Councillors push for light rail to Blair

Appearing at Blair Station on Tuesday, Sept. 9, the four area councillors called building light rail from the downtown core out to the east their "number one priority," and suggested they would only support a plan that includes an easterly LRT extension. "The people out here should be rewarded (for their transit use)," said Cumberland Coun. Rob Jellett. "(We want) a rail system for the whole city … rail that's going where it's needed most."

With buses backed up on the east-end portion of the Transitway and Highway 174 at peak capacity, "the solution is right here," continued Innes Coun. Rainer Bloess, motioning to Blair Station. "The east is one of the first places LRT should go."

The $3.82-billion Option Four transit plan – one of several alternatives originally tabled as possibilities for Ottawa’s new transit network, and given a thumbs up by joint meeting of the city’s transit and transportation committees, as well as council, earlier this spring – calls for the Transitway to be converted to twin-track electric light rail transit from Baseline to Blair stations, and the O-Train to switch to twin-track LRT with extensions to Bowesville.

In May, council also approved a provision for future plans to extend LRT along the Cumberland Transitway to Trim Road and the current Transitway adjacent to Highway 174. The light rail plans – which also look at expanding service to Scotiabank Place and the Barrhaven Town Centre – come with several conditions, including the prior development of transit corridors inside the Greenbelt, a business case supporting returns on the investment, achieving a minimum density target and availability of funding.

After city staff present their transit recommendations – along a suggested secondary network – this week, another round of public consultations will take place between Thursday, Sept. 11 and Monday, Sept. 22. A final decision on the issue is expected in November. For more on this story, please see the Friday, Sept. 12 edition of the Weekly Journal.