Finally, Ottawa’s fastest life transportation will open on Saturday, Sep 14th. Thirteen beautiful new stations will open to the public, connecting to major destinations across the city. There are some tips you must to know before you get on the board.
Opening Ceremony – Saturday
The opening ceremony will begin in the morning on Saturday. The east-west Confederation Line opens to the public on the afternoon of Saturday, Sep. 14 at 2p.m.
Confederation Line
According to OC Transpo, the O-Train Confederation Line connects 13 stations to the north-south Trillium line.
Hours of operation
Weekdays:
Monday to Thursday it will run from 5 a.m. until 1 a.m.
Friday: it will run from 5 a.m. until 2 a.m.
Weekend:
Saturday will be 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. Sunday
Sunday and holidays will be 8 a.m. until 11 p.m.
Trillium Line
The Trillium Line is an eight – kilometers diesel light-rail service running from Greenboro station in the south to Bayview station just west of downtown.
Weekdays:
Monday – Thursday it will run 6 a.m. until midnight
Weekends:
Saturday – 6:30 am. Until midnight
Sunday: 6 a.m. until 11 p.m.
How does it look like?
Red O sign
All stations marked with a bright red O sign, and you will find a map showing what’s nearby.
Ticket Machine
Photo by Andrew Lee/CBC
Tap and go function
The ticket machine locates at the entrance of each station. The machine has a bilingual language system and offers live video chat help with a customer service representative. And the machines accept cash, debit, and credit.
Now at all o-train line 2 stations, except Bayview, and all line 1 stations will have ticket machines too.
Nice and Clean
The train is all cleaned up for the running. You will find a nice seat spot to enjoy the scenery along the way.
OC Transpo says it carry up to 600 passengers included 240 seats and 360 standing spots on every two-car train, including fold-up seats near all the doors.
The Green Signs
When you pass the entrance with luggage or bicycle, please follow the green signs on the door.
Bus Stop Sign of change
Photo by Octranspo.com
The new bus stop sign will take place on Oct. 6. After that, most bus routes will take you to the train. The new stop sign will include:
- A new schedule
- A new map
- A new bus stop sign
How often will the trains come?
The train will arrive at least every five minutes between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, and after midnight or during certain unspecified periods on weekends it will run every 15 minutes.
There are real-time schedule boards at stations that will tell you when the next train is coming.
How to buy the tickets? Is the price too high?
According to octranspo.com, you can buy a Presto card, load a pass or money onto your card and check your card balance at many exclusive locations.
This most expensive payment option is cash. If you are expecting to make 3 or more one-way trips on the same day, opt for a DayPass instead.
- OC Transpo Customer Service Centres (CSCs)
- Rideau CSC
- Service Ottawa Client Service Centres
- Select Shoppers Drug Mart Loblaws Families of Stores
The Price
CBC News said, from Sep. 14th until Sep. 30th, fares will remain the same as they are for the bus: $3.50 for a single ticket at a fare machine, or $3.45 if you use a Presto card.
After Oct 1st, the ticket price will rise by 10 cents. For example, the adult monthly pass goes from $116.50 to $119.50.
The children can take a free fare if their age is 5 or under. Seniors with a Presto Card can enjoy the free fare on Wednesdays and Sundays.
On weekends and special holidays, use a 1-day Day pass as a Family Pass!
How to transfer?
When the LRT starts to run, most downtown bus routes that use the transitway will end at the major transfer station: Tunney’s pasture, Hurdman, St. Laurent and Blair.
The current bus routes will not change, but on Oct. 6 more than 100 routes in Ottawa will change. For example, the 86 OC Transpo bus routes will change, but 52 routes will keep its current status. More than 25 majors routes including 91, 94 and 95 will be given new numbers and will not connect to downtown anymore.
You can check more details on OC Transpo.com.
Can I bring a bike?
The green paint on the platform shows bicycles are welcome on board.
There is a co-operative seating area at the front of each train that you can leave your bike there.
Besides, CBC News mentioned there will be a bike parking place nearby and maps at each station pointing the way to nearby bike paths.
We have to keep this in mind that all bus routes remain in place only for 3 weeks. On Oct.6, the bus network will undergo significant changes.
So, let’s take a ride!!
Reference:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-lrt-light-rail-open-1.5271541
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1601105987707/
https://www.octranspo.com/en/
https://www.prestocard.ca/en/about/using-presto
https://ottawa.ca/en/news/welcome-aboard-o-train-line-1-opens-september-14
