Citizen's Gray laments the cancellation of the north-south LRT line

On his The Bulldog blog yesterday, Ottawa Citizen columnist Ken Gray eulogized what he called the 'tragic' cancellation of the 2006 north-south light-rail line, citing a large number of reasons outlining why he thinks the move was a mistake:

• The first project would have cost $884 million with the Siemens consortium paying for any overruns. The current plan is expected to cost $2.1 billion or as much as 25 per cent more if overruns occur. The city is unlikely to be able to stick the builder of the project with overruns because of possible expensive difficulties with the tunnel
• Four lost years of planning
• The first project ran from Barrhaven to the University of Ottawa. The new project runs from Tunney's Pasture to Blair Road ... 12.5 kilometres or one stop west of where the north-south plan would have done
• The first project would be operating now. The new plan is expected to be completed in 2019
• The environmental assessment for east-west rail would be completed or near completion now, putting east-west rail farther ahead today than it is with the current plan

Those are just a few of the many points Gray outlined, before he began outlining some reasons he believes the downtown tunnel is a mistake. And, as long as the construction went as scheduled, every point he's made there is correct. The north-south line was to include 29km of surface rail through downtown (8km of which is existing O-Train service), while the current plan calls for 12.5km, including a tunnel downtown. Obviously, the distance traveled is a significant difference, but proponents of cancellation have consistently gone back to their suggestion that a tunnel downtown represents the only solution to the current congestion there.

Still, opponents of the cancellation have plenty of good arguments of their own--the most powerful being the fact that had we gone through with it, we would now be looking at adding an east-west portion to the north-south line that would be running today.

The process of cancellation was a complicated one, still shrouded in a fair bit of mystery. In the inaugural issue of the Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa, I tried to offer some clarification in the process, but it remains difficult to fully comprehend. The quick version is that many were put off by the secrecy surrounding the process, and many others opposed surface rail in the core; when a truncated line leaving the downtown portion out, the Ontario government refused to support the different plan; when it was restored, the federal government wasn't prepared to re-commit their money. So the plan was cancelled, and the process of building a new one began.

Whether you agree with Gray in seeing the cancellation as a mistake or not, there comes a point where re-hashing the same old arguments over and over again is no longer constructive. The plan was cancelled four years ago, and perhaps we all need to take the lessons from that plan, and focus on ensuring that the current plan doesn't fall victim to the same mistakes.

Looking at high-speed rail between Ottawa and Toronto

The S500 Shinkansen, a Japanese high-speed bullet train.

On Wednesday, Richard Florida--renowned author, professor at the Rotman School of Management, and director of the Martin Prosperity Institute--spoke with a number of editors at the Ottawa Citizen about the many possible benefits of building an intercity high-speed commuter train line linking Canada's political capital with her financial capital--Ottawa and Toronto. The Citizen penned an editorial about the meeting, and how much sense high-speed rail would make:

Toronto has the economic infrastructure, while Ottawa has the political infrastructure. No doubt Toronto bankers would like to be just down the street from federal regulators, while the public service often needs the expertise of those in business.

High-speed commuter rail is something we've talked about on Transit Ottawa before. Some of Florida's colleagues at the Martin Prosperity Institute wrote and article about it in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa, looking at the pros of linking mega-regions together with high-speed rail and how cities can integrate the regional line with their local transit systems. We've also looked at the benefits of high-speed rail, including expanded opportunities and reduced costs.

High-speed rail might seem a little foreign to most Ottawans or Canadians--isn't it a Japanese thing, where bullet trains have been around for decades? But that wasn't always the case; Canada was at one time a leader in the development of high-speed rail when we piloted the TurboTrain. A year ago, The Walrus took a look back on Canada's history with high-speed rail, why the country has fallen behind in the field, and author Monte Paulsen argues that Canada needs to catch up to maintain competitive in the world today.

And high-speed rail is gaining traction around the world. Japan has been shopping their high-speed rail technology for some time now, looking to export it along with their expertise in the field around the world. And in South Africa, a $3B project to link Johannesburg's airport with soccer stadiums for the 2010 World Cup finished just in time (despite many obstacles), and the Gautrain will be bringing soccer fans to games for the first kick-off. Closer to home, a coalition of pro-rail organizations in the United States recently launched the website FourBillion.com, looking to get the US government to invest $4B in high-speed rail development in 2011.

