A First Look at South Keys Station: The Interchange of O-Train Line 2 and Line 4
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2024
- On May 16, 2024, Rail Fans Canada got the opportunity to check out the progress of Stage 2 South at one of its most important stations: South Keys.
This new station will act as the interchange between Line 2 and Line 4, allowing passengers to connect between the Ottawa International Airport and a wide variety of destinations throughout the city. The station is built along in parallel to the existing Transitway station of the same name which will remain in service after the opening of Stage 2 South.
South Keys Station features an island platform with two tracks and one main entrance that connects to the South Keys Shopping Centre and Sawmill Creek Pond on the other side. Once opened, Line 4 trains will terminate at this station, while Line 2 trains will continue onward towards their respective terminuses at Limebank and Bayview. Passengers will be able to transfer between the two lines on the same platform which features enclosed waiting areas, departure boards and redundant elevators to ensure accessibility.
In this exclusive visit, join us as we explore the new station, learn more about the line and its operations, as well as observe the ongoing testing activities from the platform level.
Many thanks to TransitNEXT, the City of Ottawa and OC Transpo for coordinating this visit.
Video by Shane Seguin.
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It is nice to have the airport connected by rail.
This is the content I needed.
It is nice to see such progress happening. I was their train controller but left a few month ago for another opportunity - I must say that the train drivers and controllers are a fantastic group of individuals and I am sure this line will shine when they eventually open to the public. Their one issue is that will likely cause issues during a service disruption is that they use single track in many areas of the system which cripples your options if there is a stalled train there. The trains themselves are impressive, FLIRT are incredibly roomy and offer a super quiet ride. They are diesel-electric with the centre of the train having the 4 diesel engines, and the system allows that you can "swap" out the diesel engines and go full electric via installing a catenary system (PLEASE OTTAWA - DON'T!!!). But yeah. I really enjoyed my time working with them. Nice videos on the latest updates. If any of the staff are reading this - I miss you all :-)
They're looking at BEMU, which still requires partial catenary (catenary itself really isn't any worse an issue than rails or road asphalt are, and is proven in our climate); they had already ruled out building a hydrogen source for buses. The single track north of Leitrim and South Keys has been an issue since 2001 (~20 years of service), but trains still were above 99% on-time, and trains that weren't quickly recovered on their next trip.
Canada day opening to public would be awesome 👌
Years from now, we'll look back with startled wonder that we didn't install platform gates (or better yet, platform screen doors and enclosed, climate-controlled platforms!).
Still, it's lovely to see things progressing. I remember talk about this waay back when I was a student at Carleton during the pilot phase of the O-Train in the early 2000s.
These seem a bit expensive for every station but especially for terminus stations or important stations, yeah I think we should have these
Superb train! What is missing in this new is a map showing what is the rail line showing from where to where.
Hello, for this video, we kept it very much to just the actual station. We also have another video (which you likely have already seen) that is a full overview of Stage 2 South where those details are referenced and shown on a map. ua-cam.com/video/BK8bnGVipzQ/v-deo.html
Can still take the 97 (with no transfers) to downtown when the train stops running at night 👍
Bus service will continue to serve the airport outside of Line 4 operating hours.
N97 getting renumbered to N98 which is going to run the same route as current N97.
I thought the 97 stopped going downtown sometime around 2017.
@@mattbufton N97 stops at Rideau. The same routing will exist for Night service, it will just be added to the 98 schedule instead as N98. Although truly, it makes more practical sense if it were added to the 99 or 197 schedule, which would have less complications.
Can't wait to check this place out!
I thought they were going to have three tracks and two platforms... I guess this makes sense with the low frequencies.
Different station. That would be Lincoln Fields.
@@mlmielke I had thought *both* were doing that, being line interchanges.
South Keys was always two tracks, one centre platform. The only one with multiple platforms and tracks is Lincoln Fields.
@@RailFansCanada What are they doing at Lincoln Fields that needs multiple platforms?
