At the end of first week, city assesses Confederation Line

OC Transpo has added extra buses and more special constables, and deployed additional supervisors and customer service staff at Tunney’s Pasture and Blair LRT stations to ease congestion as the city assesses the Confederation Line’s first week of service.

A Week 1 summary issued Friday by transit boss John Manconi said the Confederation Line had made 2,450 train trips as of the end of day Thursday, covering 30,000 kilometres without any major incident. The report did not give a figure for the number of passengers carried.

Feedback from customers has been positive, Manconi reported, with travellers saying their commute time has been reduced and praising the system’s reliability, wayfinding system and ease of use. Passengers have also been impressed by the system’s public art, cellular and Wi-Fi service and its “connectivity” for pedestrians and cyclists.

Although Manconi said there have been no major issues with the trains, stations or fare gates, he did list some “minor issues” that have cropped up. One train was delayed eight minutes when the driver had to reset the brakes, and one train

was delayed when a passenger held open a door. There have also been “short disruptions” on some escalators and elevators.

In another incident, two people were caught trespassing on the tracks and were arrested and charged with bylaw offences. And customers continue to complain about bad smells in the Parliament and Rideau stations.

But the biggest problem seems to be at the transfer points at Blair and Tunney’s Pasture when hundreds of train riders jostle for space on buses that fan out from the east and west end points of the Confederation Line. OC Transpo is reminding passengers they don’t have to tap their Presto cards when boarding a bus inside the paid fare zone. Overhead, drones are surveying commuters’ movements to identify choke points and solutions to the congestion. OC Transpo is also reminding passengers not to hold open the doors of the train, something it says is both unsafe and causes delays for all passengers.

With Week 1 behind it, OC Transpo is preparing for its next big test. That occurs on Monday, Oct. 7 when the existing bus routes that are currently running in parallel with the LRT will end. Manconi called it “the largest and most significant change in OC Transpo’s history,” and said the agency will be watching closely as late adopters take the train for the first time. Red-vested O-Train ambassadors will continue to be on hand to help.

More information is also available by calling 613-741-4390, online at OCTranspo.com/ Ready-For-Rail or by following @ OC_Transpo on Twitter.