Heads up, Ottawa LRT users. About half of the Confederation Line won’t be in operation for an estimated two weeks starting on Monday.
Line 1 between Tunney’s Pasture and Rideau stations will be closed until July 28 due to planned maintenance work needed at both stations.
Renee Amilcar, the city’s general manager of transit services, said a sealant issue at Tunney’s and a leakage at Rideau are to blame.
“We try to change a bad situation into [a] good situation,” she said of the alternative services on tap.
R1 replacement buses will run from Tunney’s Pasture to Hurdman. At Lees station, however, the R1 buses only run in the eastbound direction.
The number of express E1 shuttles between Lyon and Blair stations will be increased, Amilcar added. Those will operate seven days a week during Confederation Line’s service hours for the duration of the closure.
Laura Shantz, a board member of the advocacy group Ottawa Transit Riders, said she hopes it works out.
“At peak times, you’ll see a lot of people not able to get on the first bus and they have to wait for two or three buses,” Shantz said.
Earlier this year, CBC reported on leaks damaging St-Laurent station. Concrete began to fall from the ceiling in the tunnel, prompting a closure and causing riders to worry about the safety of the structure.