RTG given more time to finalize LRT handover

Transit boss John Manconi on LRT delay

8 years ago

Duration 0:41

John Manconi, the city's general manager of transit, reacts to a request by Rideau Transit Group to extend the deadline for Ottawa's new $2 billion rail system. The original deadline was May 24.

Anyone hoping to find out Wednesday when Rideau Transit Group (RTG) will be ready to hand over control of light rail transit tunnels and tracks to the City of Ottawa will have afew more weeks to wait.

RTG was supposedto tell the city in November whether it would be able hand over theLRTkeys by May 24, 2018, the date outlined in the project contract.

Councillors only found out on Dec. 15 that the RTG consortium believed it could meet its May deadline, but that it would be "risky."

At the time,the city gave RTGuntil Jan. 24, 2018 to say definitively what thedate will be.

In a memo to city council released today, city managerSteve Kanellakos said RTGhas asked for an extension to the Jan. 24 date and is working to finalize when it will be able to give the city the keys to the LRT system.

Staff will report to the city's Finance and Economic Development Committee (FEDCO) on Feb. 6 with details.

Meeting May deadline unlikely

John Manconi, the city's general manager of transportation services, said Wednesday Ottawa doesn't expect RTG to meet the original May deadline.

RTGasked for more time because the city wants a firm date, not a conditional one, Manconisaid.

"We've done our own independent assessment of where they are with construction and testing and commissioning and we're not confident they're going to make May 24th," Manconisaid. "So all indications are we're looking at an alternative date."

City staff will be meeting with RTGbetween now and Feb. 6 to hash out details for the upcoming FEDCO meeting.

"We're going to insist that we get a firm [handover]date to make sure that we're comfortable with that, to understand what goes into that, if there are any risks involved," Manconisaid. "We want to bring all that information to FEDCO so we have a complete package and set of details that we can share with city council."