No rail for Prince of Wales bridge
Gatineau, Ottawa both rule out link for interprovincial transit
Mayor Jim Watson said Tuesday the Prince of Wales Bridge will never be used for an interprovincial rail crossing, even though the City of Ottawa bought the old rail bridge to connect its O-Train network with Gatineau’s transit system.
Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) indicated earlier this year that the Prince of Wales Bridge wouldn’t meet Gatineau’s transit demand, though STO indicated the bridge could be a “secondary” interprovincial crossing, since it’s embedded in Ottawa’s ultimate transit plan.
Now, the dream of putting trains back on the old Ottawa River crossing is dead. Watson said staff analyzed using the bridge for the Trillium Line to connect to Gatineau’s Rapibus system and recommended against using the bridge for public transit since it would overwhelm Bayview Station.
At the same time, Gatineau, which is considering building its own LRT system, has ruled out the Prince of Wales Bridge as the interprovincial transit connection.
“Our staff came back and said that even though many years ago this (bridge) was bought by a previous council with the intention of running the O-Train, they recognize it would be far too congested to have so many people drop off at one of the busiest intersections in our LRT system,” Watson said.
The City of Ottawa bought the Trillium Line corridor, plus the bridge, in 2005 from the Canadian Pacific Railway Company for about $11 million. A 2004 council report authorizing the transaction put the land value of the bridge at $399,000.
The bridge, which dates back to 1880, needs major rehabilitation to bring it up to standards for trains. It’s currently closed for all uses, although the city still struggles with trying to keep trespassers off the deck.
Watson and Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin were at the Ottawa end of the Prince of Wales Bridge to announce their priorities for the federal election. When it comes to transportation, they want funding for LRT in Gatineau, funding for LRT extensions in Ottawa and funding for a multi-use path on the Prince of Wales Bridge.
It would cost about $10 million to rehabilitate the bridge to make it safe for pedestrians and cyclists.
Liberal Catherine McKenna, seeking re-election in Ottawa Centre, was with Gatineau-area Liberal candidates last week announcing support for a multi-use pathway on the bridge. McKenna said she would work with the Ontario government and Ottawa municipal government to fund the work.
Up until now, Watson had scoffed at spending that kind of money to install what was thought to be a temporary multi-use path on the bridge, since the crossing was always meant for trains.
With expert opinion suggesting that a rail connection isn’t possible for the bridge, Watson likes the idea of using the structure for pedestrians and cyclists.
Still, Ottawa taxpayers bought the bridge with the expectation that it would be used for a public transit crossing.
“The return on investment is, it allows us to open up a new active transportation corridor for cyclists and pedestrians to connect from our train station, across the bridge and into the city of Gatineau,” Watson said.
Watson said he doesn’t think it’s necessary for the feds to take over the Prince of Wales Bridge. The City of Ottawa “is quite happy to take on the responsibility of maintenance,” Watson said.
Gatineau is studying an electric rapid-transit system in the west end of the city with a connection to the Ottawa LRT system.
Pedneaud-Jobin said studies in recent months have been “very clear” that the Prince of Wales Bridge couldn’t be used for the interprovincial rapid-transit connection.
“The best option for us for the quality of service for our own citizens is the Portage Bridge,” Pedneaud-Jobin said.
The details of that possible connection are still being studied, he said.
The STO study has viewed the Portage Bridge as the “optimal” place to run rapid transit, especially LRT, to Ottawa. It’s not clear how transit riders would transfer to the Ottawa LRT system at Lyon or Parliament stations, but a connection into the downtown Ottawa tunnel was ruled out.
After investigating a complaint from Mobility Ottawa- Outaouais: Systems and Enterprises (Moose), the Canadian Transportation Agency in February 2018 slapped the City of Ottawa with an order to make repairs to the Prince of Wales Bridge if the city received notice from the agency. The CTA gave the city another option: discontinue the rail line and bridge.
The city fought back, saying the bridge was in its long-term transit plans, but ultimately the city was saved by the federal Liberal cabinet, which quashed the CTA order last April.
The city never had the money to upgrade the bridge for rail service, even though it had aspirations to include the crossing in a Stage 3 O-Train expansion.
However, in recent months, the bridge has been dropped from any talk about future Stage 3 projects, which hypothetically includes LRT to Kanata, Stittsville and Barrhaven.
The city just opened Stage 1 and has started building Stage 2.