Commentary
When the transit gravy train comes to town you won’t be on it. But somebody will, so look out.
Here in Ottawa, we gaze in weary resignation at headlines like “City says expansion of western LRT delayed up to one year” as our much-vaunted light rail crashes expensively into yet another bizarre obstacle. Sure, it’s a big project. But it’s not like subways are a new thing, so why didn’t they see it coming?
It’s especially aggravating to read, “The western extension could be the most technically delicate part of the $4.6-billion, three-direction Stage 2 project” because the “O-Train” has already encountered technical delicacies like wheels that were “not perfectly round” and cars tested with the wrong kind of snow. So we could be in a heap of trouble when they get to really fiddly stuff like doors not opening or trains derailing or stations smelling of sewage….