Ottawa Rapid Transit Network developments

[McC]

Darwin's launching another multi-part series on the western LRT externsion plans: http://www.westsideaction.com/wester...inion-station/

[McC]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/routes+...#ixzz2Qs9cTPe4

City announced that option 1 is their preferred route at a news conference today, calling it the "Richmond Underground", spitballing $900M, and over 10years before we'll see it... too slow!

[McC]

Presumably the City will be posting more here soon:
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public...ern-rail-route

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by McC

City announced that option 1 is their preferred route at a news conference today, calling it the "Richmond Underground", spitballing $900M, and over 10years before we'll see it... too slow!

David Reevely tweeted that it was the third option on the graphic.

[McC]

you're right, he did, but I thought that was a mistake; but the mistake might be mine, it's hard to tell the difference between 1 and 3...? Specifically, I don't get what's with the little "bow" to the north in Option 3's route between Cleary and New Orchard; it's shown as a straight shot in Option 1.

Alistair Steele tweeted these two pictures of the City's display board with the map, and I thought it looked pretty straight:


http://twitter.com/alistairsteele/st...046593/photo/1

http://twitter.com/alistairsteele/st...935232/photo/1

[waterloowarrior]

info is up http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public...ern-rail-route

Preferred Route
Richmond Underground (Green Line)


[ PDF 4.99 MB ]

This option would see the existing Bus Rapid Transit Transitway converted to dual-track electrified light rail from Tunney’s Pasture (where it would connect with the Confederation Line) west to Dominion Station, a distance of 2.5 kilometres. Heading west from an expanded Dominion Station, the line would run in a shallow trench (one to two metres below the existing ground level) on the former CPR rail line south of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway and north of Rochester Field and continue west parallel to Skead Street. The line would continue west on the rail bed in a shallow trench south of the Parkway, gradually deepening into an open air Station at Cleary Avenue. Dominion Station to the Cleary Station is a distance of 1.2 kilometres.

The line would then enter a portal and turn slightly south where it would continue west under Richmond Road in a tunnel in the City’s right of way to just west of Woodroffe Avenue, a distance of 900 metres. Here, the tunnel will take a slight jog south underneath the Byron Linear Park where an open air station in an open trench will be located in the vicinity of Harcourt Avenue, about 480 metres west of Woodroffe. From there, the line will continue west under the linear park, moving back under Richmond Road, then turning slightly south before emerging from a portal in the Pinecrest Creek Corridor, south of Richmond Road and east of the Parkway, 580 west of the New Orchard station. The line will then run 460 metres southwest to Lincoln Fields.

South of Lincoln Fields, the line will continue for 2.7 kilometres generally following the existing Southwest Transitway to Baseline. Iris Station will be modified to suit LRT, and the Queensway Station will be closed.

[Kitchissippi]

It's unfortunate that this relatively simple solution took so long to formulate. Lincoln Fields to Hurdman would have made a better and less disruptive first phase.

[Dado]

Yep.

Originally Posted by McC

you're right, he did, but I thought that was a mistake; but the mistake might be mine, it's hard to tell the difference between 1 and 3...? Specifically, I don't get what's with the little "bow" to the north in Option 3's route between Cleary and New Orchard; it's shown as a straight shot in Option 1.

I agree with you on Reevely - I think he got it wrong as well from all the other descriptions being provided.

The difference between 1 & 3 is that 1 diverts to the Richmond corridor around Cleary whereas 3 continues along the now-built over CPR corridor as far west as Woodroffe.

Option 4 continues following the old CPR corridor as far west as the Parkway.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

info is up http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public...ern-rail-route

Preferred Route
Richmond Underground (Green Line)


[ PDF 4.99 MB ]

This option would see the existing Bus Rapid Transit Transitway converted to dual-track electrified light rail from Tunney’s Pasture (where it would connect with the Confederation Line) west to Dominion Station, a distance of 2.5 kilometres. Heading west from an expanded Dominion Station, the line would run in a shallow trench (one to two metres below the existing ground level) on the former CPR rail line south of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway and north of Rochester Field and continue west parallel to Skead Street. The line would continue west on the rail bed in a shallow trench south of the Parkway, gradually deepening into an open air Station at Cleary Avenue. Dominion Station to the Cleary Station is a distance of 1.2 kilometres.

The line would then enter a portal and turn slightly south where it would continue west under Richmond Road in a tunnel in the City’s right of way to just west of Woodroffe Avenue, a distance of 900 metres. Here, the tunnel will take a slight jog south underneath the Byron Linear Park where an open air station in an open trench will be located in the vicinity of Harcourt Avenue, about 480 metres west of Woodroffe. From there, the line will continue west under the linear park, moving back under Richmond Road, then turning slightly south before emerging from a portal in the Pinecrest Creek Corridor, south of Richmond Road and east of the Parkway, 580 west of the New Orchard station. The line will then run 460 metres southwest to Lincoln Fields.

