December 2022-January-2023 - 16

O t t aw a L R T S t a g e 1 :
103 Lessons
on Building a
Better Rail Line
A report on the project by a provincial commission sheds
light on the project's " persistent failures " and has stoked
debate about the future of P3 projects.
By Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor in chief
Note from the editor: The September
issue included a column discussing
the importance of lessons learned
when projects do not go to plan.
The challenges in the construction
and operation of Ottawa's Line 1
light-rail project (LRT), and a final
report from the Ottawa Light Rail
Transit Public Inquiry published at
the end of November offer a chance
to explore the topic more.
T
he opening of the Confederation
Line, which is operated as
OC Transpo Line 1 in Ottawa,
Ontario, was supposed to be the
delivery of " a transportation
system worthy of one of the
world's leading capital cities. "
The 12.5-kilometer (7.8-mile)
LRT project was the largest transportation
infrastructure project in
the city since the construction of
the Rideau Canal in the early 19th
Century. Even before the Sept. 14,
2019, opening, the line had experienced
engineering challenges,
such as a sink hole on Rideau
Street, construction delays and animus
among the project's two key
stakeholders: The city of Ottawa
and Rideau Transit Group (RTG)
and the consortium tasked with
the design, construction, finance
and maintenance of the first phase
of the Ottawa LRT project through
a public-private partnership (P3).
Following the light-rail project's
opening, the line continued
to experience a series of incidents
ranging from delays in service to
maintenance issues and two derailments
in a six-week window. The
compounding issues prompted the
government of Ontario to establish
the Ottawa Light Rail Transit
Commission at the end of 2021
and mandated the commission
investigate the commercial and
technical circumstances that led to
the breakdowns and derailments
of Stage 1.
Justice William Hourigan, a
former chair of the litigation department
at Fasken Martineau
with more than 25 years of experience
in law and public service,
was appointed to serve as commissioner.
After 18 public hearings,
a P3 expert panel and nearly 100
interviews with various project
stakeholders, the final 664-page
report of the Ottawa Light Rail
Transit Public Inquiry was released
on Nov. 30.
The final report from the inquiry
names several reasons " why " the
challenges arose and includes 103
16 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | DECEMBER 2022/JANUARY 2023
OC Transpo
A CONFEDERATION
Line train shortly
before the line
opened for
revenue service
in 2019.
recommendations for how to fix
the ongoing issues with the line
and ensure they do not reoccur on
other major infrastructure projects.
The commissioner found several
reasons behind the delivery of the
unreliable light-rail line, including:
* The city chose unproven technology
for the trains that strained
the limits of what an LRT system
could do.
* RTG did not coordinate the work
of its sub-contractors and failed
to ensure the integration of the
various systems and components.
* An adversarial relationship developed
between the city and RTG.
* The city rushed the LRT system
into service before it was ready.
* RTG and its subcontractors did not
provide adequate maintenance.
http://www.MassTransitmag.com
December 2022-January-2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2022-January-2023
