A weekend of fun and discovery, and now it’s down to business
Weekend riders impressed with speed and comfort of transit system
There was a sense of celebration in the air over the weekend as thousands of residents took Ottawa’s new LRT for a spin. They took selfies, brought their kids, brought their bikes, enjoyed the views and, generally, had good things to say about the experience.
On Monday morning, it will be time to get down to business as Ottawa’s new $2.1-billion light rail system undergoes its first real working test: rush hour. For many commuters, the big question will be whether the shiny new system — Phase 1 of the LRT — makes their commute easier or more complicated.
“OC Transpo is prepared and excited to welcome Ottawa transit riders on Monday,” said John Manconi, general manager of the city’s transportation services department.
But the weekend was for the public to finally get a chance to see what they have been waiting for since planning began more than 10 years ago.
“We have been waiting for the train for so long, that I thought it would be neat to check it out,” said Mary Langford who rode end to end with her young daughter on Sunday morning.
From the official opening with a who’s who of Ottawa on Saturday morning, to the first public rides on Saturday afternoon and throughout the day Sunday, the soft opening of the system went smoothly.
There were some minor issues — notably temporary escalator glitches at Rideau station.
Troy Charter, director of transit operations with the city, confirmed there had been some “intermittent issues” with escalators, including the longest transit escalator in Canada — 35.3 metres — at Rideau station.
“Escalators on the system are working. There have been a few intermittent issues as can be expected on a new system.” Extra technicians are on hand to respond, he said.
On Saturday, Charter suggested the issues “may be attributed to customers jumping or bouncing on them as they are excited to ride the Confederation Line for the first time.”
On Sunday, many people rode the train to see what it looked and felt like.
“I think it is really smooth and fun to go on,” said 10-year-old Dylan Feldberg, riding the Confederation Line with his mother. “It is kind of satisfying because this is my first day.”
Brent Dillon and Kim MacDonald, who live in Westboro, rode from Tunney’s Pasture to Blair Station and back. They both gave the system a thumbs up. “Super quick,” Dillon said. “Not nearly as unpleasant as buses,” MacDonald added.
But neither will be using LRT regularly for their daily work commutes.
For all the first-weekend sightseeing going on, there were also new routines being developed.
Chantal Therrien, who rode the train the entire distance from Blair Station to Tunney’s Pasture on Sunday will be back on it Monday morning. The Orléans resident said she plans to use LRT for her commute to work downtown every day.
“Starting Monday I’ll be on the train,” she said.
Margaret Gouin, who walks with a cane, said she expects the train to change her routines.
“I could see it actually changing some of my shopping habits,” she said, crediting OC Transpo for making the trains accessible for people with mobility issues.
Sarah Feldberg and her son had some errands to do and hopped on the train to head downtown.
A mother and son at Tunney’s Pasture were boarding the LRT and heading to Tremblay to get to the Via Rail station and catch their train to Toronto.
Numerous riders brought their bikes.
Christiana and Paul Bauer got on the LRT with their bikes at Blair station, not far from where they live, and got off at Tunney’s before heading to a walking tour of the Civic Hospital neighbourhood and then a bike ride along the canal.
They said they plan to use it again to explore parts of the city with their bikes.
Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, a committed cyclist, was also testing the LRT out with his bike on Sunday. “It is fast, it is comfortable and it is very different from taking a bus,” he said.
He had some minor problems getting his bike up the staircases and noticed a few other issues. “There’s some spots on the train where it’s not easy to grab onto a bar. There are additional places where more signage could be helpful, but those are tiny, tiny fixes.”
Opening weekend for Ottawa’s LRT — the biggest milestone in the city’s transit history — had been a long time coming. The $2.1-billion first phase of the city’s LRT system had taken more than 10 years of planning, including 16 months of construction delays.
Along the way there had been a giant sinkhole on Rideau Street where construction of the 2.5kilometre tunnel under downtown was underway.
At the official opening ceremony on Saturday morning, former mayors, Larry O’Brien and Bob Chiarelli, two of the fathers of the Ottawa LRT, joined other local dignitaries and children who had won contests to name the cars and were among the first to ride them.
Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney, reflected on how much the city has changed since she was growing up in her “hometown.” The LRT will continue to fuel that transformation, she said.
For Mayor Jim Watson, the launch was emotional.
“A lot of us have put in a lot of hours and got bruised along the way, but these are the challenges when you’re putting together such a complex project.”