OTTAWA — The controversial O-Train will operate for another two years if city staff gets its way, the Ottawa Citizen reported.
A report, which dubs the light-rail pilot project “a success,” calls on the transportation and transit committee to approve the O-Train for a maximum of two years beginning on May 1 next year.
The document, which is expected to be released late today, will be considered by the transit committee next Wednesday. The O-Train is one of the policy cornerstones of Mayor Bob Chiarelli’s term.
“The pilot project has demonstrated that a single-person-operator passenger railway using light-rail vehicles can operate successfully on a lightly used rail line,” the report said.
The train met its ridership goals of between 5,100 and 6,400 passengers per weekday, the report said.
In addition, the project has improved access to Carleton University along its eight-kilometre line from Bayview near LeBreton Flats to Greenboro in south Ottawa, the report said.
And in improving that access, the project has removed about 2,200 unnecessary bus trips from the core every day, the document said.
Nevertheless, the report shows that the light-rail project has not been trouble-free.
Some of those problems include:
– Last month only 1,135 of 6,350 weekday passengers were new riders on transit;
– The project overran its capital budget of $16 million by $5 million due to set-up problems.
Those problems required the unexpected building of a noise barrier behind Traverse Drive and the unforeseen payment of PST and GST on the trains. Operating costs are close to the budget estimate of about $8 million;
– The project has a revenue/cost ratio of about half that of the full transit system;
– Trains could only operate at 20-minute intervals, rather than projected 15-minute stops, due to safety concerns.
Nevertheless, the project was able to achieve its ridership goals;
– Track maintenance is undertaken nightly because of the low quality of rail used for the project.
The train ran about 99 per cent on time in contrast to 70 per cent for the rest of the transit system, the report said.
The cost to continue the project is about $1.4 million per year for two years.
Staff wants the project to continue, in part because it would like council to have all its options open when it considers the Rapid Transit Expansion Study early next year. That study will chart the future of transit in Ottawa.
“A decision is needed from council to govern arrangements for at least the short-term future of the system,” the report said.
Baseline Councillor Rick Chiarelli said he backs the recommendation and that light rail should be extended to South Keys, Kanata and Barrhaven.
“I’m very interested in an alternative form of transit … that can be practical,” Rick Chiarelli said. “Technically, the O-Train seems to be working.”
A decision on expanding light rail “should be taken as soon as possible,” the councillor said.
Councillor Gord Hunter, a long-time opponent of the O-Train, said the project takes valuable money out of a coherent transit system.
“This is a tremendous drain on the resources of the city,” Mr. Hunter said. “It’s nothing more than an ego trip for certain politicians enamoured of a rail system,” the Knoxdale-Merivale councillor said.
“This is a silk purse train on a sow’s ear track,” Mr. Hunter said. “It deflects us from our real needs.”
“How long are we going to ride this ego trip?” Mr. Hunter said. “It doesn’t make sense. Common sense should say enough is enough.”
Kanata Councillor Alex Munter said the O-Train is the only light-rail project in North America that was built without the support of an upper tier of government.
As a result, Mr. Munter said the city had to use existing track.
“It’s tough when you don’t get financial support from the governments that get all the fuel taxes and other transportation taxes,” Mr. Munter said.
“The O-Train has proven it is part of a transit solution in Ottawa,” the Kanata councillor added.
The No. 1 priority of his constituents is a light-rail line to Kanata, Mr. Munter said.