The photo above and the five following show Ottawa’s LRT Bayview Station under construction. It will be a transit hub linking the new Confederation Line to the existing Trillium Line. Street level here is in fact a raised bridge, as is the platform level for the Confederation Line. The station also connects to two major bike routes, is near city parks, and there are signs that show planning for large scale urban development nearby. The four photo’s furthest below are of the next station to the west on the Confederation Line, at Tunney’s Pasture. The new stations shown here, and under construction at a number of other locations in the city, are dynamic asymmetrical buildings, reflecting a popular variation in contemporary architecture – in this case a sort of small scale Blade Runneresque.
Photos can be viewed at a larger scale by clicking or double clicking on them.
The following photos show progress on the Tunney’s Pasture Station. Here the LRT line and platform are below street level in what is essentially an open trench. The trench was excavated as part of Ottawa’s last major public transportation effort that dates from the 1980’s and 90’s. At that time a number of transit dedicated bus routes were developed, in many cases using existing right-of-ways. The new LRT Confederation line overlays some portions of the dedicated routes. Similar to subway or LRTs, the bus system included connecting transfer stations. At these, shelters and bridges were designed using an aesthetic of poured-in-place concrete with red painted metal trim as accent elements. While the older stations have some subtle architectural sophistication, many today would only see them as now tired late brutalism. The new LRT stations are in sharp contrast to these.
