Ottawa’s transit agency is making changes to ease problems with confusion and overcrowding at the two terminus stations on the Confederation Line after the capital’s first week of light-rail transit service.
Transit riders took to social media last week to complain about a logjam of passengers at Blair and Tunney’s Pasture stations during peak travel periods, especially the commute home at the end of the day.
The #OttLRT is nice and all but today going back home during rush hour at Tunney’s Pasture was just a whole other challenge. They clearly did not account all the people going home at once. Waiting for buses and the walking space is unbearable.
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A memo sent Friday from OC Transpo boss John Manconi said the agency will add more signage, provide additional buses and deploy extra service staff at Tunney’s Pasture and Blair stations to help passengers navigate the transit hubs.
Manconi attributed the congestion issues to confusion about bus transfer protocols at both stations. Not all passengers were aware that they did not have to tap or pay to board a bus after exiting the LRT in these paid fare zones.
Other issues with the line throughout the week included two trespassers, a delay related to a customer holding open a set of train doors, odours at Parliament and Rideau stations and an operator forced to do a brake reset on one of the trains.
Apart from that, service ran well with “no major issues,” Manconi wrote.
