Flood damage raises new questions about O-Train west extension timeline

Moodie Station, located southeast of the intersection of Moodie Drive and Corkstown Road in Ottawa Thursday. The LRT west extension has experienced flood damage after the weather on July 1. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

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Flooding from the city’s Canada Day storm damaged parts of the under-construction west O-Train extension, forcing repairs and raising new uncertainty about whether the project’s scheduled summer 2027 opening can still be met.

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Transit Services general manager Rick Leary told city council Wednesday that the July 1 storm flooded multiple sections of the Stage 2 west extension, damaging electrical equipment, track infrastructure and other components that will need to be repaired before construction can continue.

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The affected areas include the guideway near Moodie Drive, the tunnel along the Kichi Zibi Mikan and stations at New Orchard, Sherbourne, Queensview and Pinecrest.

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“So far, I have received some preliminary information in the Moodie Station area, and it appears that a significant amount of the electrical systems and equipment, ballast sections of the track, as well as troughs and cabling, are all impacted and need to be repaired,” Leary told council.

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A “significant amount” of the electrical equipment near Moodie Station was damaged. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

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The city’s contractor, East-West Connectors, is carrying out what Leary described as a comprehensive assessment of the damage.

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“It’s also too early to comment on how long the repairs may take or what this will mean to the overall project’s schedule,” he said.

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Leary said the city is also conducting its own review alongside infrastructure and water services staff to identify ways to make the rail system more resilient to future extreme weather events.

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The west extension, which will extend O-Train service from Tunney’s Pasture to Moodie Drive and Algonquin College, is currently expected to open in summer 2027. Leary said council is expected to receive an updated schedule in early 2027 after the damage assessment progresses.

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The city also said the storm has prompted changes to the schedule for some road construction associated with the O-Train expansion. Updated traffic impacts include revised Highway 417 ramp and road closures at Pinecrest Road, Holly Acres Road and Moodie Drive.

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The news disappointed transit advocates, who say many residents have already waited years for the expansion.

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“I was very surprised to hear that we won’t even know an updated project timeline until early 2027,” said Brooke Anderson, founder of the Carleton University branch of the advocacy group Ottawa Transit Riders.

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“I understand there is a need to do thorough checks, and I would rather them take longer to get back to us than be less accurate. But I think it’s a very disappointing thing that we’re going to have to wait that long before people know where we’re at.”

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Anderson said the storm shows the need to design transit infrastructure with increasingly severe weather in mind.

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“In this world that we live in, something that can’t withstand severe weather isn’t reliable because we are going to have that weather,” she said.