O Train - Line 2

Ottawa’s “Trillium line” crossing the Rideau River and entering Carleton University. The Trillium Line of Ottawa’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) is also known as “Line 2”. The LRT currently only has 2 lines, the north-south line featured here and the east-west line, known as Confederation Line.

“The Trillium Line was introduced on October 15, 2001, as a pilot project to provide an alternative to the Transitway bus rapid transit on which Ottawa had long depended exclusively for its high-grade transit service. The single-track line operated with five stations and a single passing loop at Carleton station. (1).

It is legally considered a federally-regulated mainline railway despite being used for local public transport purposes, and the service it provides is, in terms of its route and service frequency, more like that of an urban railway than a metro or tramway. (1).

The Trillium Line initially used three Bombardier Talent diesel multiple unit (DMU) trains for service. After being retired in 2015, the units were put up for auction multiple times before eventually being sold for C$25,200 on December 14, 2018. In September 2011, Alstom announced that it would deliver six new two-car Coradia LINT train sets in 2013; the trains were handed over to OC Transpo in June 2013. These trains were put into service on March 2, 2015, and the Bombardier Talent units were subsequently retired.” (1).

Much to the disappointment - and frustration - of Carleton University students, many of whom use the O-Train’s Trillium line to travel to and from campus, the Trillium line will be out of service from May 2020 through to September 2022 while a significant expansion of the line is completed.(2).

Sources: (1) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillium_Line" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillium_Line</a>