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LRT Confederation Line 1 & Belfast Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF)
Initial development of Confederation Line 1 and construction of Stages 1 and 2 of the Belfast Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) spanned from 2013–2019, causing significant disruption to the residents of Eastway Gardens.
> Construction of Confederation Line 1 began in 2013 on a $2.13-billion, 12.5 km line with 13 stations, transforming a major bus transitway into electric rail. Development of Line 1 was accompanied by construction in two phases of the Belfast Yard—an immense Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) located on Belfast Road where train cars would be built and serviced.
- 2013 - Construction begins on LRT Confederation Line 1, which included a tunnel from the rail line to a future Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) on Belfast Road.
- 2013 (July) - Demolition begins on the site of the Belfast Road MSF (between 645 and 767 Belfast Rd.).
- 2013 (November) - demolition of Belfast MFS site completed
- 2013/2014 - Construction of Stage 1 MSF begins
- 2115 (summer) - Construction of Stage 1 MSF completed
- 2016 to 2017 - Belfast Stage 1 MSF used to assemble Confederation Line's light rail vehicles
- 2017- Phase 2 - With the advanced purchase of 38 additional train cars, Belfast Yard is expanded ahead of schedule.
Construction of Confederation Line 1 and Stage 1 Belfast Yard MSF
Original Stage 1 Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) located on Belfast Road.
Above—Work on Confederation Line 1 started in 2013, accompanied by construction in two stages of the Belfast Road Yard—a massive Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) needed to assemble and service the initial fleet of Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles (LRVs). Situated on Belfast Road, parallel to the Via Rail right-of-way and across from the backyards of residential properties on Avenues O and P, the Belfast MSF (Stage 1) project included construction of a tunnel from the Confederation light rail line to the facility.
To make way for the new MSF, commercial properties between 645 and 767 Belfast Rd., such as a flower shop and furniture store, were given expropriation notices. Site demolition, including removal of a tract of forested land, began in July 2013.
When completed in 2016, the first stage of the MSF had the capacity to assemble and service the initial fleet of Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles (LRVs).
During all of this, residents felt they were receiving little communication about construction plans and how their neighbourhood would be affected. Traffic tie-ups, noise, dust, and vibrations were major concerns.
But that wasn’t the end of it! With little notice, residents were advised in 2017 by way of a letter in their mailboxes that the City had purchased additional Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles necessitating immediate expansion of the Belfast MSF—causing yet more disruption.
Read a notice from the City to residents about the building demolition and construction commencement on the site of the Confederation Line's Maintenance and Storage Facility
Accelerated Stage 2 Expansion of Belfast MSF catches residents off guard
Schematic of Stage 2 expansion of the Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) located on Belfast Road.
(Belfast Yard Expansion Presentation, March 30, 2017)
Above—The City's advanced purchase of 38 additional Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles (LRVs) —reportedly required for the Confederation Line’s eastward and westward extensions—resulted in the need to expand the Belfast Yard far ahead of schedule. A site was needed to assemble the new cars, so Eastway Gardens residents were notified on March 30, 2017, that Belfast Yard Stage 2 expansion would soon begin.
This news caught residents of Avenues O and P off guard, intensifying feelings of being left out of the communication loop. Moreover, it was soon discovered that Stage 2 expansion was tricky because it took place while Stage 1 was still under construction. This resulted in the need for creative workarounds between Stage 1 and Stage 2 contractors, involving immediate berm removal in the spring of 2017 as well as design and construction of a bleak, grey 7-metre noise wall in the summer of 2017.
This news caught residents of Avenues O and P off guard, intensifying feelings of being left out of the communication loop. Moreover, it was soon discovered that Stage 2 expansion was tricky because it took place while Stage 1 was still under construction. This resulted in the need for creative workarounds between Stage 1 and Stage 2 contractors, involving immediate berm removal in the spring of 2017 as well as design and construction of a bleak, grey 7-metre noise wall in the summer of 2017.
Earthen berm torn down with little notice - noise wall erected
BELOW—Millions of dollars were spent—causing significant noise and dust—to construct an earthen berm to buffer adjacent homes from the MSF. However, with the sudden implementation of the Stage 2 expansion, the berm was removed and a wall constructed without much notice in the spring of 2017, creating more noise and dust.
Eastway Gardens residents were caught off guard with the sudden removal in spring, 2017 of the earthen berm that had separated homes on Avenue O and P from the MSF.
BELOW—As the berm was removed, a 7-metre-high "noise wall" was constructed on the south side of the Via Rail right-of-way in the summer of 2017 to mitigate noise emanating form the expanded Belfast MSF. Prior to construction, residents of Avenue O & P were invited to an open house review of the sound attenuation wall options.
A survey presented several possibilities: 1) a "noise wall" on the south side of the Via Rail right-of-way parallel to the Belfast Rd. MSF; or 2) a composite and clear panel noise-blocking wall on the north side of the VIA Rail tracks, replacing the chain-link fence along the rear property line of each home. The majority of submissions preferred a laminate finish wall with stone effect on the south side of the tracks along the MSF property.
A survey presented several possibilities: 1) a "noise wall" on the south side of the Via Rail right-of-way parallel to the Belfast Rd. MSF; or 2) a composite and clear panel noise-blocking wall on the north side of the VIA Rail tracks, replacing the chain-link fence along the rear property line of each home. The majority of submissions preferred a laminate finish wall with stone effect on the south side of the tracks along the MSF property.
To accommodate the accelerated expansion of MSF Stage 2, a bleak, grey 7 metre "noise wall" with a stone look-a-like laminate finish was erected on the south side of the Via Rail tracks in the summer of 2017.
The dust has settled - Map of current and future O-Train lines as of March, 2025
The above map shows the in-service and under construction sections of the O-Train network, as of March 2025
Photo courtesy Wikipedia
Attribution: Ottawatransitguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
“Ottawa LRT construction plans annoy Eastway Gardens residents"
- Communication around noise and traffic concerns lacking, residents say
Tue, April 22, 2014
CBC News
"Homeowners near Ottawa’s main train station say their concerns about noise and traffic with upcoming light rail construction aren’t being listened to.
…In the coming months it will also be experiencing construction of a tunnel from the Confederation light rail line to the Belfast Road maintenance facility.
Molly Jo Beauchamp’s Eastway Gardens backyard backs onto two-storey high piles of rubble from tunnel construction, which she said when complete will take trains to the maintenance facility 24 hours a day…"
“Expansion of LRT maintenance plant upsets Eastway Gardens neighbours"
By Matthew Pearson
Tue, April 22, 2014
CBC News
"Things are going from bad to worse on Avenue P, say some beleaguered residents.
The townhouses along this quiet street in Eastway Gardens back onto railway tracks used by Via passenger trains and a giant earthen berm built by the city’s light-rail contractor, Rideau Transit Group.
Built to shield the neighbourhood from the noise of the LRT’s sprawling maintenance and storage facility, RTG now plans to tear out the berm and replace it with a wall as part of a $100-million expansion, which is coming far sooner than most people expected.…"
Banner Photo Credits:
• Via Rail train - Keira Clarke, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
• OC Transpo Train LRV - By *Youngjin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
• Via Rail train - Keira Clarke, CC BY 4.0
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• OC Transpo Train LRV - By *Youngjin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ../../resources/green.jpg
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