O-Train extension to Gatineau urged in NCC report

The O-Train should be extended across the Ottawa River to Gatineau and to Riverside South by 2021 to coincide with Ottawa's light rail project, according to an interprovincial transit report released Tuesday.

The National Capital Commission, City of Ottawa, the Socit de Transport de lOutaouais and City of Gatineau worked together on the report"to better integrate transit between the downtown cores of Ottawa and Gatineau."

A summary of the report can be seen below. But by 2021, the report recommended the following transit network elements be implemented:

• Rapid bus service in Gatineau.
• Phaseone of the Ottawa LRTproject(Blair Station to Tunneys Pasture).
• Extension of O-Train to Gatineau.
• Proposed service to circulate in downtown Ottawa.
• Reserved transit lanes through the core areas.
• Maximize the use of the Champlain Bridge (including transit-only lane).
• Development of mobility hubs (O-Train/LRT/Rapibus/Bus/BIXI/Car-share).

The plan for 2031 includes the following:

• Completion of Phasetwo of the Ottawa LRTproject(Tunneys Pasture to Baselineand North-South LRT).
• Upgrade of rapid bus serviceto rail with co-ordinated service to downtown Gatineau and Ottawa.
• Transit service on new east-end (interprovincial) bridge.

A 2003 report to the city's transportation committee suggested some similar changes to interprovincial transit.

The$2.13-billion Ottawa LRT projectis scheduled to be complete by 2018.

The construction schedule will see the project mostly complete by the end of 2017, and LRT in service by 2018. Construction is expected to start sometime this year.