City delays deadline for bids to build next stage of LRT

By Karen-Luz Sison

The City of Ottawa is giving companies more time to submit bids for the next stage of the LRT expansion after some firms requested a schedule adjustment, according to a memo from Chris Swail, the city’s director of O-Train planning.

Originally, the city planned to announce a winning bidder this year between April and June. Now, the winning bidder’s contract will be announced around the end of the year, sometime between October and December.

This adjustment “will not affect the current implementation schedule, which will still see construction commencing in 2019, as has been previously shared with Council,” the March 12 memo stated.

The extension will allow bidders to refine their proposals to “better ensure good value for the City by managing within the project’s affordability cap.”

The second phase of LRT expansion will be organized into two projects and will aim to extend the Confederation Line to the east and west and the Trillium Line to the south. Altogether, Stage 2 is expected to cost $3.6 billion.

The Trillium Line will go to the Ottawa International Airport and Riverside South and is scheduled to open in 2021, according to the city.

Additionally, the Confederation Line will run to Moodie Drive, Algonquin College and Trim Road, with city timelines saying the east extension is scheduled to open in 2022 and the west extension in 2023.

There are three companies bidding on the Confederation Line project — Confederation Transit Group, East West Connectors and Confederation Line 2 Partners.

The three bidders for the Trillium Line are Trillium Link, Trillium Extension, and TransitNEXT.

Currently, the $2.1-billion Stage 1 of the LRT, which will run between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair station, is set to be open to the public by November this year.