O-Train
The O-Train is an urban rail transit system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by OC Transpo. The O-Train system consists of three lines, all of which are fully grade-separated. As of March 2025, one line is currently being extended and a new line will be added as part of the Stage 2 project, with new segments being phased in between 2026 and 2027.
The O-Train network currently operates one light rail line, Line 1, and two diesel light rail lines, Line 2 and Line 4. Line 1 travels in a 2.8 km tunnel in the downtown core, and the rest of the network continues to operate grade-separated on surface-level, trenched, or elevated tracks.
Line 1 is being extended in both directions, with the eastward extension to Trim station in Orleans scheduled to open first in 2026. By 2027, the westward expansion of Line 1 to Algonquin station and the construction of new Line 3 to Moodie station in the west end are expected to be completed. These expansions will bring the system's total length to 64.5 km, with four lines and 41 stations.
Overview
There are 3 operating O-Train lines:- Line 1 is a light rail line running east–west from to. It connects to Transitway services at each terminus and with Line 2 at. With the exception of the 2.8km downtown tunnel portion which includes three underground stations, the rest of alignment currently follows former Transitway bus rapid transit infrastructure. is the only underground station outside the downtown tunnel.
- Line 2 is a partially single-tracked, diesel light rail line that runs north to south from to, running alongside the southeast Transitway for part of its journey. Trains utilize sidings, as well as the two double-tracked sections in the northernmost and southernmost ends to pass each other. The line had closed May 2020 for numerous upgrades as part of the Stage 2 project, and reopened January 6, 2025.
- Line 4 is a single tracked diesel light rail line with a single passing siding at. The line runs west to east from to where it connects to Line 2.
History
Pilot project
The "O-Train" was introduced in 2001 as a pilot project to provide an alternative to the busways on which Ottawa had long depended exclusively for its high-grade transit service. The original north-south 8 km single tracked line had cost $21 million to construct and purchase three low floor Bombardier Talent diesel multiple unit trains, and $8 million to operate for two years. Its relatively little cost stemmed from simple station construction, and the reuse of a Canadian Pacific Railway freight railway. It is often described as "light rail", partly because there were plans to extend it into Ottawa's downtown as a tramway-like service, and partly because the original trains are smaller and lighter than most mainline trains in North America and do not meet the Association of American Railroads' standards for crash strength.Name
The system's name was proposed by Acart Communications, an Ottawa advertising agency. The name "O-Train" was based on the classic Duke Ellington signature tune "Take the 'A' Train", which refers to the New York City Subway's A train. Because Ottawa is a bilingual city, the name had to work in both English and French. It survived an internal OC Transpo naming competition and was adopted soon after.From its inception until 2014, the term "O-Train" initially referred to the north–south diesel line. With the construction of a second line, the east/west Confederation Line, the O-Train branding was extended to include both rail transit services, with the original service being renamed as the Trillium Line.
Early extension plans
On July 12, 2006, Ottawa City Council voted by a vote of 14 to 7, with 1 councillor absent, to award the north–south expansion to the Siemens/PCL/Dufferin design team. The proposed extension, which was not undertaken, would have replaced the Trillium Line with an electric LRT system running on double track, as opposed to the current single-track diesel system.According to the plan, the line was to be extended east from its current northern terminus to run through LeBreton Flats and downtown Ottawa as far as the University of Ottawa, and south-west from its Greenboro terminus to the growing Riverside South community and Barrhaven. Much of the route would have run through the undeveloped Riverside South area to allow a large new suburb to be constructed in the area south of the airport. The line would not have connected to the airport. Construction of the extension was scheduled to begin in the autumn of 2006, resulting in the shutdown of operations in May 2007, and to have been completed in autumn 2009 with operations resuming under the new systems and rolling stock.
The diesel-powered Talents would have been replaced with electric trams more suitable for on-street operation in the downtown area, specifically the Siemens S70 Avanto. Other bids had proposed the Bombardier Flexity Swift and a Kinki Sharyo tram.
