News   Jul 12, 2024
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Ottawa Transit Developments

I wonder if the solution would be to build angled sound walls near the top of the trench (angled towards the middle of the trench) in order to deflect the sound back down into the trench.
 
The comparison with fighter jets was made because the RAF Red Arrows had flown over downtown Ottawa recently and some people at the same location had seen them from their buildings.

There are a number of problems. The trains are running in a trench, which is projecting the sound upwards. Also, the tracks have been laid on concrete instead of ballast. Ballast will absorb a good portion of the noise.

Judge for yourself

CBC Ottawa radio on LRT noise in Mechanicsville

CBC Ottawa News video on LRT noise in Mechanicsville

Note: Scott Street is where all the diverted buses are located until the Confederation Line is opened, yet the trains are clearly much louder than regular traffic. In the video, you see an articulated bus, that you don't hear at all.

I have commented for years on SSP Ottawa how loud Trillium Line trains are when I am at our local Home Depot.

A lot of it is subjective, the T-line trains at said Home Depot don't bother me at all. I do like the art wall idea though
 
A lot of it is subjective, the T-line trains at said Home Depot don't bother me at all. I do like the art wall idea though

The noise level is perfectly acceptable especially since it is not next to residences but the general assumption that trains are quiet is not true.
 
It is looking like the city is going to launch the Confederation Line with fewer trains than planned. They have been trying to run the trains at a faster speed because they cannot keep 15 operational trains in service reliably. Whether that will meet passenger demand, we will find out after the launch date. There are 17 train pairs available with a plan to run 15 on weekdays. Apparently, they cannot fully eliminate train mechanical problems requiring 4 to be spares or in maintenance. There are 2 additional trains however, they have not been fully completed, tested or certified for operations. .

Insiders have confirmed that they are just cutting frequency. Will there be enough capacity to meet passenger demand?
 
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It does seem they have moved the goalposts a bit. How badly this affects things remains to be seen. On the other hand, given the horrible state of buses in the core right now the bar to pass the status quo is very low
 
10% spare ratio requires 3 cars, 15% requires 5 for 15 trains. Since running will be in pairs, need 4-6 cars as spare, with 6 being the safe number.

Until real service is in place for at least a year, it will be a guessing game as to X service. Within the first 3 months, some indication where ridership is heading should take place to the point more cars may have to be order sooner than later.
 
10% spare ratio requires 3 cars, 15% requires 5 for 15 trains. Since running will be in pairs, need 4-6 cars as spare, with 6 being the safe number.

Until real service is in place for at least a year, it will be a guessing game as to X service. Within the first 3 months, some indication where ridership is heading should take place to the point more cars may have to be order sooner than later.
If it is true and 13 trains will be put into service, there will be 8 train cars as spares. They have already purchased two additional trains, but they are not ready for service. Also, the order has already been placed for Phase 2 trains. I believe they are keeping the Belfast facility open for a while and some of the Phase 2 trains are being assembled there but the complete order will be assembled elsewhere.

The concern is that they did not originally buy much capacity beyond current transit demand. It could be troublesome if they reduce the number of trains in service.
 
If it is true and 13 trains will be put into service, there will be 8 train cars as spares. They have already purchased two additional trains, but they are not ready for service. Also, the order has already been placed for Phase 2 trains. I believe they are keeping the Belfast facility open for a while and some of the Phase 2 trains are being assembled there but the complete order will be assembled elsewhere.

The concern is that they did not originally buy much capacity beyond current transit demand. It could be troublesome if they reduce the number of trains in service.

My assumption is that they feel they can get the kinks out by the time parallel bus service ends. There's a month overlap, and at least a few weeks before launch, so I believe it'll be moot for now.


After they get to 15 and parallel service ends is the real test, they probably should actually have 17 pairs out.
 
My assumption is that they feel they can get the kinks out by the time parallel bus service ends. There's a month overlap, and at least a few weeks before launch, so I believe it'll be moot for now.


After they get to 15 and parallel service ends is the real test, they probably should actually have 17 pairs out.
The best you will see is 15, as there always cars out of service from time to time, regardless been new.. That just over 10% spare ratio. Very rare a system will put all their fleet out for service as what do you do if a car has issue? Better safe than sorry and pissing off riders.
 
Because of the great delay in getting the Confederation Line going, the two additional trains that were purchased have been put aside. All efforts are being focused on getting the line open. It will be months before the other two trains will be certified for service.
 

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