Gatineau has submitted its options to cross the Aylmer-Downtown Tramway to Ottawa. Two options are on the table;

A surface route along Wellington Street:

Avantages

 

• Stations au niveau du sol, facilitant ainsi leur accès.
• Plus facile à mettre en œuvre.
• Composante potentielle d'une boucle interprovinciale avec le Pont Alexandra.

Inconvénients

• Corridor avec plusieurs utilisations et projets à venir, nécessitant certains compromis:
  • Esplanade nord;
  • Élargissement partiel du trottoir sud;
  • Nouvelle piste cyclable bidirectionnelle;
  • Voies véhiculaires.
  • Enjeux de sécurité liés à la Cité Parlementaire, notamment en matière du positionnement des stations.
  • Aménagements à prévoir pour assurer le service lors de manifestations et évènements sur la rue Wellington.
  • Perturbation du trafic actuel et du service de transport en commun pendant la construction (planification des détours et gestion du trafic nécessaires).
  • Option induisant un volume important de piétons traversant l'axe pour rejoindre les stations.
     

Or a tunnel under Sparks Street:

Avantages

 

• Peu d'impacts en surface sur l'aménagement et sur la circulation.
• Correspondances plus directes avec l'O-Train. 
• Environnement protégé contre les intempéries pour les correspondances de passagers.
• Moins vulnérable aux interruptions de service liées à des facteurs externes tels que des manifestations.

Inconvénients

 

• Coût probablement plus important que l'option en surface.
• Construction plus complexe avec délais plus importants et avec risques plus importants.
• Contraintes souterraines importantes (réseaux, fondations, …).
• Portail avec impacts importants sur l'espace ouvert à l'ouest de la rue Commissioner.
• Enjeux de sécurité possibles concernant les institutions fédérales adjacentes.

http://www.sto.ca/index.php?id=837&L=fr&source=sto_mobile&utm_source=site+STO&utm_medium=Image+rotative&utm_campaign=Analyses_insertion_Ottawa

There could be a really nice opportunity to integrate new platforms in Lyon station and Parliament for 2 really cool transfer stations.

I would love to see two lines connect together downtown. As Antoine suggests above, if Lyon and Parliament, or even just one were to connect with future STO rail stations, it would be quite something to see in Ottawa. While the plans are ambitious, financing is the biggest hurdle and by far the largest unknown at this point. For the best integration between both transit systems, integrated transfer stations would likely be the best solution.

The other potential issue is the proximity (practically right underneath many federal buildings) by constructing a tunnel underneath Sparks Street. Moving beyond Elgin eastward would also be challenging or not possible, due to the path of the Confederation Line tunnel, but again, if it served both Parliament and Lyon, extending beyond wouldn't be needed or add much value (other than those who's final destination was indeed the Rideau Centre or the Byward Market.)

Time will tell what becomes of this plan, but definitely eager to see what develops.

STO will allow front door boarding and collect fares again on June 1st.

 

On 2020-05-22 at 8:26 PM, STO_1601 said:

STO will allow front door boarding and collect fares again on June 1st.

 

In preparation for June 1st. Sto Is installing plexiglass shields on the buses.

 

STO wants to know if you prefer a tunnel under Sparks or a tram on Wellington

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/sto-wants-to-know-if-you-prefer-a-tunnel-under-sparks-or-a-tram-on-wellington-1.4994494

Three options on the table:

• Surface Wellington Street with traffic (maintaining two lanes);
• Surface Wellington Street without traffic (closed to cars between Bank and Elgin);
• Tunnel at Sparks with underground links to O-Train stations.
  

Surface options would be battery powered along the Portage Bridge and Wellington so that views of Parliament Hill remain unobstructed.   

http://www.sto.ca/index.php?id=838&L=en&source=sto_mobile

Anyone of them would be transformational for both Downtown Ottawa and Gatineau. Lots of pros and cons for both, so it's hard to pick, though I would lean towards one of the Wellington options to future-proof the possibility of a loop and offer more capacity (tunnel ends and would always end at Parliament, so it's one directional vs the loop which could bring trains in from both ends). 

I highly recommend reading the entire page and completing the survey:

https://c8.sphinxonline.net/SurveyServer/s/panelsto1/EDO_Ottawa/Questionnaire_EN.htm

Assuming this becomes part of the O-Train network, anybody have an idea for the line's name.

I'm thinking:

Line: 3
Colour: Blue
Name: Portage

I'm trying think of a possible indigenous name, but other than Asticou (boiling kettle), I can't think of any other such word or name closely associated with the west end of Gatineau.

Remember, we also need to reserve a name for the future RapiBus conversion O-Train line.

Hard to tell... Since the Quebec-Ontario communication is so bad, I doubt they'll merge OCtranspo and STO into a "Ottawa-Gatineau Transport" anytime soon. STO will probably operate different trains and choose a different naming scheme. Knowing Gatineau it'll probably be something simple-stupid like "Rapitram" or "Ligne Ouest".

I chose light blue for this line in my diagram https://www.railfans.ca/topic/645-2039-rapid-transit/?tab=comments#comment-2445 because I kept the blue-green-gray theme the STO has going.

 

 

STO Budget 2021 is here! 25 new buses coming next year!

file:///C:/Users/Kevin/Downloads/Budget_2021_sommaire_web%20(2).pdf

Edited October 29, 20206 yr by Guest

On 2020-10-29 at 4:49 PM, STO_1601 said:

STO Budget 2021 is here! 25 new buses coming next year!

file:///C:/Users/Kevin/Downloads/Budget_2021_sommaire_web%20(2).pdf

Your link doesn't work.
Here is the correct link 🙂  

1 hour ago, Oc4526 said:

Your link doesn't work.
Here is the correct link 🙂  

Thanks

I couldn't figure out how to properly paste the link on this forum.

Admins feel free to remove my old link.

Edited October 31, 20206 yr by Guest

Sto will be shifting service to Albert / Slater & Bank / Queen starting  June 21, 2021. 

http://www.sto.ca/index.php?id=886&L=en

 

Edited February 26, 20215 yr by Oc4526

1 hour ago, Oc4526 said:

Sto will be shifting service to Albert / Slater & Bank / Queen starting  June 21, 2021. 

http://www.sto.ca/index.php?id=886&L=en

 

Is this in preparation for the LRT in Gatineau?

1 minute ago, STO_1601 said:

Is this in preparation for the LRT in Gatineau?

No. This is the long planned shift from Wellington (in front of Parliament hill ) to Albert/Slater (Between Lyon and Mackenzie King Bridge) . 

The shift from Rideau/Wellington was originally planned to happen when Line 1 opened but was postponed.