OC Transpo riders will have access to more LRT trains and fewer shuttle buses on Monday than in recent weeks, Ottawa’s transit general manager says.
Renée Amilcar said in a memo Friday that the number of single-car trains on the Confederation Line will increase from 13 to 17.
Some of those will operate as double-car trains throughout the day, Amilcar said, calling it a proactive move for peak periods with trains running about every four minutes during those times.
OC Transpo had, as of earlier this week, 33 light rail vehicles available for service — enough, in theory, to run 15 double-car trains with three cars in reserve. Roughly half that contingent will be available Monday.
It made the switch to slower single-car trains last month after a multi-week shutdown and train and track work to keep maintenance costs down while meeting lower ridership demand.
“OC Transpo anticipates that this service frequency will provide sufficient capacity for customers,” she wrote in the memo.
“The operations team will continue to closely monitor and adjust service as needed.”
Additional single-car trains will make a ‘huge difference’ for crowding, Amilcar says
Renée Amilcar, Ottawa’s general manager of transit services said the additional trains OC Transpo is adding to the city’s Confederation Line Monday should help relieve crowding at LRT stations and aboard trains.
The service had said it was confident it could handle post-Labour Day crowds — when English schools returned to join French counterparts, post-secondary school got back underway and many summer vacations ended — with just 13 single-car trains.
Amilcar told Radio-Canada’s Les matins d’ici earlier on Friday that OC Transpo has been watching how the last few days have worked out and would have service improvements to announce based on what the agency has seen.
Western shuttle buses ending
Amilcar also said the peak period shuttle buses running to and from Tunney’s Pasture station will also end after Friday afternoon’s trips.
Express buses directly between Blair station and three downtown stops in the morning and afternoon peaks (from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.) began during this summer’s closure.
They were pitched as an alternative to R1 replacement buses stopping at or near most light rail stations.
Amilcar said the eastern buses to and from Blair are averaging about 50 riders a trip, but the Tunney’s Pasture express bus service only averages five to 10 riders.
OC Transpo is forecast to end 2023 with $51.3 million less in revenue than was budgeted, mostly because of lost fares from lower ridership.
TORONTO – Cineplex Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year ago as it was hit by a fine for deceptive marketing practices imposed by the Competition Tribunal.
The movie theatre company says it lost $24.7 million or 39 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $29.7 million or 40 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
The results in the most recent quarter included a $39.2-million provision related to the Competition Tribunal decision, which Cineplex is appealing.
The Competition Bureau accused the company of misleading theatregoers by not immediately presenting them with the full price of a movie ticket when they purchased seats online, a view the company has rejected.
Revenue for the quarter totalled $395.6 million, down from $414.5 million in the same quarter last year, while theatre attendance totalled 13.3 million for the quarter compared with nearly 15.7 million a year earlier.
Box office revenue per patron in the quarter climbed to $13.19 compared with $12 in the same quarter last year, while concession revenue per patron amounted to $9.85, up from $8.44 a year ago.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
