UITP President Renée Amilcar (left; courtesy of UITP, via Twitter); and former CATS General Manager of Rail Operations Deltrin Harris (right).

People News: UITP, CATS

The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) elects OC Transpo’s Renée Amilcar as President for 2023-2025. Also, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) fires General Manager of Rail Operations Deltrin Harris.

A westbound OC Transpo train approaches Bayview Station on Line 1 in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo: Courtesy, City of Ottawa)

Ottawa LRT Projects Advancing

Work is progressing on the two extensions to Ottawa, Ontario’s crosstown Confederation LRT Line, opened in 2019. A third major rail transit project currently under way in the Ottawa area is extending and upgrading the DMU Trillium Line. Scheduled for completion in 2023, this improvement should significantly boost ridership.

Transit Briefs: Brightline, MBTA, OC Transpo, TransLink, WMATA

Brightline is bringing BrightBikes to West Palm Beach, Fla. In addition, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is providing commuter railcar-seat availability data online; OC Transpo in Ottawa, Ontario, is offering “unlimited no-charge transit” in December; riders of metro Vancouver’s TransLink will be able to pay with Interac Debit by year-end 2022; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will maintain reduced rail service levels through the end of 2021.

Transit Briefs: Ottawa Airport, NJ Transit

Canada’s Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority will receive C$6.4 million from Transport Canada’s Airport Critical Infrastructure Program for the construction of a light rail transit (LRT) station. In addition, New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) has launched a Map My Ride™ feature on its mobile app to track trains and buses.

Otis Gives Canadian LRT a Lift

One of the oldest names in “people movers” has landed major contracts at three Canadian transit agencies.

Siemens ATP for Trillium Line South Extension

SNC Lavalin wholly owned subsidiary TransitNEXT has selected Siemens Mobility to provide the signaling and train control system for Ottawa’s 10-mile, eight-station Trillium Line South Extension project. The contract also includes updating the existing Trillium Line’s signaling system and installing ATP (Automatic Train Protection) technology on the entire network. ATP “will be increasingly important, given the higher ridership levels expected with the Trillium Line’s new South Extension and the connection to Ottawa’s Macdonald-Cartier International Airport,” Siemens noted. The project is expected to be completed in 2022.

High Capacity Light Rail

RAILWAY AGE, DECEMBER 2019 ISSUE: If legendary New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra were to ride Ottawa’s new Confederation Line, he would say—provided he was familiar with the old North Shore’s Electroliners or Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Co.’s Liberty Liners—“It’s déjà vu all over again.”

Confederation Line Opens in Ottawa

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada’s National Capitol, regained an electric rail transit system when its eight-mile crosstown Confederation Line opened to revenue passengers on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019. The line’s name reflected the original hope of opening the service in 2017, the 150th anniversary of Canada becoming a nation. Somewhat ironically, it was 60 years ago, 1959, that the city’s streetcars were abandoned.

Confederation Line delayed

Opening of Ottawa’s C$2.1 billion Confederation LRT line has been delayed to the first quarter of 2019 from November 2018, OC Transpo General Manager-Transportation John Manconi recently announced.

Ontario expansion update

Ontario, Canada, is undergoing unprecedented growth in all forms of passenger rail. GO Transit is undertaking long-term expansion plans, and in Ottawa, the city’s first LRT is under construction. GO Transit regional/commuter

LOAD MORE