Ottawa airport receives funding for LRT station
Ottawa’s Macdonald-Cartier International Airport will soon be connected to the city’s light rail grid, thanks in part to an investment from the federal government.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna and Ottawa South MP David McGuinty announced on June 16 that the federal government would provide funding of $6.4 million to the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority for the construction of a light rail transit (LRT) station at the airport.
“The integration of the Ottawa airport with the LRT will help get cars off the road, reduce emissions and build a better transit system for Ottawa residents and visitors alike,” said McKenna. “Recognizing challenges for the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport caused by COVID 19, and the importance for this project to go ahead as planned to create jobs and grow the economy, the Government of Canada providing additional funding of up to $6.4 million for the construction of the LRT station at the airport.”
The station will be a three-story elevated structure connecting the airport terminal at the north end of Level 3 to the LRT station platform. The station will provide fully accessible connectivity for all users of the LRT who travel to and from the Ottawa Airport. Construction of the station is underway and is expected to be completed in summer 2022.
The total cost for the airport LRT station is estimated at $16.9 million. The Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority is the project manager and will provide the remaining funding for the project.
“Today’s announcement and the confirmation of funding for the Airport Terminal Station is welcome news,” said airport authority president and CEO Mark Laroche. “It will help us fulfill our commitment to build the station and ensure that YOW’s passengers, airport employees and surrounding communities are well served by reliable, predictable light rail service well into the future.”
Although news of the funding was welcomed by the airport authority, the entity now faces the difficult challenge of funding the entire project. To date, the province has not announced any support for the project, while the airport remains desperately low on income.
Passenger volumes dropped 75 percent in 2020, with all but essential air traffic through the airport grounded. Where the airport normally accommodates 110 flights, volume has been cut back to just a little more than 20.
As a result, income from passenger improvement fees, terminal and landing fees, concession revenues and parking fees has been almost non-existent. The airport reported a net loss of more than $51 million last year, and expects even more in 2021.
That shortfall makes the idea of funding even essential construction work—like repaving the terminal’s apron—challenging. Complicating matters further is the fact that the City of Ottawa has set a deadline of spring 2022 for completion of the airport station.
In addition to the funding for the LRT station, which was provided under Transport Canada’s Airport Critical Infrastructure Program, the Government of Canada is also providing the Airport Authority with nearly $5.7 million in relief money to help the airport maintain continued airport operations and essential air services.
The Airport Relief Fund, which was launched in May, will provide $64.8 million in funding in 2021–22 for those airports whose 2019 revenues were less than $250 million. The amount of funding to each targeted eligible Airport Relief Fund recipient was calculated using a tiered formula-based approach, based on 2019 revenues.
Money provided from the fund must be used to cover activities that are directly related to the airport’s operations to ensure that the airport remains open to travellers and surrounding communities.
The Airport Critical Infrastructure Program, meanwhile, will distribute $489.6 million in funding over five years to airports for eligible infrastructure projects related to safety, security or connectivity to mass transit systems.
Featured image: Construction is underway at the airport LRT station. (Transport Canada)