ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[The85]

The large retaining wall with engineered dirt.  I'm surprised at how large this is.  Why would this method be chosen for this area, when on the North side of Block Line, it's just an angled buildup of earth?

That's quite the canvas for graffiti artists! 

Enjoy the clean, fresh wall while it lasts...

[dunkalunk]

The large retaining wall with engineered dirt.  I'm surprised at how large this is.  Why would this method be chosen for this area, when on the North side of Block Line, it's just an angled buildup of earth?

That's quite the canvas for graffiti artists! 

Enjoy the clean, fresh wall while it lasts...

This, and every TPSS along the line. I'd argue that some grafitti (art, not tagging) might actually improve the appearance of the substations!

[Canard]

Absolutely; I've long suggested that the TPSS' should all be furnished with a mosaic or geometric pattern that somehow ties in to the area, colour-wise. Sort of like what we're doing with the mosaic walls, I suppose. In fact, they should look quite nice using the same pattern and colours as the mosaic wall for their adjacent stations.

The Tama monorail I rode in Japan had a different geometric shape/design for each station and I just loved that.

[Canard]

Here's an excellent video produced by Siemens for their S200 LRV's they're building for Calgary. This video highlights all of the steps that go into building an LRV. With our discussions about the issues surrounding frame production in Bombardier's Mexico facility, I thought this might shed some light on where some of those problems have occurred.

[BuildingScout]

Some investigative reporting about the Mexico Bombardier delays:

http://spacing.ca/toronto/2016/05/03/bom...o-problem/

[panamaniac]

Not to dismiss the problem, which is real and which Bombardier has done a crap job of explaining, that article seems more speculative than investigative to me.

[kps]

Here's an excellent video produced by Siemens for their S200 LRV's they're building for Calgary.

I still think W should have gone high-floor like Calgary. Low-floor may make sense for streetcars but for a dedicated ROW you have all pain for no gain. #realbogiesyaw

[Canard]

What pain?

[isUsername]

Going from low-floor to high-floor would add dozens of metres in station length in narrow rights-of-way in order to accommodate wheelchairs. Taller stations in the street is also going to detract from the aesthetics. There is certainly pain to high-floor options.

[Canard]

I'll echo that as well. I've ridden many older US (and Canadian) high-floor systems and it's exactly as you describe - stations go from being simple, elevated "sidewalks" to much more cumbersome contraptions with ramps, railings, etc... LA comes to mind - I couldn't believe how huge the stations were, and had to be, because of the high-floor design.

Purely from a technical standpoint, yes, there are merits insofar as slightly reduced track wear to high-floor trams with longer modules and articulated bogies (i.e., Toronto's legacy CLRV & ALRV fleet, Edmonton & Calgary's systems), but with proper track lubrication and the reduced mass of the individual modules in the fixed-bogie LRV's we're getting, it's really not a big deal. Toronto is actually reporting reduced track wear with their new LFLRV's. Fixed bogie has been the norm in Europe for at least a decade now, and everyone's moving toward that direction. The S200 trains Calgary just got are what they are because of the legacy of the existing infrastructure, not because they're technically superior.

[eizenstriet]

isUsername & Canard:

These technical details (among the variety of others in this thread) are so interesting and informative. They make one more appreciative when viewing the evolving (and, I expect, final) enterprise. Thanks.

[Markster]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Charles/Queen has curbs! <a href="https://t.co/N6Lc28JDT2">pic.twitter.com/N6Lc28JDT2</a></p>&mdash; Mark Jackson-Brown (@Markster3000) <a href="https://twitter.com/Markster3000/status/739602586353958912">June 5, 2016</a></blockquote>

[GtwoK]

Finally! I'd assume those are all the way up to Benton (possibly with the exception of where the Queen station will go)? Could we possibly see Charles as a 100% through street to Ottawa sometime this week?

[Markster]

Finally! I'd assume those are all the way up to Benton (possibly with the exception of where the Queen station will go)? Could we possibly see Charles as a 100% through street to Ottawa sometime this week?

Correct, no curbs where Queen Station is.

There's still a lot of work until they can open it up. They need to pour more curbs for the LRT right of way, and they need to pour the Queen platform. I imagine they'll lay the tracks through there before they open up the street, too.

[GtwoK]

Markster's update made me want to go out and take a few photos tonight, so I did!

As I mentioned a few days ago, Duke is now paved between Water and Victoria, and Francis between Duke and the Kaufman Lofts entrance.





The day before the above was paved, I saw them steam rolling and temping the roadway down; now I see the same happening on Charles, from Victoria to Water! This should be paved this week as well ,especially considering Franci reopened last week.



As Markster mentioned, curbs are now in on Charles between Ontario and Benton, with the exception of the middle rapidway curb. I noticed this metal pole opposite the Sports Link parking lot. Anyone have any idea what it might be for? My only thought is maybe a signal to warn those exiting the parking lot of an oncoming train, but if so, why wouldn't they be at other parking lot exits as well?



Another thing I noticed: the curbs end at an area marked out for the Queen St station. You can see here that the station is in front of one of the old entrances to the strip mall parking lot. The other entrance, however, does not have "driveable" curbs in front of it - they're far too tall for any vehicle to cross. Was the parking lot closed permanently? Is redevelopment of this lot coming sooner than we think?