Thales signalling technology selected for major LRT line expansion in Canada’s national capital
Canada’s National Capital relies on Thales signalling once again for its major LRT Line expansion. Thales has been contracted by East-West Connectors to provide its SelTrac™ Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) system for the City of Ottawa’s Stage 2 O-Train Confederation Line Extension project.
The Stage 2 Confederation Line extension will expand the initial 13 station Stage 1 Confederation Line farther east and west. The Stage 2 Confederation Line will extend east to Trim Road and west to Baseline Road and Moodie Drive, adding 28 kilometres of rail, 16 stations and a maintenance and storage facility. Following completion of the Stage 2 extension, the Confederation Line will consist of 29 stations spanning a distance of 40 kilometres providing more Ottawa residents with fast, efficient, clean and reliable light rail service.
Thales’s SelTrac™ Communications Based Train Control system is an integral part of the O-Train’s Stage 1 transportation solution, which is designed to meet Ottawa’s transit challenges with a system that integrates surrounding communities with existing cycling and pedestrian paths and roadways. Because Thales is familiar with the O-Train system, its operation and technology, and in particular the Light Rail Vehicles being used, Thales’s involvement in the Stage 2 Confederation Line extension minimizes integration risks and commissioning time.
“The Stage 2 O-Train Confederation Line Extension project allows Thales to continue to play an important role in providing a world-class transit system to Canada’s national capital. Continuing our work from Stage 1, our local, made-in-Ontario SelTrac™ CBTC technology is a key part of the O-Train system, bringing to life the next important phase of Ottawa’s long-term transit vision, providing passengers a faster, safer and greener way to commute.”– Dominique Gaiardo, Vice President and Managing Director for Thales’s urban rail signalling business.
Thales’s contribution to the Stage 2 O-Train Confederation Line Extension project consists of integrating control units on-board each train, the installation of guideway equipment, including zone controllers, as well as commissioning the system to be safely integrated within Stage 1 operations.
Thales is proud to bring proven expertise and decades of transit infrastructure experience to a project that will provide the transportation foundation for Ottawa’s growth and evolution through the twenty-first century.