Converting the O-Train line to double track electric light rail, versus other options

I submitted the following to City Council today, Oct. 29, 2008

Mr. Mayor and Councillors:

City staff’s “Scenario 3” of “Option 4” involves, once again,
shutting down the O-Train diesel light rail system, and rebuilding
the line for double track electric light rail.

Before Council approves this, they should seriously consider
how OC Transpo operations would, and should, be affected by
adding so much capacity in the north-south direction.

Specifically, how will this vast investment be utilized, so as
to get the best return on our taxpayers' dollars?

Some people say, that once we spend all that money double
tracking the rock cut, twinning the Dow's Lake tunnel, and the
bridges, etc., on the O-Train line, then we would shift the bulk of
the S.E. Transitway bus traffic coming in to downtown from the
south end, onto the O-Train line.

This is because ELRT will drastically reduce the per-passenger
operating cost of providing transit, compared to buses.

But that means that we would be "throwing away" the VAST
investment in the South East Transitway, because we would
then be running very few buses on it.

But if we DON'T drastically reduce the number of buses on the
South East Transitway, once the O-Train is dramatically expanded,
then we will be "throwing away" the VAST investment in converting
the O-Train to double track ELRT.

At present, the South East Transitway has about 88 buses carrying
3,500 passengers inbound, in the peak hour from 7:30 to 8:30 am.

That's only about one third of what the Transitway west of
Hurdman, or east of Tunney's Pasture is carrying to downtown
during that hour.

The South East Transitway already has two lanes for buses along
its entire length, with four lanes at every already-built station.

If it were converted to light rail, with four tracks at the stations,
we could run express trains that bypass stations where local trains,
are stopping, giving us an ENORMOUS capacity to move people.

And, converting the South East Transitway to ELRT would, according
to figures the City used to calculate other Transitway conversions,
cost about $85 million LESS than converting the O-Train line to double
track electric light rail.

So, the obvious initial conclusion is that the S.E. transitway should be
converted to double track ELRT, rather than the O-Train line.

That would give us far more capacity, at a far lower cost, than
converting the O-Train line.

Another important factor is that building a high capacity line
to feed passengers into the west end of downtown would
seriously unbalance the traffic flows into dowtown.

The attached graphic from Delcan showing the projected
traffic flows in 2031 for a beefed up O-Train route, versus using
the South East Transitway as the main corridor to downtown.

2031 Downtown Transit Demand.gif

The figures clearly indicate that there would be a better balance
of flows into downtown, if the high-capacity north-south route into
downtown entered from the east, rather than the west.

When the 8500 from Gatineau are added to the flow into the tunnel
from west of downtown, then having Ottawa's NS flows entering
from the west, there would be 15,600 + 8500 = 24,100 going
from the west through the tunnel and only 11,300 from the east.
(imbalance of 12,800)

If on the other hand, the SE transitway were converted, then the
numbers would better balance: 12,800+8500= 21,300 from the
west and 13,700 from the east. (imbalance of 7600)

Moreover, since the S.E. Transitway is now carrying only about a third
of the traffic that other sections of the Transitway carry, these other
sections should be converted first, to get the immediate benefit of
lower operating costs, over a greater number of passengers.

One last point - City Staff are arguing that parallel Transitways must be
built, in some sections (Hurdman through Hospitals to Blair, for example),
to handle the load while the existing Transitway is converted to ELRT.

This flies in the face of the arguments that the busway people have
always made, that "It's cheaper to build busways first, then convert
to light rail later, when demand warrants."

Not if you have to build a parallel busway, it isn't!

The City has to come up with RAPID, COST EFFECTIVE ways
of converting the Transitway to ELRT.

There are many ways to do this, so as to minimize the cost
and disruption that the conversion work would cause.

In addition, both Houston and Edmonton have decided to save
millions of dollars in conversion costs, by NOT building busways
first, but by doing light rail right from the start.

So, let's look for an "Option Five," where we don't build anymore
busways, and do what the people of Ottawa have indicated they
really want - Much more light rail.

Thank you,
Tim Lane
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To which Councillor Cullen replied:

Hi Tim:

Thank you for this. It is an interesting idea, but converting the S.E. Transitway to ELRT would add more travel time to getting downtown and we would have to continue transfers to the O-Train at Bayview. While constructing the twin tracks on the southern corridor will cause inconvenience during construction (obviously), once it is done then we would have an efficient, integrated system in place.

Alex Cullen
Councillor, Bay Ward
City of Ottawa

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And, to which I replied:

Alex:

I am not sure I understand your response.

Why are transfers to the O-Train a problem?

The whole THRUST of our transit future is that the
era of direct, one seat bus ride from your far-flung
neighbourhood to downtown has reached it's limit,
and can't be expanded, or even sustained.

So, far more transferring from a smaller capacity
vehicle serving your neighbourhood, to a larger
capacity vehicle for the line haul, whether articulated
bus, or (preferably for economies of scale,) a TRAIN,
is in EVERYBODY"S future here in Ottawa.

I checked the travel times using OC Transpo's bus
stop schedules, and from Greenboro to downtown
would be about the same, using the O-Train line through
Bayview, or the SE Transitway through Hurdman.

But, if converting the SE Transitway can be done for
$85 million less than the O-Train line, and much more
important, it could be done MUCH faster, it would do much
more to reduce our OPERATING costs, IMMEDIATELY.

Why?

Because it would replace 88 buses in the peak hour
with ELRT.

Did you not see my argument that if we spend GIGAbucks
on converting the O-Train line, then we will be WASTING
the investment ALREADY made in the SE Transitway.

And, if we keep running all those buses on the SE Transitway,
then we will be WASTING the vast investment in beefing up
the O-Train line.

Tim