May 2 and train will shut down May 3.
From May to August, the R2 buses will run every 12 minutes on average and every 10 minutes during peak travel hours, according to the slides — which is similar to the Trillium Line’s weekday service.
The R2 service levels will “increase” in the fall and winter “to account for increased demand,” the slides say.
More information would be available at the city’s next transit commission meeting, a spokesperson for the City of Ottawa said.
As part of the city’s Stage 2 plans, two stations are being added to the existing Trillium Line and it will be extended further south to Limebank Road in the suburb of Riverside South, with a spur to the Ottawa Airport.
Comments