The City of Ottawa says final testing of the north-south Trillium light rail line will begin Monday, Oct. 7.
Transit general manager Renée Amilcar told a technical briefing on Thursday the earliest the line could open to riders is mid-November.
Diesel trains, tracks and other infrastructure will be put through their paces between Bayview and Limebank stations (Line 2) and between South Keys and Airport stations (Line 4). Bayview connects to the east-west Confederation Line.
The previous, shorter version of the north-south rail line closed in the spring of 2020. The plan was to reopen with expanded service in August 2022, but there have been several delays getting it built and ready.
In July, city officials said the two-step trial run will involve a 14-day reliability testing period and a seven-day phase simulating various “failure scenarios” such as an immobilized train, a failed rail switch or a medical emergency on board.
The trial running period is contractually required and will mean greater monitoring and reporting than testing done in the past, officials said.
OC Transpo’s goal is 98.5 per cent reliability during the trial, and officials have said they’ll continue testing until they reach it. That could potentially push the trial period past the planned 21 days.
Once testing is completed, OC Transpo must still get regulatory approval from Transport Canada to operate the Trillium Line.
The nearly $5-billion rail transit expansion will also extend tracks east to Trim Road and west to Algonquin College and Moodie Drive.
The most recent target for opening the eastern expansion was the summer of 2025. The western extension could open in late 2026 or early 2027.