Early LRT start for Ottawa Race Weekend marathon ‘impossible’

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Organizers of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend spent months pleading with OC Transpo to start LRT service early on marathon Sunday, but were told it would be impossible.

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Thousands of runners and spectators headed downtown on Sunday for the 7 a.m. start of the marathon, but the first train on the Confederation Line didn’t run until 8 a.m., the regular Sunday start time. Train service begins at 5 a.m. on weekdays and at 6 a.m. on Saturdays.

“We had multiple conversations with OC Transpo about this,” race director Ian Fraser said. “Their response was, ‘Yeah, we’d love to make this happen for you.’

“They said, ‘What time would you like it to start?’ I said, ‘Ideally 5 or 5:30 would be great, just to help people get down for their 7 o’clock start.’ They said, ‘Great. We’ll get back to you on the cost and if we can do it.’”

Eventually, after about three conversations, the answer came back: No.

“They said it just wasn’t possible. They’d have to adjust the maintenance schedule that’s already in place and they can’t make that happen,” Fraser said.

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Fraser said the lack of early service was a missed opportunity to showcase the LRT to visitors and represented a setback to Race Weekend’s commitment to the environment.

“As an organization we take a lot of pride in our environmental stewardship,” Fraser said, adding that Race Weekend used no single use plastics, recycled diligently and had signed on to the United Nations Framework for Sustainable Event Management.

“Even if all the other things are perfect, 95 per cent of our environmental footprint comes from people travelling to our race, whether it’s by airplane, by bus, by car. So the transportation piece is hugely important from an environmental standpoint,” he said.

Fraser said organizers received emails and comments from participants about the lack of LRT service, but said to his knowledge no one was late or missed their start because of it.

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In an emailed response to questions, OC Transpo’s director of transit customer systems and planning, Pat Scrimgeour, said the city’s existing night service buses were adequate for marathon morning.

“While a request was received to begin rail service earlier, it was determined that existing night service routes could support early morning ridership demands without impacting necessary maintenance activities during Sunday’s engineering hours. Additional buses were on standby to supplement service, if required, however, there were no reports of overcrowding prior to the start of Sunday’s events,” Scrimgeour said.

Typically, OC Transpo has about 12,700 customer trips a day on spring Sundays, he said.

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Saturday ridership in the spring is typically about 37,000 customer trips, while weekday ridership averages 67,100.

“The O-Train Line 1 schedule is calibrated to maximize service for customers while ensuring there is enough time when the system is offline, known as engineering hours, to perform essential maintenance and testing. On Sundays, engineering hours typically take place between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., with critical routine maintenance activities planned well in advance.”

“As with all major events, OC Transpo will review feedback from customers and event organizers to help continuously improve how we support Ottawa Race Weekend and other large-scale events in the future,” Scrimgeour wrote.

Critics took to Twitter to vent their frustration. While many complained about the lack of LRT service on marathon Sunday, others complained more generally about the late start and how it affected those working on Sundays.

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“Contrary to popular belief, some people actually have work, appointments and places to be on Sundays. Why does this city feel like it’s punishing people for not driving,” one Twitter user wrote.

“It really seems like Ottawa modelled the LRT and our public transit around the 9 to 5 govt crowd, and no one else,” another wrote.

In an emailed response, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who ran in Sunday’s marathon, reiterated that OC Transpo needed that overnight Sunday downtime to do crucial maintenance.

“Since 2019, the LRT has consistently commenced with an 8 a.m. Sunday start time. That’s been the norm from the beginning, so riders are familiar with this start time,” Sutcliffe said. “There are essential testing and maintenance tasks performed during 2 a.m.-8 a.m. on Sunday mornings. These tasks are integral to the reliability of the LRT infrastructure. This dedicated window is required to carry out this work.

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“I am not going to comment on what race organizers may or may not have said; however, I am aware that OC Transpo was in constant contact with event organizers and provided bus service for residents needing to get to the race before 8 a.m.”

Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard, a member of the city’s transit commission, was also critical of OC Transpo’s decision.

“The issues that have plagued and continue to hurt ridership on the LRT relate directly to trust, transparency and convenience,” Menard wrote in a response to questions, referencing last year’s provincial inquiry into the Confederation Line.

“After a scathing report from Justice (William) Hourigan on this public-private partnership, it is clear the city must take steps to deliver flexible and responsive service that residents have paid for and deserve,” Menard wrote. “The race weekend was an opportunity to show both in-town and out-of-town visitors that flexible and responsive service. I’m disappointed by the co-ordination here.”