Trial running of Trillium Line LRT to begin Oct. 7

Ted Raymond

CTV News Ottawa Digital Multi-Skilled Journalis

The final phase of testing for the much-delayed Trillium Line LRT will begin next week.

Transit Services General Manager Renée Amilcar said Thursday in a technical briefing at Ottawa City Hall that 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.

"TransitNext has spent the last several years preparing for this test. This is TransitNext's final exam, and it will be a rigorous one. TransitNext and OC Transpo have studied hard, have practiced multiple times and we are united in our confidence in the reliability of the system," Amilcar said. "But the proof will be in the daily testing results. Those results alone, which everyone will be able to see, will determine the success of trial running."

Trains have been running on the line for months as TransitNext and OC Transpo completed a series of prerequisites required for trial running. In August, staff said two of the nine trial running prerequisites were done(opens in a new tab). All nine are now complete. These prerequisites include fully testing the entire fleet of light rail vehicles, making sure all stations are substantially complete, ensuring there are no outstanding defects affecting the rail systems, and making sure TransitNext and the City of Ottawa are fully prepared to begin trial running.

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