CANADA: The Rideau Transit Maintenance partnership of SNC Lavalin O&M, ACS and EllisDon has awarded a C$180m contract to Alstom to maintain Ottawa’s O-Train Confederation Line light rail infrastructure over 30 years, the company announced on September 1.
The 12·5 km line serving 13 stations is currently under construction and expected to open for revenue service in 2018. Alstom will be responsible for maintaining all of trackwork, control systems, and the power supply substation, as well as signalling and communications.
Alstom is currently delivering 34 Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles for the Confederation Line, under a contract awarded in 2013 by the Rideau Transit Group. The 100 km/h vehicles are being assembled in Ottawa at operator OC Transpo’s Belfast Yard, in a facility which will be converted to form the future maintenance depot.
Alstom’s C$575m rolling stock contract already includes maintenance of the rolling stock fleet for 30 years, and Rideau Transit Maintenance believes that expanding the scope to include the infrastructure offers many synergies. ‘This contract places many of the critical system interfaces under the responsibility of a single service provider and will result in streamlined maintenance processes and improved system reliability’, explained RTM General Manager Grant Bailey. ‘Alstom is a world class supplier with a proven track record in maintaining urban rail transport systems around the globe and we are excited to work with them in providing green and efficient public transport in the nation’s capital’.
Alstom’s Managing Director for Canada Angelo Guercioni, said the company expected to ‘create new highly-skilled manufacturing and engineering jobs’ in Ottawa to support the two maintenance contracts.
