This article is part of a daily series of MegaProjects articles. If you want to know more about PPP projects with a considerable size visit our MegaProjects section. You can receive them by email on a daily basis.

The City of Ottawa (Canada) is planning for US$3 billion in expansions to its Trillium light rail system using public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Stage 2 LRT is a package of three rail extensions that together represent the next phase of rail rapid transit investment in Ottawa. Ottawa City Council in their unanimous approval of the 2013 Transportation Master Plan prioritized the implementation of the project. The LRT extension is not only part of an official, integrated land-use plan and the City’s Transportation Master Plan, it is also in line with Federal and Provincial commitments for transit expansion.

Stage 2 is expected to increase City-wide ridership by nearly 13.5 million trips per year by 2031, or ten percent higher than a scenario in which Stage 2 is not materialized.

This Stage 2 LRT package will:

• Expand the O-Train system, the City's overall Light Rail Transit (LRT) network farther to the east, west and the south and specifically:
  • West to Bayshore Station (Confederation Line West Extension) and southwest to Baseline Station
  • East to Place d'Orléans Station (Confederation Line East Extension)
  • South to Riverside South at Bowesville (Trillium Line Extension)
• Build on the current Trillium Line and the future Confederation Line - the backbone of the City's O-Train system – which is currently under construction and anticipated to open in 2018.
• Bring close to 70 per cent of the City's population within five kilometres of rail transit by 2023 –nearly doubling the amount of residents who will be within five kilometres of rail.
• Add 30 kilometres of new rail and 19 new stations to Ottawa's transit system.
• Reduce travel times, improve productivity, and contain transportation costs. By attracting new riders, and becoming the first transportation choice for many during peak and off peak hours, this plan is key to helping the City reach its targets for increasing the use of sustainable transportation options like transit.
• Link communities and connect residents to destinations across the City, including our major post-secondary institutions, retail centres (major malls including Bayshore, Rideau Centre, St. Laurent, Place d'Orléans, South Keys), employment nodes, as well as a broad range of recreational and cultural opportunities including parks, the Canal, museums and various other institutions.