In Canada, there's certainly an appetite for high-speed rail. Decades have passed since the first report on a rail corridor from Windsor to Quebec City, which could certainly be a commuter train with stops in Ottawa and Toronto. The City of Calgary's 10-year economic development strategy suggests a high-speed rail linking Calgary to Edmonton and Fort McMurray. And Vancouver may be linked into a high-speed rail line linking the Pacific Northwest Corridor along the coast of Oregon and Washington states.

The bottom line? Rail is gaining popularity once again, after briefly falling out of favour in North America. The current administration in the United States is investing heavily in intercity passenger rail, and Canada would be wise to look into doing so, as well. If the governments of Canada, Quebec, and Ontario can come together to build a rail linking their biggest cities, the national, provincial, and municipal governments all stand to benefit.

Taking a look at high-speed rail

Those of you who've read the first issue of the Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa [.pdf] probably got a look at the Martin Prosperity Institute's white paper, "Making high-speed rail work for Ottawa". In it, authors Ian Swain, Patrick Adler, and Kevin Stolarick examined the potential benefits of regional high-speed rail line through Ottawa, and what the city would be well-served doing to maximize its efficiency.

On Tuesday, MPI's Insights blog summarized the white paper, looking at the opportunities it can offer, as well as the costs which it could reduce. As the did in their article in JPTO, however, they cautioned that it has to be done right if it's going to be done:

This should not be considered a blanket endorsement of high-speed rail or current proposals to build it. As outlined in the white paper, such projects must be built wisely, in the right places, with the right accompanying factors such as robust transit access and strategically sited stations. But to reject high-speed rail out of hand based on conventional cost-benefit variables ignores both the long-term shifts the economy is undergoing and the broader transformative effects of high-speed rail.

Ottawa and the region does offer a strong case for high-speed rail. A line from Quebec City through Montreal into Ottawa, and then onward to Toronto and Windsor, offers strong benefits to industrial, commercial, and governmental concerns, and would most certainly benefit the city and the region--if, as stipulated, it's implemented properly.

Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa available for download

The Public Transit in Ottawa Portal (PTOP) is pleased to announce the inaugural issue of the community-reviewed Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa (JPTO)is available for download today.

To download the journal, click here.

JPTO is the culmination of months of work from over a dozen contributors, assembling a wide variety of topics regarding public transit in the City of Ottawa.

PHOTO CONTEST: Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa

The Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa is set to be released on Feb. 1, 2010, and is looking for avid photographers from the city to submit public-transit related photography or illustrations for publication in the Journal.

Anyone is eligible, and the winner of the contest will see their visual work published on the cover of JPTO. Runners up will be published on this website, and may be published within the journal itself.

To enter, simply snap a photo or make an illustration of something to do with public transit in Ottawa, send it (in .jpg format) to peter@transitottawa.ca along along with your name and contact information. Entries must be received by Friday, January 29, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Only original works will be accepted, no more than five entries per individual.

Best of luck in the contest!

Press release: Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa to be released February 1, 2010

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

The Public Transit in Ottawa Portal (PTOP) is pleased to announce the publication of the first issue of the Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa (JPTO) on Monday, February 1, 2010. JPTO is a community-reviewed journal designed to address topics of relevance to public transit in and around the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and the National Capital Region (including related municipalities and the City of Gatineau). Articles address many issues relevant to public transit in the city, including the following:

