OC Transpo inches toward Line 1 east extension testing, with no pre-trial dates set

Ottawa's Line 1 east extension is moving closer to testing, but there is still no date for pre-trial running, the phase that comes before passenger service.

An OC Transpo memo signed by transit general manager Rick Leary says software issues that caused the latest delay have been resolved. The memo describes Nov. 15 as a late-opening day for Line 1, starting at noon, required "to safely implement software updates for the east extension." Replacement buses will run between Tunney's Pasture and Blair stations from 8 a.m. To noon that day, with shuttle buses also covering the St-Laurent to Cyrville stretch and the Lees to Mackenzie King Bridge stretch.

On Nov. 22, all 23 trains are scheduled to run past the current end of the line into the east extension, ending at Trim Station. Passengers will only be able to ride as far as Blair Station, the current end of the line, and staff will be at Blair to make sure riders get off the train. Leary's memo calls that test "the next step in the preparation for pre-trial running." Service on that day is expected to run about every four and a half minutes.

The extension adds five stations to Line 1: Montreal, Jeanne d'Orléans, Jeanne d'Arc, Convent Glen, Place d'Orléans and Trim. OC Transpo says the process mirrors what it did for the successful launches of Lines 2 and 4.

What the memo does not say is when pre-trial running will begin. That phase is expected to last about a week, followed by 21 days of trial runs. Earlier this fall, OC Transpo officials told this newsroom the east extension was "progressing as planned" and that pre-trial running was forecast to begin in early October. Those timelines have since moved, and the memo does not give a new start date.

For riders in the east end, the practical point is that the Nov. 15 weekend will bring bus replacements and shuttles, and the Nov. 22 test will not carry passengers past Blair.