Freinds of the O-Train and their very good idea.

The group Friends of the O-Train has come up with an O-Train proposal that actually makes sense. First off, financially it makes sense. The price tag is at about 450 million which is half the cost of the current plan. The current plan will cripple the city financially and leave us paying for the 30 million the O-Train is projected lose ever year. Furthermore the current plan means that the initial investment made for the Greenborough to Bayview line will be for naught. While the city paid 24 million for the trains and track, they will be ripped out and the city will receive only 7 million for the trains. Also the train, under the FOTO-T model will not be shut down which is a great bonus for Carletonites like myself.

However it isn't the money and time saving initiatives that are the real genius behind the plan. The idea of running electric rail across Ottawa is what makes the most sense. By running it to Hurdman, buses can be eliminated from the downtown. Having a train and buses downtown (the current idea) just doesn't make sense. All it serves to achieve is to clog up Albert and Slater without solving any of the existing problems. The idea of a tunnel also becomes unnecessary as without buses the congestion problem that an (expensive) tunnel was designed to solve is negated.

The major complaints against the model is that people will have to transfer from a park and ride at Armstrong Road then transfer to another train to get to work. That being said, most O-train users already transfer once anyway so if the trains run on-time and frequently enough then its not a substantial barrier. Also most people would transfer from an express bus to a train at Bayview much like every current O-Train rider does. Having Park and Rides in the suburbs makes sense and saves money.

Finally we have a good plan...now will anyone listen?