Capital Transit Partners, a Joint Venture combining the talents of STV Canada Consulting Inc., URS Canada Inc., Jacobs Associates Canada Corporation and Morrison Hershfield Limited, is undertaking the Preliminary Engineering and Project Management for the Ottawa Light Rail Transit (OLRT) project.

The $2.1 billion OLRT project is the crucial first step in Ottawa’s Transportation Master Plan, which calls for more than 40 km of new light rail to be built over the next 20 years.  Once in operation, the 12.5 km line from Tunney’s Pasture in the west to Blair Station in the east will provide reliable cross-town transit, alleviate congestion downtown and save OC Transpo up to $100 million in annual operating expenses.  The project includes converting portions of the existing bus transitway to light rail (one of the first such undertakings in North America), 2.4 km of tunnel under the downtown, and 13 stations, four of which will be in the tunnel portion.

This Capital Transit Partners assignment includes advancing the OLRT design to allow for a more refined project cost estimate, value engineering to investigate options to manage project costs and the preparation of specifications for final design and construction.  Preliminary engineering has begun and is expected to be completed in early 2012. It is anticipated that construction would begin in 2013, with the light rail system meeting the needs of passengers by 2019.

“It is a privilege for Capital Transit Partners to undertake this high profile assignment in the nation’s capital. Our firms bring extensive local experience as well as demonstrable LRT and tunneling experience and capability, having worked on systems in other major centres across North America and around the world.  The benefits that LRT will bring to Ottawa have been demonstrated consistently around the world.”
Brew Clark, Project Manager, Capital Transit Partners

In addition to providing consistent and reliable public transit and supporting economic growth, some of the many benefits expected to accompany Ottawa’s LRT include reduced carbon dioxide emissions, a reduction in the use of road salt which will improve the environment and save money, and a reduction in the City’s fuel consumption. There will be an improvement in air quality through the reductions in emissions along the entire route, and the LRT system is predicted to result in a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 27 million kilograms per year - the equivalent of removing 6500 mid-size vehicles from the road.

The project is supported by both the federal and provincial governments, who are providing up to $1.2 billion of the project costs. All three levels of government are clearly committed to delivering an innovative, world-class transit solution.

For additional details, please visit the project website.