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Only one way to find out.

Photo by Julie Oliver / Postmedia

All 13 stations are active construction sites, with those in the east end — where, once again, I begin the trek at Blair station — starting to look like the transit hubs they will soon become.

The steel roofs rise up and open where the entrances will be, then bend and twist in the direction riders will ultimately go to reach the train platform.

The architect who designed them, Ritchard Brisbin, explained last year the simple concept was intended to help riders intuitively understand where they need to go.

Brisbin or members of his bbb Architects team visit stations virtually every day. He passes by Pimisi every morning and monitors its progress like a proud father. But even the proudest parent knows every child has an awkward stage.

“There were days when we were doing the convention centre that I couldn’t look at it,” he said in a recent interview. “I would wake up in the morning thinking we’ve created the world’s largest golf ball and I’m going to have to close my shop and go somewhere else.”

“You just have to squint, and try to imagine.”

Another sign of progress I spot is a train parked on the tracks near Cyrville station.

Trains are currently tested on a 1.6-kilometre stretch of line between Blair and Cyrville stations, but this fall, the testing area will extend all the way to the University of Ottawa.

The goal is to ensure all the communication and electrical systems that operate and power the trains are talking to each other, and to troubleshoot in the event they aren’t, explained Steve Cripps, the director of O-Train Construction.