Trillium Line trial running begins next week

OC Transpo staff have released the schedule and criteria for Trillium Line↗ (O-Train lines 2 and 4) trial running, which will begin Monday 7 October 2024.

Trial running will demonstrate if all elements of the system are ready for passenger service, representing the culmination of months of testing, basically a “final exam” for TransitNEXT, the construction contractor.

Trial running consists of two phases and will be a minimum of 21 days. Industry best practices, lessons learned from the Confederation Line, and recommendations from the light rail public inquiry have been incorporated into the process.

The significant milestone means TransitNEXT have completed all the prerequisites for trial running to begin, as assessed by city staff and independent third-party certifiers.

Phase One - Simulated passenger service

The first phase of trial running requires the line to operate full service schedules for a minimum of 14 days, simulating the conditions of normal passenger service.

A minimum on-time performance of 98.5 per cent averaged over 14 consecutive days must be maintained. The simulation period will be extended until the 98.5 per cent average across 14 consecutive days is met or exceeded.

Issues that impact daily performance will be validated by an independent certifier, who assigns it either as a city cause or a TransitNEXT cause in accordance with the project agreement. This means some issues may not be counted against TransitNEXT’s daily performance score.

Metrics

The metrics below inform the overall progress of the simulated passenger service phase of trial running.

Daily TransitNEXT performance is the measure of on-time performance within TransitNEXT’s control, based on trains on both lines departing end stations no more than 30 seconds after its scheduled departure time without compromising required dwell times.

The percentage is calculated using on-time departures as a fraction of the total scheduled departures for that day. For example, of 338 scheduled departures on a weekday, if 330 trips depart on time, a score of 97.63 per cent is achieved, which counts against the 98.5 rolling average.

The 14-day rolling average is calculated by adding up each day’s performance score, divided by the number of days since trial running began, up to 14. For example, if the 14 consecutive days returned scores of 99, 87, 100, 100, 100, 98, 98, 99, 99, 100, 98, 73, 76, and 100, the rolling average is 94.79 per cent, and the trial running will need to continue past the initial 14 days.

The minimum days to meet project agreement standard is 14 days, and the rolling average must meet or exceed 98.5 per cent. Scores to calculate the rolling average must be from 14 consecutive days.

Some common issues identified during simulated passenger service may include:

• Signalling system - includes equipment that detects train locations and manages timetables

• Track - includes switches and rail profile

• Communications system - includes intrusion detection (eg. people on tracks), security cameras, and other data remotely accessed by the transit operations control centre

• Vehicles - includes climate control, on-board security cameras, traction issues, and a range of error codes

• Operations - includes emergency brake applications, operator availability, and excess station dwell times

Phase Two - Scenarios

Upon successful completion of simulated passenger service, the second phase of trial running can begin.

Lasting seven days, the aim of the second phase is for operations and maintenance staff to work through various scenarios that could occur when lines 2 and 4 are in service. Possible scenarios range from simple issues like door faults to major issues like evacuations between stations.

Though there is no scoring component, the scenarios will allow staff time to further assess and finesse operating procedures, identify gaps, and validate technical systems.

Oversight

Independent certifiers A.W. Hooker↗ and Ricardo Rail↗ have been hired to monitor and validate progress, as well as to help determine issue causes when they arise.

During the trial running period, Council will receive reports on weekdays summarising the previous day’s results. Monday reports will include the results from the weekend. The first daily report will be released Tuesday 8 October.

Reports will be published and publicly accessible at OCTranspo.com’s new trial running↗ webpage. Media availabilities will also be held each weekday to review performance reports.

After trial running

Following the successful completion of both phases of trial running, Council will receive a full report and briefing on the results. The project will then move towards substantial completion, final readiness work, and regulatory approvals from federal bodies, a process which will take a minimum of three weeks.

Upon completion of those contractual and regulatory requirements, the Trillium Line will move towards service launch for transit customers. At that point, an opening date will be shared publicly.

As of 3 October 2024, the earliest possible opening date for service is 18 November 2024, assuming trial running is perfect and no delays in the contractual and regulatory approval process.

Bus network changes

Changes to bus service (formally New Ways to Bus) will not happen until the spring 2025 schedule cycle, which begins Sunday 27 April 2025. That means there will be a lag between the opening of lines 2 and 4 and connecting bus service becoming available.

The tight timeline between the earliest possible opening date and the start of the winter schedule cycle means OC Transpo will not have enough time to finalise operator shifts, change over internal information, and effectively communicate the new network to customers, considering the opening date of lines 2 and 4 may shift if trial running does not run smoothly.

Major service changes also are generally not advised during the winter.

The current service network will continue to operate after lines 2 and 4 open, but transit customers may choose to use the new lines. Bowesville Station park and ride↗, located at the southeast corner of Earl Armstrong/Bowesville, will be available for use beginning on opening day.

Until the bus network changes happen, there will be no bus service at Bowesville and Limebank stations. The Line 2 station closest to Barrhaven East with connecting bus service is Leitrim, with service on route 99 towards Barrhaven Centre.

Information about the bus network changes will be shared closer to the spring 2025 schedule cycle, but new maps and schedules, including a travel planner, are available at OC Transpo’s New Ways to Bus↗ webpage.

Further reading

More information, including daily updates once trial running begins, will be shared at OCTranspo.com↗.