Service and Operations Planning for Ottawa s New Light Rail Line Pat Scrimgeour Manager, Transit Service Planning and Reporting OC Transpo Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa Light Rail Project 12.5 km, 13 stations Replacing the central part of the Transitway and downtown bus-only lanes New tunnel under downtown Ottawa, with three underground stations Expected to carry 11,600 customers per hour per direction when the line opens in 2018 Connects with the existing diesel O-Train service Currently planning extension to the west 1
Ottawa Light Rail Project 2
Ottawa Light Rail Project Currently in procurement as a Design-Build-Finance- Maintain project OC Transpo will operate the light rail line Budget $2.1 billion (42% City, 29% provincial, 29% federal) Three international consortia competing Bids close this summer, expected contract close end of the year, construction start to follow 3
Planning and Approvals A previous, entirely different, light rail project was cancelled in 2006 City Transportation Master Plan 2008 Alternatives evaluated and environmental assessment completed in June 2010 Preliminary engineering 2010-2011 Procurement began in September 2011 4
Capacity Requirements Transitway currently carries 10,000 customers per hour in each direction, on 180 buses per hour Growth expected to 18,000 by 2031 Line being built to accommodate an ultimate capacity of 24,000 customers per hour The long-term level of ridership could not be accommodated with bus operation, even if gradeseparated Light metro and light rail options were examined early in the planning process to determine how best to meet these levels of capacity 5
Light metro or light rail? A very-high-capacity light rail system, planned and managed carefully, can carry 24,000 customers/hour Transit Technology Choice Report, Oct. 2009, pg. 11 6
5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 0:00 1:00 Share of Daily Ridership Ratio to AM Peak Hour Avoiding Over-building Transitway Ridership by Time of Day 7.0% 0.50 6.0% AM PEAK PM PEAK 0.43 5.0% 0.36 4.0% 0.29 3.0% 0.21 2.0% 28% 31% 0.14 1.0% 0.0% 2% 26% 7% 6% 0.07 0.00 Sizing the entire system around the peak of the morning peak would be too big and too expensive 7
Peak Capacity Solutions Capacity through 2031 Capacity beyond 2031 120 m Train Length 150 m Train Length Vehicle Type Double-ended 30-m LRVs Double-ended 30-m LRVs Number of Cars in Consist 4 4 5 5 Peak Period Headway (min) 3.25 2.10 2.25 2.00 Vehicle Capacity * 203 203 203 203 Train Capacity 812 812 1015 1015 Supplied Capacity (spc/hour/direction) 15,000 23,200 27,100 30,500 Effective Passenger Capacity (PPHPD) (PHF=0.80) 12,000 18,600 21,700 24,400 Peak Vehicle Requirement 72 104 125 135 Total Fleet (with 10% spares) 80 115 138 149 * Based on industry-recommended peak loading levels (TCRP Report 100 - Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, 2nd Edition) Meets Opening Day Forecast Meets 2031 Forecast Meets Ultimate Capacity 8
Service Capacity Daily and peak passenger demand was analysed to ensure sufficient capacity could be provided Light rail provides a flexible option for service throughout the day, balancing heavy peak loads with passenger comfort at off-peak times If standard 30 m low-floor cars were used, service could be operated in four-car trains every 3 to 4 min Possibility of longer trains and/or more frequent service as growth occurs Creative vehicle design can provide additional capacity without lengthening trains 9
Planning for Capacity We used a typical 30-metre light rail car as the basis for a worst case capacity analysis Operator Cab #1 One 30m LRV Operator Cab #2 25.4m passenger compartment A four-car train of typical light rail cars would have eight cabs, taking up space that cannot be used by customers 10
Planning for Capacity Example of a car design adapted for high capacity Four of eight cabs converted to seating and standing area Increases capacity by about 6 percent Means that trains must run with a minimum of two cars 11
Planning for Capacity Example of a car interior adapted for high capacity Open interior, little wasted or lost space Multi-purpose areas near doorways 12
Design for Operations The procurement process is organised to keep operations at the forefront Operations performance specifications are established to drive performance-based design Up to the bidding consortia to propose vehicle type, train and platform length, and control system Bidding consortia encouraged to be creative in all respects, while meeting capacity specifications 13
Operations First Operational needs cannot be compromised for other design concerns Bidding consortia must be certain that the line will operate well to provide reliable service and sufficient capacity Performance payments/penalties are in place over the 30-year term of the contract Integration of all aspects and systems is key to achieving the required capacity and reliability 14