With the use of electric power, greater frequency, and street-level running in central Ottawa, the expanded system would have borne much more resemblance to the urban tramways usually referred to by the phrase "light rail" than does the pilot project.
The estimated cost of the north–south expansion would have been just under $780 million, making the project the largest in the city's history since the Rideau Canal project. The federal and provincial governments had each promised $200 million for the expansion, with the city contributing the remainder of the cost using funds from various sources including the provincial gasoline tax, the city's transit reserve fund, and the Provincial Transportation Infrastructure Grant. 4.5% of the total project cost was expected to come from the property tax base. The city also requested studies on an extension of the railway from the proposed University of Ottawa terminus through to Hurdman station.
Expansion controversies
The north–south expansion planning process became a source of great controversy. It was a major issue in the 2006 municipal election. The incumbent mayor Bob Chiarelli had long been the main advocate for light rail in Ottawa. Terry Kilrea, who finished second to Chiarelli in the 2003 municipal election and briefly ran for mayor in 2006, believed the plan was vastly too expensive and would also be a safety hazard for Ottawa drivers. He called for the entire light rail project to be scrapped. Mayoral candidate Alex Munter supported light rail but argued that the plan would do little to meet Ottawa's transit needs and that the true final expense of the project had been kept secret. He wanted to cut the Barrhaven leg and start work on an east–west line. Larry O'Brien, a businessman who entered the race late, wanted to postpone the project for six months before making a final decision.Transport 2000 president David Jeanes, a longtime supporter of light rail in Ottawa and a member of the city's transportation advisory committee, stated that he believed that the project was being "designed to fail". City transportation staff, though long in favour of bus rapid transit systems, disagreed with Jeanes's assessment.
Numerous alternatives were proposed, including Alex Munter's plan, the "Practical Plan" by the Friends of the O-Train, and the Ottawa Transit group plan.
Cancellation of expansion
On December 1, 2006, the new council took office. It started a debate on the issue during the week of December 4 with three options including the status quo, the truncation of portions of the current track or the cancellation of the contract. An Ottawa Sun article had reported on December 5 that if the project were cancelled, there could be lawsuits by Siemens against the city totalling as much as $1 billion.The new mayor, Larry O'Brien, opted to keep the extension to Barrhaven while eliminating the portion that would run from Lebreton Flats to the University of Ottawa. However, Council also introduced the possibility of building several tunnels in the downtown core in replacement of rail lines on Albert and Slater. Total costs for the tunnels would have been, according to city staff, about $500 million. The council voted by a margin of 12–11 in favour of continuing the project, but without the downtown section. An environmental assessment was to be conducted on the possibility of building a tunnel through downtown. Another attempt made by Councillor Gord Hunter to review the project later failed. At the same time, the Ontario government was also reviewing the project before securing its $200 million funding. However, it was reported that both the federal and provincial funding totalling $400 million was not secured before the contract deadline of December 15. O'Brien withdrew his support, and a new vote was held on December 14. With the presence of Rainer Bloess, who was absent during the previous vote, the council decided to cancel the project by a margin of 13-11 despite the possibility of lawsuits from Siemens, the contract holder. It was reported on February 7, 2007, that the cost of the cancelled project was about $73 million.
On February 14, 2007, it was reported that Siemens had written a letter to the city and gave two options. The first proposal was for the city to pay $175 million in compensation to Siemens in order to settle the dispute and cancel the contract. The second proposal was to re-launch the project with an additional price tag of $70 million to the cost of the original project. Councillor Diane Deans had tabled a motion for a debate on February 23, 2007, but it was later cancelled. A poll conducted by the mayor's office showed that a majority of south-end residents disagreed with the cancellation of the project but only a third wanted to revive it. In 2008, lawsuits against the city of Ottawa over its cancelled light rail system totalled $36.7 million.