CANADA: Technical and environmental studies are to begin this spring for the TramGO project to develop a 24 km tramway connecting western and central Gatineau in Québec with Ottawa in neighbouring Ontario.
The federal and Québec governments have allocated C$163·5m to plan the Québec section of the route, and in December the federal government confirmed C$31·6m over three years for the Ontario section.
In December the Québec side’s local transport agency STO awarded Groupe Porteur a C$114m contract to provide multidisciplinary professional and technical services for its section of the route. Groupe Porteur comprises Systra Canada, Egis and EXP, working with Richez_Associés and Provencher_Roy. It will produce detailed work plans and schedules for public consultation, and provide technical and environmental studies, support procurement and supervise construction and commissioning.
The tramway will have 2 km in Ontario and 22 km in Quebec. The National Capital Commission has approved in principle at-grade running on Ottawa’s Wellington Street, although a tunnel under Sparks Street may also be considered.
The Y-shaped line would cross the River Ottawa on the Portage Bridge, before dividing into a 7·5 km north branch along Boulevard Saint-Raymond, Boulevard du Plateau and Chemin Vanier as far as Vanier itself. Meanwhile, a 10·5 km southern branch would run along Chemin d’Aylmers, Boulevard Wilfrid-Lavigne and boulevard des Allumettières to Eardly. There would be 37 stops including four multimodal hubs.
Opening is planned by 2035, boosting public transport capacity between Gatineau and Ottawa, promoting sustainable mobility throughout the National Capital Region and contributing to economic and social development.
‘We are committed to offering citizens an efficient, sustainable and innovative transport system that is perfectly integrated into the urban environment of the cities of Gatineau and Ottawa’, said Samuel Derosiaux, EVP Transit at Systra Canada, on January 14.
