Ottawa stops EA study on possible multi-use pathway through VIA Rail station property

Tremblay Station glass partitioning is cmplete. (City of Ottawa)

The City of Ottawa is hitting the brakes on studying a new multi-use pathway connecting the Tremblay Station to Trainyards through the VIA Rail station, while VIA Rail still determines its future plans for the station in Ottawa's east end.

The city launched an environmental assessment study for the Tremblay Station Multi-Use Pathway at the station on Tremblay Road, with a goal of connecting the new LRT station with the Trainyards retail area and future mixed-use development on Industrial Avenue and Terminal Avenue.  The proposed pathway would cross through the VIA Rail station property.

However, staff say it's pausing the EA study because VIA Rail's future redevelopment plans for the site are unknown.

"While VIA Rail has indicated a willingness to integrate its development with the City’s mobility plans, it has not yet commenced its planning work and is unable to provide a timeline for when this will occur," Jennifer Armstrong, acting director of Transportation Planning, Planning, Development and Building Services Department, said in a memo to the Transportation Committee.

"In the absence of a redevelopment plan, VIA Rail would like to preserve all options, thereby ensuring no negative impact on its property."

Armstrong says that as part of the environmental assessment, "extensive consultation" was undertaken with VIA Rail on possible routes for the path through the station property.

"One of the main concerns expressed was the need to protect VIA Rail’s property for future redevelopment, which includes the federal government’s High Frequency Rail (HFR) project."

The City of Ottawa has said an active transportation crossing is needed between the Tremblay Station/VIA Rail station and the Trainyards area to integrate transit into the community and serve the planned intensification in the area.

Currently, pedestrians and cyclists can only travel between Tremblay Station/VIA Rail and Trainyards by travelling to either Riverside Drive or Belfast Road to cross the tracks.

Staff say three options for a multi-use pathway were identified to cross the VIA Rail tracks, including an option that avoids all impacts to VIA Rail property, but staff said the routing "results in a circuitous path that is inconvenient for pedestrians/cyclists and would likely not be well used if constructed."

"Through further discussions, VIA Rail expressed an openness to incorporating a direct connection to Tremblay Station into its redevelopment plans," Armstrong said. "This provides a better solution and offers a shorter, more convenient route for pedestrians and cyclists while maximizing the integration between the VIA Rail site and Tremblay Station."

However, Armstrong says an "integrated solution can only be developed" once the planning phase for the VIA Rail station redevelopment is initiated.

"As a result, the EA study will be paused and the consultant assignment will be closed out until VIA Rail’s plans for the site are known," Armstrong said, adding the EA study analysis will be filed for future use.

Riverside Drive Pathway

Staff say there is a "low-cost solution" to improve active transportation connectivity between the VIA Rail station and Tremblay Avenue, "that can be implemented without the involvement of VIA Rail."

Under the proposed plan to be included in the Transportation Master Plan, the city would extend the existing multi-use pathway along Tremblay Road down the slope to Riverside Drive, and repurpose the sidewalk along Riverside Drive to a pathway and widen it to a minimum of three metres.

"Beyond the bridge overpass, the MUP rises along a sloped and grassed area parallel to Riverside Drive, terminating at the intersection of Terminal Avenue and Sandford Fleming Avenue where it connects with the sidewalks along Terminal Avenue," Armstrong said, adding it would require Canada Post to provide 0.1 hectares of property.

The estimated cost is $3 million.