Alstom inks contract to maintain Ottawa light-rail line

Alstom has been awarded a contract to maintain Ottawa's O-Train Confederation Line, the company announced today.

Under the $139 million contract, Alstom will maintain the tracks, operating system, power substation, and signaling and communications system along the entire line for 30 years.

Expected to begin revenue service in 2018, the 7.7-mile Confederation Line has 13 stations.

"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," said Grant Bailey, general manager of Rideau Transit Maintenance, the consortium that awarded Alstom the contract.

In 2013, Alstom signed a contract to supply 34 of its Citadis Spirit light-rail vehicles for the route. The company is assembling those units at the Belfast Yard facility in Ottawa.