Trillium Line launch delayed until spring 2024

Passengers will not be boarding the Trillium Line until the spring of 2024, as construction continues on the new north-south light-rail transit line between Bayview Station and Riverside South.

Passengers will not be boarding the Trillium Line until the spring of 2024, as construction continues on the new north-south light-rail transit line between Bayview Station and Riverside South.

Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar says based on the progress to date, a possible launch in November is no longer possible.

"In order to be as cautious and prudent as possible, we believe it's the public interest to target a handover from the contractor as soon as possible, but to plan for opening the system to the public in spring 2024," Amilcar told the light-rail transit subcommittee meeting on Friday.

"This decision will provide city staff and the maintenance team with a longer runway to finalize training and fully exercise the system before it opens to the public."

Staff say final construction activity, testing and commissioning are "well underway" on the Trillium Line, but only five of the nine trains are currently operating on the transit system.

TransitNext was contracted to build and maintain the Trillium Line between Bayview Station and Riverside South, with a spur to the Ottawa Airport.

Construction was originally scheduled to be completed in August 2022, but was delayed until September 2023. As of this summer, the target date for launch was November.