Kanata light rail study to happen as early as January 2017

The City of Ottawa wants tostart studyingthe route and costs of taking light rail outto Kanatamany years earlier than plannedso it can start pursuing the federal and provincial governments tofund that extension.

The idea would be to takethe tracks out to Palladium Drivefrom Bayshore, which should be the western terminusby 2023.

A rapid bus route would extend to the many high-tech businesses in Kanata North.

An environmental assessment to lay that ground work could begin in January 2017, municipal and federal politicians announced Wednesday at the Terry Fox Transitway station.

Kanata South councillorAllan Hubley blew a wooden train whistle at the announcement, thrilled the plans were being sped up.

"The transportation master plan saidwe won't even look at this until 2031," said Hubley, who called on citystaff a year agoto look into the feasibility of making that happen sooner.

"I can now believe I will ride a train in my lifetime from Kanata. And that's an exciting feeling," he said.

Tech park companies felt 'overlooked'

High-tech companies and other businesses have been quietly pushing to speed upKanata's light rail plans for a few years now, mostly because theystruggleto attracttalented people who want a downtown, car-free lifestyle.

"Currently our bus routes through the tech park are not terrific. Quite honestly, they're horrible," saidJennaSudds, executive director of theKanataNorth BusinessAssociation, which counts large companieslikeNokiaandEricssonamong its members.

"There's thousands of great jobs in the tech park, so it's that balance of whether they want to spend that hour and a half to get there."

Until this morning's announcement, the companiesfelt overlooked, said Sudds.

"I get calls from people saying 'We'rehiring young people. They don't have cars. They can't get here,'" said Kanata North councillor Marianne Wilkinson.

"That's how bad it's been."

Federal support

The federal government has yet to even make an announcement to contribute$1 billion to the city'ssecond phase of light rail, let alone a Kanataextension.

• $1B from province to extend LRT to airport, Trim Road

But theLiberal MP for Kanata-Carleton, Karen McCrimmon, said she doesn't believe the city isangling for too large a piece of federal infrastructure funding.

"There's a recognition that the GDP that comes out of this technology hub here in Ottawa...is significant for the country," she said.

The proposal to startthe Kanata light railenvironmental assessment early would need to be considered by transportation committee this fall, and approved byfull council.

Watson sees thestudystartingin January 2017 and takingtwo years to complete. The assessment would determine when construction could begin and if it needs to be done in stages.

With federal and provincial governments investing in transit and infrastructure, the mayor said it istime to do its homework so it can"strike while the iron's hot" and try to keepcrews working beyond the opening of the second phase of light railin 2023.

"It gives us a lot more bargaining effort to actually go to our other partners tosay 'We have a plan.Here it is.Here's the cost. Let's talk dollars and let's get shovels in the ground," said Watson.