Ottawa LRT Returns to Service, Free Transit Fares Confirmed for December – Ottawa | The Canadian News

Trains returned ferry passengers along Ottawa’s light rail transit system for the first time in 54 days on Friday, as the city confirmed that it expects full service by December and free fares for passengers throughout the month.

Partial service with seven trains plus spare parts resumed at 5 a.m. on the Confederation Line on November 12 after the line got all its safety approvals earlier this week.

Transportation Resources Associates (TRA), the rail consultants hired by Ottawa, told the city on Wednesday that the Rideau Transit Group had checked all the boxes to make the LRT system safe for passengers after the Sept. 19 derailment.

Additional trains will be allowed to return to the line during the course of the month, and the city expects full service to resume in late November.

While pre-pandemic service required 15 trains on the track during peak periods, current passenger levels require only 11 trains to meet full service demand, according to Ottawa transit general manager Renée Amilcar.

Amilcar confirmed in a memorandum to the city council on Friday afternoon that this timeline clears the way for a month of “unlimited transit free of charge”In December, a gesture towards cyclists approved by the city council in October.

All fare doors at LRT stations will be open for the entire month of December and fare boxes on OC Transpo buses will be taped. All Para Transpo trips will also be free.

Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) buses on the Gatineau side will not offer free rides. November Presto pass holders and Student U pass holders must knock when boarding the bus, but will not be charged.

OC Transpo will not charge educational institutions that provide students with a pre-loaded U-Pass or Presto card for the month of December.

Most OC Transpo fees are proposed to increase 2.5% on January 1 as part of the 2022 draft budget.

1:38Edmonton Businesses React to Latest LRT Delay