Blair is a station on Ottawa's bus transitway and O-Train systems located at Blair Road and Regional Road 174.[1] It is a major transfer point for commuters within urban Gloucester and Orléans.

Blair
O-Train station
General information
LocationOttawa, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates45°25′52″N 75°36′30″W / 45.43111°N 75.60833°W / 45.43111; -75.60833
Owned byOC Transpo
PlatformsCentre platform (LRT)
Side platform x 2 (BRT)
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
History
Opened1989 (BRT station)
September 14, 2019 (2019-09-14) (LRT station)
Rebuilt2015–2019
Services
Preceding station OC Transpo Following station
Cyrville Line 1 Terminus
Terminus Route 39 Montréal
toward Millennium
Future services
Preceding station OC Transpo Following station
Cyrville Line 1
Opens 2025
Montréal
toward Trim
Main station building viewing from bus terminal
Side view of Blair station

Location

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This station is adjacent to the Gloucester Centre shopping complex, and nearby the Scotiabank Theatre Ottawa mega-movie theatre, a small bank, and other major retail stores. Shoppers City East located across Blair Road contains also several other major stores such as Canadian Tire. Headquarters of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service is located within a close proximity of the station. A long pedestrian overpass for the Queensway provides access to office complexes, a small park and ride parking lot, and the Pineview residential area.

Transitway

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Prior to the construction of the Confederation Line, this was the last station in the grade separated eastern leg of the transitway; after this point, buses used exclusive shoulder lanes on the Queensway beyond this point towards Orleans.

The main Transitway platforms closed down prior to Confederation Line construction as of 28 June 2015.[2] The platforms reopened on September 14, 2019, when Confederation Line service began.

Confederation Line

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Blair station is the eastern terminus of the Confederation Line of the O-Train. It is an elevated island platform station, with both platform faces being used by terminating and departing trains. This will change when service is extended towards Trim in 2025.

The overpass of the previous Transitway station, located above the platforms at the concourse level of the station, was retained as part of the new O-Train station.

The station offers transfer to Transitway buses within the fare-paid zone—i.e. without needing to present proof of payment to transfer between buses and the station. The bus terminal is located on the ground level of the station. There are many heated shelters along the terminal with bus times for routes which serve each lettered platform.

The station's artwork, entitled Lightscape, is by cj fleury and Catherine Widgery. It is a series of suspended installations featuring brightly coloured elements that catch the light.[3]

Service

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The following routes serve Blair station as of June 23rd, 2024:[4]

        O-Train
 E1  Shuttle Express
 R1   R2   R3   R4  O-Train replacement bus routes
 98   39  Rapid routes
 N75  Night routes
 40   11  Frequent routes
 55   162  Local routes
 284  Connexion routes
 405  300s: Shopper routes
400s: Event routes
600s: School routes
Additional info:
  • Line 1: O-Train Confederation Line
  • Route 2: Trillium Line (currently a bus route)
     
  • Routes 5 to 99: Custom routing that connects to Line 1 and/or Route 2
  • Routes 100 to 199: Custom routing that does not connect to Line 1 and/or Route 2
  • Routes 200 to 299: Connexion (peak-period only routes that connect to the O-Train)
  • Routes 301 to 305: Shopper Routes (limited rural service)
  • Routes 404 to 406: Canadian Tire Centre events
  • Routes 450 to 456: Lansdowne Park events
  • Routes 602 to 698: School Routes
     
  • Route R1: replaces Line 1 when out of service
  • Route R2: alternative name for current Route 2
  • Routes N39 to N97: night service (replaces Line 1)
  • White backgrounds: service may be limited
     
  • Last two digits represent service area:
Stop Routes
West O-Train  
A West, Peak East  15   24   25   39   125   222   228   624 
B East  25   28   38   237 
C Rail Replacement, Shuttle Express, but used primarily for route terminations and passenger dropoffs  R1   E1 
D East  21   30   31   32   33   34   35   39   221   231   232   234   236   630   631 
F On-demand none
H School, Shopper  26   28   35   302   451   619   624   628   630   631 
I West, Local, Shopper  12   15   23   24   26   N39   42   302 

Notes

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  • Route  125  operates every 30 min on weekends during the summer months.
  • Stops B and I will be the only stops active after 9 PM. Routes that normally serve stops A, C and D will serve B instead, and routes serving stops F and H will serve I instead.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Blair". Station Layout. OC Transpo. October 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  2. ^ "OC Transpo - On Track 2018 - Transitway Closure". OC Transpo. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  3. ^ "O-Train Confederation Line". City of Ottawa. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Blair | OC Transpo". Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Transecure | OC Transpo". www.octranspo.com. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
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  Media related to Blair station at Wikimedia Commons