@@watchwood One platform will be for heading downtown (to Blair/Trim), the other two will be for Algonquin and Moodie as the lines heading West split at Lincoln Fields (this will apply at certain time periods).
Nice
Unless it's just the camera angle, the platforms seem narrow?
I would say it is on par with the downtown underground stations like Parliament and Lyon (with some narrower sections and some wider). I don't think it will be an issue for crowding as the circulation and access are well laid out.
Awesome video and awesome new system!
What I see though is a lot of emptiness around it. Does the city also have a plan to densify around the stations?
There are secondary plans around most stations to enable Transit Oriented Development (TOD). Similar developments can also be seen along the Confederation Line! What differs for Line 2 is that it goes through the Greenbelt, which precludes new construction in those areas for environmental and biodiversity reasons. As such, developments will likely occur within the Greenbelt (South Keys and north of). Some stations we expect to see significant TOD in the coming years are Corso Italia, Dow's Lake, Bayview and potentially South Keys. -David
To the east is the South Keys shopping plaza. To the west is a set of reservoirs and Airport parkway. There's really nowhere to build right near the station. South of it is Greenbelt and protected forests and wetlands. I hope they don't decide to destroy such habitat in the name of capitalism.
Will they be adding any artistic flair to these stations or they just gonna be concrete hellscapes?
South Keys, Corso Italia and Limebank for example have a light fixture that will respond and illuminate with the passage of trains. There will be some art pieces but they have not yet been publicly announced. (Their installation does not affect the opening of the line, so they can be completed at anytime with minimal disruption).
@@RailFansCanada Hey, having the service is the most important, and I know that when it comes to budgets ,art installations are the first to get cut. Hopefully that can be improved over time.
Cool. Any word on when we can use it?
Soon! Nothing more official at this time, they are not extending a date until they are certain. Michael Morgan commented on the timeline in our previous video at Albion Yard, but we would expect later this summer. -David
I am waiting for the west end train stations to start
Is there an explanation of why they decided to go with an interchange at Southbank versus just using the same type of train on the north-south line and continuing from the airport to Bayview?
Line 2 will still run a pair of LINTs. There's nothing operationally preventing trains continuing to Bayview, except that the single track limits how often trains can. The forecast demand is just 24.5 times higher from Bowesville to Carleton than from YOW to SK.
Given the “hard” limit of a 12 minute service pattern, doing so would have resulted in the south extension (South Keys through Limebank) to either operate every 24 minutes (once every other train), or to have them end at South Keys and require a transfer onto the other train to go further. Ultimately, travel models and council preference elected to have the Airport service act as a shuttle, with the N-S mainline taking priority. -David
@@RailFansCanada Thanks for the response. Would be interesting to see statistics after of train usage from each area. I live downtown and given the current requirement to transfer at South Keys, and then transfer at Bayview, I will just opt to take a cab instead. I hope it gets used frequently though.
@@RailFansCanadait seems overly confusing and inconvenient to make tourists to Ottawa change trains twice to get to downtown rather than having the airport trains run right through to Bayview. Those trains could increase service to all the intermediate stops as well.
@@Quince828 Those trains wouldn't increase service as they are limited by the single track and passing tracks. Keep in mind, if it was double track the entire length instead of mostly single track, we wouldn't be having this discussion, and service would be lower than every 12 minutes. That's really the bottleneck... single track.
-Shane
Are the Flirts built in USA out of existing production line with test components, or is it it like the Citadis Spirit, an Ottawa-specific model with Watson imposed specs that are impossible to achieve and different parts from other Citadis trams?
I am told that Stadler is the one manufacturer willing to stand up to politicians to raise odds that they can delivery qualityt product on time.
They were built and sent over from Switzerland. Quality assured and proven around the world as an existing stock model.
For those airport riders, take the elevators at Bayview instead of escalators, will make things easier and faster if you have luggage.
And this way, you don't have to walk all the way to the "front" end of the platform if it is a short-train during the weekend going downtown! -David
I think the ride from the airport will have some nice advantages - won't have to walk in the elements unlike the old 97. The first transfer wait is only six min tops on the same platform (barely any walking) and the downtown wait at Bayview isn't much. Boarding the trains is also easier than boarding the bus with luggage.
