Planning the Shift to a Multimodal Operations Control Center
Michael Morgan
OC Transpo, Director, Rail Operations
Ottawa, Ontario
Part I: Current Operations
Planning the Shift to a Multimodal Operations Control Center
Ottawa, Ontario
Current BRT Transitway Network
• Nerve centre of the City’s Public Transit System;
• Provides 24/7 monitoring of on-street service, including the bus
and O-Train Trillium Line, to optimize effective service delivery;
• 340,000 daily customer trips per day on conventional transit and
approximately 14,500 daily customer trips on the Trillium Line;
• Monitoring of over 500 CCTV cameras throughout transit stations;
• Over 750,000 calls to the TOCC per year (2,300 calls per day);
• Provide a safe, reliable, courteous and seamless service.
Current Operations Centre
Current Operations: GPS Tracking
Current Operations: GPS Tracking
Current Operations: GPS Tracking
Part II: Introduction of the
Confederation Line
Planning the Shift to a Multimodal Operations Control Center
CurrentBus, Para, DMU
2018Bus, Para, DMU, LRT
Confederation Line
Alstom Citadis Spirit
The Train
Part III: Shift to a Multimodal
Operations Control Center
Planning the Shift to a Multimodal Operations Control Center
Multimodal Operations Centre
• Project Objectives:
• Primary operation and control centre for revenue service of OC
Transpo’s multimodal transit network;
• Provide 24/7 monitoring of conventional bus and para transit
service, O-Train Confederation Line and Trillium Line, and Transit
Law Communications;
• Manage the bus and train connections to ensure delivery of
seamless service for our customers; and,
• Align to industry best practices to create an integrated and open
concept control centre including bus and para operations, rail
operations and transit law.
Multimodal Operations Centre
Current Systems Future Systems
Conference Room Emergency Command Centre
Onboard fare control only Onboard fare control + fare gates +
expanded proof of payment zones
GPS bus tracking GPS bus tracking + CBTC train control +
SCADA systems
500 traffic cameras, limited control 2000 cameras, mix of control/access
Current Operation Future Operation
Bus, Transit Law Bus, Transit Law, Para, & Light Rail
Distributed service leadership Centralized service leadership
Segregated & partitioned work
areas
Open concept work areas
Bus transfers / single seat rides Bus transfers / bus to rail transfers
Challenges and Opportunities
• Design & Construction
• Schedule Risk: Renovation of existing control room by OC
Transpo became a critical path schedule item for the LRT
project (new PPP Project Co. consortium risk).
• Service Risk: Renovation of an active bus operations control
centre requires multiple phased cutovers and temporary moves
while we continue to deliver the service.
• Commissioning Risk: Once the renovation is complete, we
will be commissioning a new CBTC-based LRT system in an
active revenue service control room.
Challenges and Opportunities
• Employee Development
• Change Management: Addition of new roles and
responsibilities including additional functions in the control
centre such as CBTC and SCADA controls.
• Training & Development: Requirements to hire and train staff
on new critical systems (CBTC). New streams of skills
development for technical staff and new leadership
opportunities.
• Employee Engagement: Hardship during renovation of new
control centre and adjacent building, e.g. employee areas
moved to construction trailers during winter construction.
Challenges and Opportunities
• Technology Changes
• CCTV Equipment: Shift from 500 cameras to over 2200
cameras on trains, stations, and buses. New equipment
requirements for monitoring, access, and recording.
• Performance Reporting: Additional private data feeds including
train schedule adherence, performance reporting, real time
passenger counts, defect reporting and tracking systems.
• Employee Comfort: Additional improvements to the overall
control room including layouts, reduced noise levels, and
improved heating and air conditioning.
Challenges and Opportunities
• Municipal Policy Changes
• Regulatory Framework: Due to nature of OC Transpo’s
operation, the agency is federally regulated; however, no
precedent exists for federal regulation of light rail systems.
• Technology Policy: Original municipal CCTV policy heavily
influenced by use of cameras by traffic management. Changes in
business requirements along with advancements in technology
required policy updates.
• Information Access: New open concept space requires new and
additional consideration for sharing sensitive information.
Challenges and Opportunities
• Customer Service Enhancements
• Station Stop Information: Expanded use of passenger
information displays at new stations and bus hubs (bus status
information, train countdown messages, transfer information,
custom messages)
• Station Help Points: New two-way video feed help points to
answer inquiries, print transfers, and provide customer service.
• Additional Open Data: Additional open data to provide
customers with train location information from CBTC system,
select station information (elevator & escalator status), and
schedule updates.
Challenges and Opportunities
www.ligneconfederationline.ca
www.stage2lrt.ca
Thank You