Crafting Ottawa’s new O-Train stations: Building tomorrow

Efficient, accessible, and customer-focused, the O-Train Extension will connect Ottawa like never before, bringing together the city's east, west, and south regions. This exciting project entails constructing 16 brand new stations for the O-Train East-West extension and upgrading 13 stations for the O-Train South extension, all strategically placed to serve diverse communities and ensure easy pedestrian access. 

Let's take a closer look at the step-by-step process behind building these modern stations: 

1. Concrete Stage: Strong Foundations and Welcoming Spaces The first phase involves laying the groundwork for the stations. Expertly poured concrete creates solid foundations, including main concourses and station walls. This crucial step, led by a collaborative team of designers, engineers, and skilled craft workers, ensures that the station structures are sturdy and built to last. 
2. Structural Phase: Precision Engineering and Perfect Fits During this stage, every piece of steel used in construction is meticulously 3D modelled, ensuring precise measurements and a perfect fit at the construction site. This meticulous approach guarantees that each station is built with the utmost precision and efficiency. 
3. Adding the Essentials: Safety and Performance As the stations take shape, the focus shifts to equipping them with essential features for safety and performance. Exterior walls are installed, and mechanical and electrical rough-ins are set up. Each station has four main rooms dedicated to mechanical, electrical, communication, and signal control systems. The dedicated teams work diligently to ensure everything is in place for the seamless operation of the train system at its peak performance. 
4. The Finishing Touch: Inviting Spaces and Modern Amenities With the structural elements in place, it's time to add the finishing touches that will make each station warm and inviting for transit users. Interior walls are closed up, fixtures are carefully installed, and exterior finishes, apart from architectural concrete, give each station its unique appearance. This phase also includes the implementation of communication features, like public address systems and television screens, which will provide essential information to passengers. 

A collaborative effort involving up to 50 skilled craft workers daily, including electricians, plumbers, and ironworkers, brings life to these transportation hubs. Throughout the construction process, safety remains a top priority, with the city and its contractors taking additional precautionary measures to protect workers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Once the construction is complete, the O-Train Extension stations will transform into bustling transportation hubs, seamlessly connecting different regions of Ottawa with modern rail transit. 

Visit the O-Train Extension Construction news page to follow the latest about active O-Train Extension work in your community and learn more about upcoming work on the O‑Train Extension Project.