OREANDA-NEWS. Alstom has been selected by Rideau Transit Maintenance General Partnership (RTM) to maintain the city of Ottawa’s light rail transit system, called the O-Train Confederation Line. The contract - which is worth approximately €125 million (CAD$180 million) - follows a contract signed in 2013 to supply 34 Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles to the city of Ottawa.

Alstom will maintain the entire line, which involves the maintenance of the tracks, the operating control system, the power substation, as well as the signalling and communications systems, for a period of 30 years.  The line - which will be 12.5 km long and include 13 stations - is expected to begin full revenue service in 2018. Alstom is currently assembling the Citadis Spirit vehicles at the Belfast Yard facility in Ottawa, the site of the operator OC Transpo.

“We are pleased to award Alstom this expanded scope in maintaining the Confederation Line system. This contract places many of the critical system interfaces under the responsibility of a single service provider and will result in streamlined maintenance processes and improved system reliability. Alstom is a world class supplier with a proven track record in maintaining urban rail transport systems around the globe and we are excited to work with them in providing green and efficient public transport in the nation’s capital,” said Grant Bailey, General Manager of Rideau Transit Maintenance. 

“Ottawa is investing in green and efficient public transportation. As part of this effort, we are making sure that our modern trains continue to give 100 % performance over their lifetime, representing an attractive means of transportation for our residents and visitors,” said Mayor Jim Watson.

“Alstom is very committed to Ottawa’s light rail system, and we are pleased that RTM has chosen Alstom to maintain the O-Train Confederation Line,” said Angelo Guercioni, Alstom’s Managing Director for Canada. “Not only will the City of Ottawa benefit from Alstom’s worldwide experience in delivering light rail vehicles and maintaining light rail infrastructure systems, this maintenance contract also will create new highly-skilled manufacturing and engineering jobs.”

The Ottawa project marks the entry of Alstom’s Citadis Spirit into the North American market. Designed for high capacity, Citadis Spirit will be able to operate in extreme cold weather and circulate at speeds of up to 100 km/hour, reducing travel time between suburban areas and the city centre. Once all Citadis Spirit vehicles have been delivered, the assembly area at Belfast Yard will be converted into a maintenance centre, where Alstom will maintain the vehicles for a period of 30 years.

Alstom helps operators transport passengers at the highest levels of service, availability, reliability, and profitability. Alstom has 25 years’ experience maintaining urban rail vehicles and systems, with more than 8,000 cars currently maintained, including light rail vehicle systems in Ireland (Dublin), Spain (Barcelona), France (Reims), Morocco (Casablanca), Algeria (Oran and Constantine), United Arab Emirates (Dubai), and Australia (Sydney).