Dudas: Rail link to Ottawa airport is the real game-changer

Providing a direct and continuous link between a visitor's point of arrival and where they want to go in a city is integral to a thriving local economy.

Published Jan 02, 2025  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

The O-Train will run along the Line 4 extension to the Ottawa airport. Photo by Julie Oliver /POSTMEDIA

On Jan. 6, OC Transpo will officially open Lines 2 and 4 to the public, marking a long-awaited opening of the north/south rail extension.

While this is a cause for celebration on many fronts — resumed service for post-secondary students; new stations linking the southern areas of our city; unlocking future development potential; and renewed connections to areas like South Keys and along Bank Street — the real reason for our city to pull out the fireworks is the much-needed, and long overdue, link to the city’s airport.

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We often talk about striving to make Ottawa a world-class city; we are the nation’s capital, boasting dozens of cultural, artistic and historic sites. But travel the world, visit our capital city counterparts, and you will often find one very specific, yet essential, service: an easy and direct public transportation connection from their airport to their city centre. Amsterdam, Paris and London, to name a few, all have train stations within or adjacent to their airports. Even Toronto realized the necessity and built the UP Express.

Providing a direct and continuous link between where a visitor arrives, and where they are going, is integral to supporting a thriving tourism industry. Beyond just the core, it also allows for a more seamless connection to the rest of the city.

As a city councillor in Orléans, I am frequently confronted with the dilemma of how an outer urban/suburban community can attract new business, promote job growth and tease out tourism dollars that flow into our local economy? The train, and that continuous transition from airport to core to Orléans, opens up countless new possibilities.

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Those tourism dollars are nothing to scoff at. According to Ottawa Tourism, an estimated 9.8 million visitors travelled to Ottawa in 2023, spending an estimated $2.6 billion on items such as accommodations, activities and entertainment. That same year, tourist and visitor activities in Ottawa supported approximately 24,570 jobs, with workers earning $1 billion in direct wages and salaries. Expanding where those dollars are distributed in our city will create new opportunities.

An Orléans example is the Shenkman Arts Centre. This city-operated facility offers exceptional cultural and artistic programming year-round, and its productions can easily rival the quality of those found downtown. Attract tourists to its vast array of programming, entice them to stay at an east-end hotels and eat at local restaurants, and “Ottawa” becomes more than just the ByWard Market and the national museums downtown.

This Orléans example can be replicated for other attractions that are now connected by the upcoming LRT extensions south, west and east, and the entire city can reap the financial benefits of injecting tourism dollars into local neighbourhoods.

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Let’s not forget about companies. For far too many years, Kanata, as the tech capital of Canada, has had to contend with business travellers arriving at the airport and left to their own devices to make it across one of Canada’s geographically largest cities. When trying to attract new capital and business, this is not the first impression you want to make.

Swift connections from the airport to locations across the city, enabling business travellers to board transit as an option and find their way to a meeting with ease, are a convenience that many big cities have long enjoyed. This now also becomes a major selling point for Ottawa. When it comes to establishing a base in a city, international companies also look for things like transportation connections to lure employees with quality-of-life offerings that include easy access to amenities.

During OC Transpo’s pre-opening tour in December of Line 2 and 4 for city council, the train pulled into the airport station to little fanfare. While there was no trumpet or confetti harkening its arrival, it was clear that the airport LRT station provides an opportunity to become a gateway to east, west and south communities across our city, spurring investment, economic possibilities, and tourism dollars into neighbourhoods.

Laura Dudas is the city councillor for Ward 2 Orléans West-Innes.

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