The final phase of testing for the much-delayed Trillium Line LRT will begin next week.
Transit Services General Manager Renée Amilcar says the 21-day trial running period for O-Train Line 2 and Line 4 will begin Oct. 7, meaning the line could open to the public as soon as mid-November.
Trial running is a minimum 21-day period of testing during which TransitNEXT, the SNC-Lavalin subsidiary that has designed and built the extension, is tested on on-time performance and ability to react to problem scenarios. It will be divided into two sections, a 14-day on-time performance evaluation and a seven-day maintenance and operations evaluation.
The trains must run the line on a simulated normal public schedule and must achieve a minimum on-time performance level of 98.5 per cent over a 14-day rolling average. If this is not achieved after the first two weeks, this testing period will be extended. Additional days will also be required if, at any point, one-day performance drops to 78 per cent or less.
Following that, there will be a seven-day period during which maintenance and operational teams will be tested on scenarios such as door issues, stopped trains, and single-platform service.
There is a minimum three-week window after trial running is successfully completed before the line can open to the public. According to a presentation, trial running would be completed by Oct. 29 if no issues arise. This would mean a possible public launch on or around Nov. 19.
It is important to note the presentation did not include a definitive public launch date for Lines 2 and 4.
The 16-kilometre Trillium Line will run between Bayview Station and Limebank Station, called Line 2, with a 4-km link from South Keys Station to the Ottawa International Airport, called Line 4. TransitNEXT is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNC Lavalin.
More details to come…