• What might the City of Ottawa have to do to integrate high-speed commuter rail into our public transit infrastructure? Kevin Stolarick, Ian Swain, and Patrick Adler of the University of Toronto's Martin Prosperity Institute look at some benefits and success factors.
• Why did the City of Ottawa cancel the North-South Light-Rail extension project, and was it the right choice for the city's future? Peter Raaymakers of Public Transit in Ottawa looks back on the plan and its cancellation.
• How might the City of Ottawa encourage transit-oriented development and increase the purse for public transit at the same time? James Tompkins looks at the prospects of developing air rights above transit stations in the city.
• What kind of lessons can the City of Ottawa learn from similarly-sized cities, such as Edmonton and Waterloo, while embarking on its multi-billion dollar transit expansion? Scott Hindle looks at what might be gathered.
• The cities of Ottawa and Gatineau share significant infrastructural resources, so how can the two municipalities integrate their transit systems for the benefit of citizens, commuters, and their respective budgets' bottom lines? Jevone Nicholas looks at some of the realities, and some of the possibilities.
• How does OC Transpo, and other transit utilities, treat different riders differently? Chris Bradshaw looks at the dichotomy between "captive" and "choice" transit riders.
• The City of Ottawa launched a successful Bixi bicycle-rental pilot project this past summer. Travis Boisvenue and Emilie Sartoretto look at how the City of Ottawa can complement the public transit system by better incorporating cycling into the equation.
• How far should the City of Ottawa go in looking to serve commuters with the transit system? Harry Valentine looks at how the city can build a link between Ottawa and outlying communities as far away as Cornwall.
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JPTO will be available free for electronic download at TransitOttawa.ca, or a printed copy can be purchased with a cheque or money order payable to Public Transit in Ottawa for $5.00 (Canadian funds, shipping and handling included for orders within Canada). For more information or with media inquiries, please contact Peter Raaymakers, Executive Director of Public Transit in Ottawa and Managing Editor of the Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa at peter@transitottawa.ca.

Contact information:

Peter Raaymakers

Managing Editor, Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa

Executive Director, Public Transit in Ottawa

(613) 866-6490

peter@transitottawa.ca

Nick Taylor-Vaisey
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa
Senior Writer, Public Transit in Ottawa
(613) 422-4982
nick@transitottawa.ca

TransitOttawa on CBC Radio's All In A Day today

Executive Director of Public Transit in Ottawa Peter Raaymakers will be on CBC Radio One Ottawa's All In A Day program on Monday, August 10, 2009 at around 3:40 p.m. Discussion will focus on the recently-announced Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa, a community-reviewed journal about the City of Ottawa's public transit infrastructure.

All In A Day is, according to CBC, Ottawa's top afternoon drive program. Hosted by Adrian Harewood, it runs from 3 to 6 p.m. every weekday on CBC Radio One Ottawa, 91.5 on the FM dial.

Call for submissions: Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa

The Public Transit in Ottawa Portal (PTOP) is pleased to invite submissions for its community-reviewed publication, the Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa (JPTO), whose first issue is scheduled to be published later in 2009. Authors of original applied original research interested in submitting articles to be considered for publication in JPTO should contact Peter Raaymakers, Executive Director of Public Transit in Ottawa, at peter@transitottawa.ca for more detailed information.


JPTO is intended to address topics of relevance to public transit in and around the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and the National Capital Region (including related municipalities and the City of Gatineau). Articles should be written in a scholarly tone for an audience looking to gather more information on public transit issues in Ottawa in order to encourage deliberation for the betterment of the city's public transit discourse. The JPTO will be available for download through PTOP's website, TransitOttawa.ca, and may also have a printed distribution should resources be available.

Submission requirements:

• Deadline to declare interest in submitting an article (including brief abstract) will be Monday, August 17, 2009. Declaration of interest must be e-mailed to peter@transitottawa.ca and CCed to nick@transitottawa.ca.
• Articles must be in Microsoft Word (.DOC) or Adobe Portable Document (.PDF) format.
• There are three types of articles: Short-form articles (400-500 words), medium-length articles (800-1200 words), and long-form articles (1500-2000 words). Please be clear on which style you envision your article.
• Co-authored manuscripts and/or those drawing on cross-disciplinary perspectives and research traditions are welcomed and encouraged.
• Articles may be written in English or French.
• PTOP will reserve the right to edit articles submitted to JPTO for grammar, style, tone, and length, and to print them in electronic or physical format without paying royalties to original author(s), who shall retain copyright over their own articles.

Manuscripts will be accepted for consideration with the understanding that they are original material and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Manuscripts will initially be reviewed by JPTO's editorial staff and, if situations should require, may be sent out for further review. If you would like to be considered as a reviewer for JPTO, please contact peter@transitottawa.ca.

The PTOP is a not-for-profit organization seeking to inform, engage, and involve the citizens of Ottawa in the decision-making process surrounding public transit and its related issues. For more information about PTOP, JPTO, or questions about offering financial support for the publication, please contact Peter Raaymakers, Executive Director of Public Transit in Ottawa and Managing Editor of the Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa, at peter@transitottawa.ca.