When the Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel is finally built, each of the four subterranean stations will be accessible from at least two street level entrances and residents will take three escalators to reach the street from the platform and vice-versa.
A more refined functional design for the first section of the city’s transit plan was revealed last night, laying out precisely where the access points to each station would be built, the technology choice for the system and the strategy for moving commuters.
Access points for the Downtown Western station will be at the new central branch of the Ottawa public library, on Albert Street between Bay and Lyon and further east at the site of a current Transitway stop on Albert Street near the Place de Ville Complex.
The Downtown East station will be accessible at two entrances on the north and south sides of the Sun Life Building where Albert and Queen streets intersect with O’Connor.
The third station would pass below the Government Conference Centre and connect to the Rideau Centre. There would be an entrance on the west side of the canal, another at the conference centre and at the north entrance to the Rideau Centre.
The fourth underground station would serve the University of Ottawa, near the current Campus Station, but on the west side of Nicholas Street.
