Gatineau at a glance • 284,557 inhabitants (4th largest city in Quebec) • Growing population: + 23% since the 2002 merger (53,200 more people) • Part of the Gatineau-Ottawa metropolitan area (1.2 million inhabitants – 5th largest in Canada) • Close to 60,000 vehicles during peak periods between the two cities • Growing need in terms of moving people • Growing need for public transit (constantly growing ridership since 2014) • Saturation of the road network and few opportunities to increase road capacity • 45,000 Gatineau residents (37.8%) working in Ottawa 2 Bird’s-eye view of Gatineau 3 Bird’s-eye view of Gatineau’s west end, the project focus 4 A rail project for a modern network • 26 km rail system project linking Gatineau’s west end with downtown Gatineau and Ottawa • Links on two bridges for optimal connection to the light train and downtown Ottawa • A high frequency, reliable and comfortable system • 100% electric and environmentally friendly 5 Purpose of the project • Meet the demand for mobility for residents in Gatineau’s west end • Provide a reliable, efficient and ecological link between Gatineau’s west end and the major employment and entertainment poles in downtown Gatineau and Ottawa • Structure urban development and densification in Gatineau’s west end around a high frequency public rail transportation system • Support Gatineau’s economic development by promoting sustainable mobility for employees in current and future businesses and for the tourism sector • Contribute to the government’s greenhouse gas and sustainable mobility goals 6 Growing demand for mobility • Between 2001 and 2011, 49% increase in Gatineau’s west end population (+ 24,000 persons) • In the next 15 years, an additional 22% population increase and a 50% increase in the demand for mobility • Current system: more than 23,000 vehicles daily, not enough to meet demand, raising issues of reliability • Even by strengthening the current network, impossible to meet the expected demand and increase public transit ridership sufficiently to enable Gatineau to meet its sustainable mobility goals • Saturation of the current road system with the increasing population • Close to 60% of users in the west end are going to downtown Gatineau or Ottawa 7 Current population distribution 8 Future distribution population Future 9 Employment and activity poles 10 Current demand for mobility 11 Future demand for mobility 12 An ongoing process for the past 25 years 1992: presentation of the integrated transportation plan, including the first fluidity and movement studies for Gatineau’s west end 2011: start of the study on needs and solutions for a structuring public transit system in Gatineau’s west end 2012: unveiling of the findings of the interprovincial public transit strategy 2017: signing of the first official agreement on public transit links and planning between Gatineau and Ottawa 2018: unveiling of the findings of the study on needs and solutions, and Municipal Council’s position in favour of a rail solution for public transit for the west end 13 Ongoing service adjustments to respond to needs 2007: redesign of the public transit service for Gatineau’s west end to meet the growing demand 2013: implementation of the Rapibus (rapid bus system serving Gatineau’s east end with a link to the west) 2014-2015: ongoing adjustments to the Rapibus system to meet demand 2016: second redesign of the public transit system in Gatineau’s west end to upgrade services and meet growing demand 2017-2018: further additions to the service for Gatineau’s west end to keep up with the growing demand 2018: announcement of the Rapibus extension to boulevard Lorrain, and start on construction of the Lorrain station 14 Gatineau-Ottawa metropolitan features • Agglomeration of 1.2 million people (5th in Canada) • Close to 40% of Gatineau’s labour force commutes to Ottawa every day (more than 45,000 persons) • Implementation of the light rail to Ottawa in 2018 and wish to reduce the number of buses to downtown Ottawa • A rail system will help to better integrate the networks, which is the shared goal of the two cities • Saturation due to auto-congestion of a rapid bus system crossing to Ottawa within 10 to 15 years 15 Public consultations: a consensus project • Broad consensus about the need to invest in a structuring system for the longer term • 47% of residents favour a rail system (compared to 39% for a rapid bus system) • A rail system is more popular among people who do not use public transit (58% of users prefer that mode), indicating a strong preference for that technology • Important support for linking Gatineau’s public transit system with Ottawa’s • Residents want a system that is high frequency, reliable and ecological 16 Map of the proposed route for a rail system 17 17 17 26 km of rails Two axes: Map of the • chemin Vanier, boulevard du Plateau, boulevard Saint-Raymond in the north • chemin Eardley, rue Principale, chemin d’Aylmer, boulevard Alexandré-Taché, rue proposed Laurier in the south Two bridges to create loop with Ottawa’s O-Train: route for a rail • in the west via the Prince of Wales Bridge, connecting at the Bayview station • in the east via the Alexandra Bridge for a link between the two downtowns and system within walking distance of the Rideau station 260 passengers per vehicle High frequency: • 5 minutes at peak (2.5 minutes between boulevard Saint-Raymond and Prince of Wales Bridge) • 15 minutes nights and weekends Dedicated site, except where there is no right-of-way High-priority including some intersections with no level crossing Reliable and 100% electric 60% reduction in buses to downtown Ottawa 18 18 Map showing the distance from residences • 42.6% of current residences West of the Gatineau Park are within a 700 m walk from a station • Serving the Aylmer, Plateau, Manoir-des-Trembles, Val-Tétreault and downtown Gatineau commercial cores 19 19 Rail System Profile 20 20 20 Preliminary cost estimate • $80 million per km, including rolling stock and related investments (maintenance centre and other technical elements) • Total: $2.1 billion 21 Preliminary timeline June 2018: public presentation of the preliminary project and request for financial commitments 2018-2020: complementary study Mars 2020: submission of the final concept 2020-2028: environmental studies, plans and specifications, construction and operationalization 22 .