The Ontario government has announced CAD1.2 billion (US$900 million) in provincial funding for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Stage 2 PPP project in Ottawa. The project, toguether with the Stage 2 Trillium Line Extension, was approved by the Ottawa (Ontario) City Council, early in the month, in a landmark 19-3 vote, representing the largest capital project in the National Capital’s history.

Stage 2 is made up of two projects extending the existing Confederation and Trillium Lines a total 44 km to 24 new LRT stations. It will extend the Trillium Line south to Riverside South with a link to the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, and it will extend the Confederation Line, scheduled to open this spring, farther east to Trim Road and west to both Moodie Drive and Algonquin College.

The estimated total cost of Stage 2 of Ottawa’s Confederation Line is CAD4.7 billion, which is CAD1.2 billion more than the original estimate. The federal and Ontario governments have already committed $2.4 billion in funding. The PPP contract was awarded to East-West Connectors, a consortium including Kiewit and Vinci. Their role will be to finance, design and build the two LRT extensions.

TransitNEXT was recommended as the preferred proponent to design, build, finance and maintain the Stage 2 Trillium Line Extension, which adds 16 km of new rail and eight new stations extending the line farther south from Greenboro Station to Limebank Station, with a link to the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. 

Earlier, in mid March, Ottawa City Council (Ontario) announced that it had approved the project, representing the largest capital project in the National Capital’s history.