Line Capacity Minimum headways are determined by the signal system design Project performance specifications require proponents to design the system for no less than 105 seconds, to ensure reliable operation at terminals Tunnel ventilation restrictions limit the number of trains that can be present in a given section of tunnel This limits the allowed following distance of trains, and therefore the achievable headway, in tunnel sections 15
Train Control System Automatic train operation specified to keep travel times short, headways reliable, and train performance consistent for high throughput of customers Drivers of each train can override ATO in case of obstruction on the tracks important because of lowfloor cars and low platforms 16
Terminal Capacity The configuration and design of the terminal stations limits the operating headway of the system Terminals must be designed to quickly move trains in and out of the station, while providing time to reverse the train Configurations from preliminary engineering can operate with about 100-110 sec of terminal time Terminal design must balance initial operating needs with the potential for future extensions 17
Station Dwell Time Long dwell times at stations with high ridership will also limit headway by reducing the following distance between trains in the downtown tunnel section Bidding consortia must include passenger flow modelling for stations and trains Station Boardings Alightings Dwell (s) Boardings Alightings Dwell (s) Tunney s Pasture 9,930 0 77 0 2,950 33 Bayview 220 390 19 140 570 19 LeBreton 130 440 19 60 380 18 Downtown West 440 2,550 34 680 2,860 37 Downtown East 480 3,850 42 700 4,320 46 Rideau Centre 1,730 2,090 39 1,420 2,300 38 Campus 330 1,770 28 430 1,410 27 Lees 210 280 18 460 150 19 Hurdman 950 1,140 28 3,200 540 38 Train Station 20 170 16 20 80 16 St. Laurent 560 580 22 910 330 23 Cyrville 20 290 17 220 100 17 Blair 0 1,470 24 7,750 0 63 18
Fare Collection Fare barriers and gates at all stations Customers can tap PRESTO smart cards to enter fare gates Technology TBD for single-ride tickets and for transfers from buses No need for fare inspection on board busy trains or on busy platforms 19
Major Transfer Stations Bus service will connect at three major stations: Tunney's Pasture (in 2021, 36 routes, 171 buses per hour) declines after the line is extended further west (in 2031, 11 routes, 44 buses per hour) Hurdman (in 2031, 19 routes, 118 buses per hour) Blair (in 2031, 28 routes, 173 buses per hour) Fare-paid transfer between trains and buses important to reduce queuing and to keep down the number of bus platforms and the number of buses required Adjacent bus staging areas 20
Hurdman Station 21
Campus, Train, Bayview Stations 22
LeBreton, St. Laurent Stations 23
Hours of Service Transitway bus service now operates 24 hours, 7 days Trains will run: 05:00 to 01:00 Monday-Thursday 05:00 to 02:00 Friday 06:00 to 02:00 Saturday 08:00 to 23:00 Sunday Parallel bus service will run overnight when light rail line is closed 24
Hours of Service and Maintenance Light rail system will require frequent, continuous maintenance to ensure reliability Hours of service allow 4 hours for maintenance 5 days a week and 6 hours, 2 days a week Maintenance periods can be extended by 2 to 3 hours at many locations with single-track operations Service levels also allow 15 min service in the late evening Monday-Thursday and on Sunday evenings With proper signalling and placement of crossovers, 15 min service allows single-tracking around work zones 25
Customer Experience New transfers from bus to train for many trips Travel time through downtown reduced Reliability of service through downtown improved Trains slightly more crowded than buses Trains smoother and quieter than buses Transit network simplified Reliability of connecting bus routes improved Provides greater opportunity for transit-oriented development along the corridor 26
Benefits for Ottawa Accommodates growth on the transit system for many years Unlocks growth of downtown employment and growth of the economy Removes intensive bus operations from downtown streets Allows a more pedestrian-friendly downtown Greater opportunity for transit-oriented development at all stations 27
Moving from Planning/Engineering/Procurement into Operations Light rail operation will be the spine of the future OC Transpo system Tightly integrated with all bus operations OC Transpo will be the operator on-train staff, fare enforcement, customer service, security We need to build a highly competent operations team, based on rail experience and Ottawa knowledge 28
Pat Scrimgeour Manager, Transit Service Planning and Reporting OC Transpo pat.scrimgeour@ottawa.ca 29