Ottawa LRT set to close from May 31 to June 3, more summer closures planned

Ottawa’s light-rail transit system will be shut down for a few days of maintenance work starting this Sunday, the city announced Tuesday, the latest closure ahead of a series of planned disruptions set for this summer.

OC Transpo boss John Manconi said in a memo that Ottawa’s Confederation Line LRT will close down from May 31 to June 3, to be replaced by R1 bus service.

The closures are meant to allow Rideau Transit Group (RTG), the consortium of builders now tasked with maintaining the LRT line, to test updated software on the transit system.

OC Transpo is allowing RTG to take advantage of lower ridership related to the novel coronavirus pandemic to close the line for maintenance with minimal disruption.

The Confederation Line was closed for a total of seven days earlier this month, with additional maintenance-related closures expected throughout the summer months.

Manconi told city council two weeks ago he has pushed RTG to fix the ongoing issues affecting service on the LRT line by the end of August, though the transit group has told him work might stretch into the end of the year.

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Revenues from the LRT line are key to OC Transpo’s service restoration plan, Manconi said earlier this month.

City officials will unveil a plan to return to full service at a special transit commission meeting scheduled for June 1.

The north-south Trillium Line, meanwhile, is now closed for two years as part of the second phase of Ottawa’s LRT expansion.