Tracking progress towards the launch of Stage 2 O-Train South
Ottawa's Light Rail Sub-Committee got a deep dive into the project scorecard
If you’re a fan of project management and big infrastructure projects you would have loved the update we received at the Light Rail Sub-Committee at Ottawa City Hall on Friday.
City staff walked us through the Rail Activation Management Program (RAMP), including a scorecard tracking all the outstanding items that need to be completed before Lines 2 and 4 of the O-Train can launch.
Here’s the main dashboard:
At this point we don’t expect customer service to begin until the spring 2024, maybe in April or May. Most items are progressing well, but it’s a frustrating wait for commuters who have endured months and months of detours during construction.
A breakdown of items in each category can be found in the Powerpoint deck presented by staff, covering dozens of elements big and small: train vehicles and stations, installation of security cameras, testing, regulatory inspections, dress rehearsals, public art installation, and more.
I sat in on a day-long staff meeting back in May when each department shared their progress and potential issues and challenges. That’s when the scale and complexity of this project really hit home for me. The stations and the trains are obvious, but every tiny detail has to be accounted for as well: Payphone installation; EV chargers for private vehicles; bike racks; lots & found bins; microwaves in the staff rooms; Algonquin wayfinding wheels; scheduling cash delivery to the ticket gates; and so much more. It’s a massive choreography that is being refined and rehearsed as we approach opening day.
A couple of video suggestions:
Watch the entire two-hour committee deep dive on YouTube.
Watch a 7-minute drone fly-over video showing construction progress along the entire O-Train South line.
