Horses, streetcars and light rail: A look at Ottawa’s transit systems
Posted on Tuesday May 14th, 2013 by Eli Burghardt
Sparks Street in 1909. Photo: Library and Archives Canada
Now in its 165th year, the University of Ottawa has transformed from a small primary and secondary school to a major research institution. In the late 1800s, students attending the University, which was known as the College of Ottawa, had limited transportation to get around the city: they could walk, ride horse-drawn carriages or hop aboard horse-powered rail transportation.
The “animal railway,” operated by the Ottawa City Passenger Railway Company, was Ottawa’s first urban transit system, where a team of horses would pull cars along a railway set into the street. Transportation service began in the fall of 1870 with six horse cars running daily (except Sundays) every 15 to 20 minutes, with a 10-minute service at rush hour. It cost passengers six cents to ride. During the winter months, when the streets were covered in snow, the horses pulled passengers along in sleighs.
By 1892, the College of Ottawa had grown to 389 students and begun conferring degrees, with the first Bachelor of Arts granted to Thomas Foran in 1872. A new transportation system, which provided more access to the city, was available to staff and students: the electric streetcar. The network of cables and rails crisscrossing Ottawa streets was developed by Thomas Ahearn and Warren Soper, founders of the Ottawa Electric Railway Company. Determined to continue running cars throughout the winter months, Ahearn and Soper started the city’s first snow removal service. They also purchased snow sweepers, rail cars with rotating brooms in front to brush the snow away from the tracks.
Snow Sweeper of the Ottawa Electric Railway Company. Photo: Library and Archives Canada.
Streetcars ran in Ottawa for nearly 70 years, until 1959 when the system was converted over to buses along a transitway to better serve the needs of the growing city. The University of Ottawa was also growing, and student life changed as many lived off-campus and held jobs, requiring them to commute around the city. Between 1956 and 1970, the number of full-time and part-time students rose from 11,000 to 17,000.
Today, with the bus system nearly at capacity in the downtown core, Ottawa is ready for its next transformation, a return to trains and rails. With roughly 40,000 students and 7,000 employees, the University of Ottawa is a main hub for commuters. Renovation plans for the Campus station promise a modern structure that will enhance the look of the campus and a transportation system that is sustainable and accessible. Not only will the light rail be able to carry 10,700 passengers per hour in each direction (and more as the system grows), but it will also make travel faster and easier.
Lees Station in 2017-2018. Photo: City of Ottawa.
© University of Ottawa Gazette
http://www.gazette.uottawa.ca/en/201...ansit-systems/