Sure having luggage to transfer twice isn't fun but I can remember when suitcases didn't have wheels and we had to take maps and schedules out to read and estimate times instead of using our phones 😎
@@spinladen1774 Also, look at guides when a tourist... if you're packing excess luggage, you're packing luggage wrong. If you package luggage right, these train changes themselves won't be an issue. If you're a group of 3+ people, that is separate from the guideline for reducing single-person car occupancy, and nobody is telling you to take transit in that circumstance.
I am a bit concerned that South Keys station will be freezing in the winter with cold winds whipping through the station. Are there any sheltered areas on the train platform?
Yes there are.
Perhaps
It is a real shame that a perfectly working line was demolished to build a single tracked diesel line that will need to be rebuilt soon. Such a waste of money. This should have been double tracked and electrified. Hopefully the 97 will continue to provide single transfer to downtown (at Hurdman) since this line 4 and 2 train service will require 2 transfers and likely take much longer in travel time. The train to airport will be of use to people along line 2, and for those who live west of Bayview along line 1.
Platforms seem tiny given the amount of passengers expected at rush hour, including students. Also, there are plans for more residential buildings in the next few years. This will put additional strain on the tiny platforms. Poor foresight.
At South Keys? They're only expecting an average of 30 boardings per train, per forecast.
@@mlmielke At rush hour??? That should tell you everything. OC also had interesting forecast for its current ridership pre-, during, and post pandemic. When people started using the train the platforms were overloaded. It was compounded by train issues (i.e. less trains to serve the same ridership base).
@vdawg2224 It's based on AM peak, not PM. Also, you're trying to compare entirely different things. The train doesn't decide when 200+ buses an hour drop off passengers (the issue you're speaking of at Tunney's Pasture)... many grouped together, so you could have two full trains then a lesser full train. SK doesn't have 200+ buses an hour, or anywhere even close to that number. They aren't on the same level at all. South Keys should have up to just 25 buses an hour. However, many of those aren't peak direction.
@@mlmielke I guess time will tell. I hope I'm wrong but if we're to go by history I don't think I'll be.
Let me put it this way. There's a huge difference in a station moving just 260 people an hour at a station from a station moving even just 9,000 an hour. The latter being an issue, which it is, isn't a proof that a station size that's larger than Canada Line platforms which moves many more people than South Keys and Greenboro combined per hour is too small.
Most of line 3 and line 4 are single track and honestly, that's shameful for G7 Capital.
Sorry you meant Line 2 and 4. Line 3 is the same as Line 1 but will split and go to Bayshore and Moodie instead of Line 1 that goes to Algonquin.
@@RailFansCanada in that case the lines heading south from Bayview 👍
It's all very nice. But it's 2 years late. These trains should be auto pilot.
Given the cost of automatization, as well as the frequency of the trains (once every 12 minutes, though at South Keys with the interlining of Line 2 and 4, every 5-6 minutes), the need for automatization is not a limiting factor to the operations of the line. Rebuilding Line 2 required the implementation of a new controlling system, replacing the former Indusi system used since its opening in 2001. The new system is far more flexible and up to modern standards and ready to support potential expansions or double tracking of the line in the future. -David
@@RailFansCanada Yeah OK, but its 2 YEARS LATE. Don't find excuses for others.
The original timeline did not include a global pandemic. While we all wish the line re-opened as initially scheduled, there is a wide variety of factors that have affect project deliveries of all types globally, not just in Ottawa. Labour shortage, delivery delays and shortages for components and assemblies of various sorts are common enough as-is. There is room to argue whether or not the original timeline was realistic even before the pandemic, but supply chains have made things much more difficult to manage and navigate. We much rather see a completed line, fully tested and working, than an early opening to meet a timeline. -David
Two years is embarrassing. I’ve been watching the Gladstone station construction and it’s a joke how long something as simple as that took to build.