Public Transit System for Gatineau’s West End – Complementary Study

The Société de transports de l’Outaouais (STO) is currently undertaking the Complementary Study: Public Transit System in Gatineau’s West End as one phase of a larger project to enhance Gatineau’s transportation system and improve connectivity with Ottawa. This project aligns with the City of Ottawa’s broader goals of providing more sustainable mobility choices and improving quality of life and equity for residents, as well as supporting the City’s goals for combating climate change.

The objective of the Complementary Study is to find a rapid transit solution that meets the transportation needs of residents in Gatineau’s rapidly growing west end to year 2051, as well as to accommodate Ottawa transit commuters who need to travel interprovincially on a daily basis, including thousands of public servants who work at both Portage and Terrasses de la Chaudière. The Study is assessing the feasibility of the project by examining corridors, station locations, technologies such as tramway and bus, ridership potential, and costs.

The STO study is being supported by key stakeholders such as the City of Gatineau, the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ), National Capital Commission (NCC), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), OC Transpo and the City of Ottawa. The consultant for the study is WSP.

Why is this important for Ottawa residents?

A key component of the study is to determine options to integrate a new rapid transit facility into Ottawa to provide access to destinations on both sides of the Ottawa River and connectivity with Ottawa’s O-Train system. This could bring changes to street designs, traffic patterns, and the way people move through both Gatineau and Ottawa. This new project also aims to reduce the high number of STO buses and routes currently operating on Ottawa’s downtown streets.

The potential impacts of this project will depend on the corridor and concepts that are still being analyzed. Whichever option is chosen, an improvement to Gatineau’s public transit system will have positive impacts for both residents of Ottawa and Gatineau, who want to reach destinations on either side of the River and will reduce the dependency on personal vehicles.

Upcoming Study Milestones

May 2020 – STO’s project team is completing the preliminary analysis of issues and options for integration in Ottawa. An on-line Technical Briefing took place on Friday, May 15. A recording of the technical briefing can be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel. Public feedback on the Technical Briefing is welcomed.

Public Transit System for Gatineau’s West End – Complementary Study

The presentation from STO will be available on STO’s project page.

June 2020 – An on-line public consultation, led by the STO, will take place in June. This event will include the completed analysis of the options, for public review and feedback. Public input will help the Study team formulate the Study recommendations.

September 2020 – The Study’s updates on the integration corridor in Ottawa will be presented to the City’s Transportation Committee and Council in September. The public will once again be able to provide feedback on this study.

Winter 2020 – Final recommendations on the integration corridor in Ottawa will be presented by the Study team to the City’s Transportation Committee and Council. The public will be able to provide feedback on recommendations at this time. After this, the STO will be able to finalize the recommendations for corridors in Gatineau.

Once this Complementary Study is completed, the STO will pursue the next phases of the overall project, which include: environmental assessments, design and approvals, and finally, construction and testing. STO plans to have this project in service in eight to ten years.

How can Ottawa residents learn more about the project?

Residents are encouraged to visit STO’s project website to review information on the overall project, including the ongoing Complementary Study.

How can residents submit questions or comments?

Residents can submit questions or comments at STOwesttransitouest@ottawa.ca. This information will be shared with the STO Study team.

The Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO), in partnership with the City of Ottawa, has started public consultations on the options to link Gatineau’s future rapid transit system to Ottawa’s transit system.

Following presentations to Gatineau, and Ottawa City councillors in May, residents from both cities are now invited to review and comment on the work completed to date. The consultation, in the form of a questionnaire available on sto.ca aims to determine which of the two corridor options for the tram integration into downtown Ottawa is the most appropriate:

• On Wellington Street
• A tunnel under Sparks Street.

The feedback received will be analyzed and posted on the STO's website. The information will also be shared with the study’s government stakeholders: the Ministère des Transports du Québec, Public Services and Procurement Canada, the National Capital Commission, Ville de Gatineau, and the City of Ottawa.

The final recommendations will be presented this winter to Gatineau City Council and to the City of Ottawa’s Transportation Committee.

Ottawa’s Transportation Committee has received for information an interim report by City of Ottawa staff on The Société de transports de l’Outaouais (STO) Complementary Study: Public Transit System in Gatineau’s West End, including details of the proposed integration with Ottawa. The presentation is available on the City of Ottawa’s YouTube channel.

This presentation was a follow up to STO’s Technical Briefing to Ottawa City Council on May 15, 2020 and provided an opportunity to update Transportation Committee on the study and collect feedback.

The Complementary Study is continuing with its analyses and this interim report identifies the issues that must be resolved before a recommendation is presented to Ottawa City Council and Gatineau City Council for a final decision on the tramway project.

The STO study timeline currently anticipates an Ottawa City Council decision regarding the integration into Ottawa in November 2020.

Previous phases of this project concluded that the STO tramway would cross into Ottawa at the Portage Bridge. From there (on the Ottawa side), two corridor options are currently being assessed:

• Wellington Street on the surface (with three transit stations). This corridor also includes two sub-options with traffic maintained along the entire length and without traffic between Bank Street and Elgin Street; and,
• Sparks Street tunnel (with two transit stations).

An on-line public consultation, led by the STO, took place from June 22 to July 19, 2020. 1,503 respondents (570 from Ottawa, 896 from Gatineau) provided feedback on the options. A strong majority of respondents want transit to serve both downtowns and connect with the O-Train system. Respondents voiced strong support the Spark Street tunnel option. The consultation summary report by STO can be found on their project page.

For more information on the options for integration into Ottawa, please visit the STO’s project page at STO.ca.

Residents can submit questions or comments at STOwesttransitouest@ottawa.ca. Information received will be shared with the STO Study team.