'Moment of truth': OC Transpo's Trillium Line opens to the public

Renée Amilcar, the city's transit manager, was on board for the inaugural trip, along with other city staffers and councillors.

Get the latest from Marlo Glass straight to your inbox

Published Jan 06, 2025  •  Last updated 2 minutes ago  •  4 minute read

Trillium Line LRT near Carleton University in in this file photo from earlier this winter. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

Cheers erupted as a pristine diesel train pulled out of Bayview Station onto Ottawa’s new Trillium Line promptly at 6:07 a.m. on Monday morning, right on schedule.

Article content

Article content

More than two years of delays in opening the line didn’t dampen the spirits of dozens who faced frigid weather on the morning of Jan. 6 to mark the historic occasion.

Renée Amilcar, the City of Ottawa’s transit manager, was on board for the inaugural trip, along with other city staffers and councillors.

Article content

“It’s amazing,” she said, as the train glided along the tracks through Little Italy and toward Dow’s Lake. “But I want to be cautious, again, because it’s winter. I don’t want to celebrate too early, but I’m very, very proud of the crew.”

Renée Amilcar, Ottawa’s transit manager, on the inaugural train ride from Bayview Station on Trillium Line 2 on Jan. 6, 2025.

The Trillium Line’s expansion includes 19 kilometres and 13 new and upgraded stations. The bulk of the new work is along Line 2, which runs from the Confederation Line’s Bayview Station to Limebank Station in Ottawa’s south end. A ride along Line 2 takes 35 minutes or less, and trains run every 12 minutes, carrying up to 600 passengers.

The South Keys station on Line 2 connects to Line 4, a three-stop spur that runs to the Ottawa International Airport, with a stop at Uplands Station near the EY Centre.

Joshua Dorval, a 16-year-old high school student, was among the throngs of train enthusiasts who were eager to take the inaugural trip south from Bayview, and was in high spirits despite the -15 temperature and 7:42 a.m. sunrise.

“I’m like yo, Line 2 is open, we gotta go show up,” he said. “I know it’s a little early, but there’s lots of people here.”

Article content

Article content

He said he understands big projects take time, but he was thrilled to see Line 2 up and running.

“It’s the moment of truth,” he said. “I’m so excited to finally see it done and ready for the public.”

As a part of the line’s opening, for at least two weeks, train service on Lines 2 and 4 will operate only on Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. until 12 a.m. During that time, bus service will also continue on existing bus routes, called B2, and on routes 99 and 97, seven days a week.

The north-south running Trillium Line. Photo by OCTranspo /Handout

Kitchisippi Ward Coun. Jeff Leiper said the new train line will be key for university students in his ward to access groceries and shopping, as well as commuting to school. Some areas of Hintonburg don’t have many walkable options for grocery stores, he said.

“This is how students, in particular, get to South Keys,” he said. “This is an important connection for those everyday amenities”

Grade 10 students Ryan Desrochers, Daniel Mcenrey and Kingston Haffey were taking a joy ride on the train on Monday morning, but the trio will also take it to get to school in Barrhaven. It’ll hopefully shave about 20 minutes off their commute.

Article content

OC Transpo’s Trillium Line opened Monday, Jan. 6 after 17 months of delays. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

“It’s been a long wait, but it’s a very good day so far,” Haffey said. The boys even posed for a photo with Amilcar on the Line 4 platform before hopping onto the “spur line” train to the airport.

Tonya Pomerantz and Susan Hum are daily commuters from the south into downtown. They’re hoping the train makes for a more “civilized” trip to work and back.

“In the afternoon, when I take the bus from Hurdman to Greenboro, I was saying this morning it’s like the Hunger Games,” Pomerantz said. “It’s insane. To get on a train is more peaceful and relaxing.”

Mitsuki Binette at the South Keys platform, Jan. 6, 2025. Photo by Bruce Deachman /POSTMEDIA

Compared to the Confederation Line, the diesel trains on the Trillium Line make for a smoother ride, with more space in the aisles and more legroom, Hum said.

“It feels more like a VIA rail experience,” she said. “It’s more like a train.”

Both women said they expected the train to be popular with Carleton students, who were served by the original Trillium Line until 2020, when it closed for construction. It was supposed to only be closed for two years, but the Trillium Line reopened more than four years later.

Janette Watson rides the Trillium line, Jan. 6, 2025. Photo by Bruce Deachman /POSTMEDIA

Despite not being a morning person, Sylvana Plehandzik was also eager to check out Line 2’s first public trip. She says she lived in Germany for years and loved using Europe’s train system to visit her relatives.

Article content

Her fiancé, Eric Pusey, said the new line will help him run regular errands, and get to the airport for upcoming trips.

Pusey has his eye on the next phase of extending Ottawa’s O-train system, though.

John St. Louis rides Trillium Line Jan. 6, 2025. Photo by Bruce Deachman /POSTMEDIA

“For me, the most helpful one will be to the west,” he said.

Shortly after noon, Amilcar sent a memo to city staff and council saying multiple end-to-end trips had been completed with customers on board. In the first hours of service, “moderate passenger loads” were seen on both lines, she wrote, while the number of passengers on parallel bus service was light.

The future: sign along the Trillium Line route, Jan. 6, 2025. Photo by Bruce Deachman /POSTMEDIA

Teddy Don rides the Trillium Line Jan. 6. 2025. Photo by Bruce Deachman /POSTMEDIA

Bergen Wilde rides the Trillium Line Jan. 6, 2025 Photo by Bruce Deachman /POSTMEDIA

OC Transpo’s Trillium Line opened Monday, an. 6, 2025 after 17 months of delays. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

OC Transpo’s Trillium Line opened Monday, Jan. 6, 2025 after 17 months of delays. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

OC Transpo’s Trillium Line opened Monday, Jan. 6, 2025 after 17 months of delays. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

Passenger exits OC Transpo’s Trillium Line train, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

OC Transpo’s Trillium Line opened after 17 months of delays. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed.

Recommended from Editorial

1. 

   Here's what to expect after the LRT's Trillium Line opens

2. 

   Deachman: O-Train optimism — Trillium Line journey was one smooth ride

Article content