South of Lincoln Fields, the line will continue for 2.7 kilometres generally following the existing Southwest Transitway to Baseline. Iris Station will be modified to suit LRT, and the Queensway Station will be closed.

This strikes the perfect balance between a true rapid transit system, ridership potential, budget and not ticking off the neighbors. We should never have wasted time on the complicated Carling option or the absolutely useless Parkway option.

[p_xavier]

What happened to the Transitway expansion to Orleans anyways... the city council had asked to view the LRT costs. Will it still be built as a busway?

[gjhall]

Originally Posted by d_jeffrey

What happened to the Transitway expansion to Orleans anyways... the city council had asked to view the LRT costs. Will it still be built as a busway?

Still being studied.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

This strikes the perfect balance between a true rapid transit system, ridership potential, budget and not ticking off the neighbors. We should never have wasted time on the complicated Carling option or the absolutely useless Parkway option.

To hell with the neighbours.

I am sick of hearing from the neighbours.

[Uhuniau]

New Orchard is a dumb (A) name and (B) location for a station.

Why not at Woodroffe?

[citizen j]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

New Orchard is a dumb (A) name and (B) location for a station.

Why not at Woodroffe?

I think the plan is to sod that intersection with vibrating grass. Plus, New Orchard's closer to the cluster of apartment towers.

[matty14]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

It's unfortunate that this relatively simple solution took so long to formulate. Lincoln Fields to Hurdman would have made a better and less disruptive first phase.

I fully agree. Another advantage to that would have been that you could build two big transfer stations at either end of the line that will still be major transfer stations after the completion of future phases. This is not the case with Tunney's and Blair which will eventually be regular mid-line stations and will be overbuilt for no reason (other than poor planning).

[Dado]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

New Orchard is a dumb (A) name and (B) location for a station.

Why not at Woodroffe?

New Orchard is host to the only major employer in the area: the Extendicare New Orchard Lodge.

A station at Woodroffe doesn't really offer any advantages over separate stations at Cleary and New Orchard. Assuming the New Orchard station extends east from New Orchard as per the diagram, it would be within 400 m of Woodroffe anyway - no more than a 5-minute walk.

Far from being a dumb location, New Orchard may well be the best location given the combination of nearby employment and high density residential.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Dado

A station at Woodroffe doesn't really offer any advantages over separate stations at Cleary and New Orchard. Assuming the New Orchard station extends east from New Orchard as per the diagram, it would be within 400 m of Woodroffe anyway - no more than a 5-minute walk.

Ottawa transit planner's tolerance for "five minute walks" has to be pole-axed.

Far from being a dumb location, New Orchard may well be the best location given the combination of nearby employment and high density residential.

In the longer term, Woodroffe is likely to see the intensification that precious little Westboro is getting a pass on. There are school and church properties along Woodroffe that are likely to be redeveloped within the 50-year time horizon.

[eternallyme]

I still would have preferred Option 2 to Woodroffe, then deviating to Carlingwood. It leaves a quetion mark on the Carling-Richmond section, as there are schools that could be redeveloped in addition to Carlingwood (after all enrolment is fading fast, especially for English-language public schools).

The 2023 timeline would actually provide over $100 million in additional hidden savings, provided by the retirment of the articulated bus fleet which would only need a small replacement (enough for busy surface streets). Delaying the LRT would force Ottawa to purchase a large order of articulated buses to replace 306 that were purchased in 2010-11.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by matty14

I fully agree. Another advantage to that would have been that you could build two big transfer stations at either end of the line that will still be major transfer stations after the completion of future phases. This is not the case with Tunney's and Blair which will eventually be regular mid-line stations and will be overbuilt for no reason (other than poor planning).

We probably could have lived with a simpler interim TMP a lot longer than the current "increment". If the Transitway had stayed contiguous from Orleans to Heron, and an on-street BRT along Baseline connected it to the western as well as southwestern legs, we could have retained a cross-town BRT system along with the LRT through downtown. I don't see this costing a lot more, and we would have ended up with a manageable system for an indefinite period. Future conversions would be entire sections into the suburban town centres (i.e., Hurdman to Orleans or Lincoln Fields to Kanata)

[Dado]

Stop... you're making too much sense.

One tiny niggle though is that a way into the railyard still would be required, which in the current plan requires going to the VIA station. Of course we let the Trainyards site slip through our fingers - which was accessible from Hurdman - so instead we now have to demolish other things to create one.

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

In the longer term, Woodroffe is likely to see the intensification that precious little Westboro is getting a pass on. There are school and church properties along Woodroffe that are likely to be redeveloped within the 50-year time horizon.

I'm not sure what Westboro you have in mind, but the one I live in is seeing a steady stream of intensification. Woodroffe has got just one project planned or underway - at its northwest corner with Richmond - and that's likely it for awhile.

Most of the near-to-mid term potential for intensification in the Woodroffe area is actually closer to Cleary or New Orchard than Woodroffe. The potential around Woodroffe is really quite far removed and dependent on institutional landowners selling their lands.