The Confederation Line East Extension project will include 12 kilometres of rail and five new stations. The extension is being proposed in the median along the highway to contain costs, minimize community impacts and land requirements, and provide excellent connectivity to surrounding communities by offering stations that are equidistant to neighbourhoods on either side of the highway. This particular extension will improve transit service to major mixed-use centres at Blair and at Orléans Town Centre, major employment areas at Canotek Park and at Taylor Creek, numerous residential communities, as well as to other destinations including the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex, La Cité and Place d’Orléans Shopping Centre.

Overall, the alignment will be north of Highway 174 between Blair Station and Montreal Road; it will extend directly east and bypass the existing Transitway

alignment, passing under Blair Road and the interchange ramps. To accommodate the LRT alignment, new bridge structures are required to carry Blair Road and the Highway 174 on and off ramps over the LRT. The rail line will cross over the westbound highway lanes immediately east of Montreal Road and transition into the median of the highway at this location. East of the NCC Greenbelt, the LRT remains at grade in the median.

The dual LRT tracks will offer stops at four new stations: Montreal Station, situated on the north side of Highway 174; as well as Jeanne d’Arc station, Orléans Boulevard, Place d’Orléans, and Trim, which will all be located within the median.

The rail EA study was integrated with the Highway 174 widening environmental assessment to achieve better design outcomes, ensure efficiencies of scale, and maximize benefits both to the community and to the environment.