ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Canard]

It is not Metrolinx’ equipment. ML failed to provide the equipment they said they would... so the Region had to scramble to come up with their own. That’s why the hole in the dash took so long to fill.

[trainspotter139]

[trainspotter139]

Would installing the specialized equipment have taken less time had it been installed at the time of vehicle assembly or was it always going to be done at the end?

It would have if the equipment was already specified and ordered before vehicle assembly began

[Spokes]

Looks like they might be testing this ...

Is this GPS signaled, or are there triggers on the tracks?

[danbrotherston]

[bgb_ca]

Looks like they might be testing this ...

Was it accurate?

[Viewfromthe42]

I would LOVE for there to be a day-by-day countdown, text full height of the display, for people walking or driving by to see.

[Canard]

Once there's a target day, that'd be a great idea. I'm sure as the weeks get closer and things firm up, that could be done.

But there's no benefit to the ION team to doing this, only a potential negative. So it's unlikely to happen.

[ijmorlan]

It is not Metrolinx’ equipment. ML failed to provide the equipment they said they would... so the Region had to scramble to come up with their own. That’s why the hole in the dash took so long to fill.

Any idea what Metrolinx is doing in Toronto? Heh, maybe they’ll use ours!

[tomh009]

It is not Metrolinx’ equipment. ML failed to provide the equipment they said they would... so the Region had to scramble to come up with their own. That’s why the hole in the dash took so long to fill.

Ah, I hadn't seen this part before. I knew Metrolinx was to provide this equipment and was well behind schedule, but I had not seen the fact that the Region had taken this over, neither here nor elsewhere.

[plam]

I just saw 511 running southbound at the University of Waterloo. The level crossing machinery seems to be running pretty smoothly (i.e. staying down only very briefly after the train passes).

I guess 511 has no decals? I don't think I even saw the label 511 on it, but there is an LED that says 511. From looking at the recent videos, does 505 only have the LED on one ends? I didn't notice whether 511 had the number LED on both ends.

[urbd]

It is not Metrolinx’ equipment. ML failed to provide the equipment they said they would... so the Region had to scramble to come up with their own. That’s why the hole in the dash took so long to fill.

Ah, I hadn't seen this part before. I knew Metrolinx was to provide this equipment and was well behind schedule, but I had not seen the fact that the Region had taken this over, neither here nor elsewhere.

This has been the ongoing mysterious and secret story that we have been speculating about for months on this forum.

[ijmorlan]

I just saw 511 running southbound at the University of Waterloo. The level crossing machinery seems to be running pretty smoothly (i.e. staying down only very briefly after the train passes).

I guess 511 has no decals? I don't think I even saw the label 511 on it, but there is an LED that says 511. From looking at the recent videos, does 505 only have the LED on one ends? I didn't notice whether 511 had the number LED on both ends.

I think they’re ramping up to testing operations that are more like normal operation. I saw an LRV arrive and depart UW station, and it used fairly high acceleration — was still moving at a good speed close to the station, then smoothly slowed and stopped. When it started back up again a moment later, it seemed to take off pretty quickly. Also for the most part the crossings are operating more like how I would expect. Although on the minus side the will-be-bus-terminal access crossing had its lights blinking for the better part of an hour earlier today, and when I went through Erb and Caroline on my bike today the gates and lights were activated with no vehicle in sight. Overall, though, I think they’re making good progress on being ready for operation.

[tomh009]

Ah, I hadn't seen this part before. I knew Metrolinx was to provide this equipment and was well behind schedule, but I had not seen the fact that the Region had taken this over, neither here nor elsewhere.

This has been the ongoing mysterious and secret story that we have been speculating about for months on this forum.

Canard does drop crumbs of knowledge to us once in a while, though!

[Canard]

I thought I've made it pretty clear many times, but, again, in a nutshell:

• Toronto transit planing agency Metrolinx (ML) ordered 182 Light Rail Vehicles (LRV's) from Bombardier - which Bombardier essentially "invented" just for Toronto, knowing they could land a huge order (wise move). They plucked their FLEXITY 2 from Europe, tweaked the design for North America, and called it FLEXITY Freedom.
  
• These 182 vehicles were ordered for the 7 "Transit City" LRT lines in Toronto.
  
• On his first day in office, Rob Ford cancelled all but 1 of these lines (Eglinton Crosstown, or ECT) - leaving ML with far too many LRV's.
  
• The Region, meanwhile, (smartly) said "hey, we need 14 LRV's... we'll take some of those" - ML happily obliged. 14 of the 182 were shifted from ML being the customer to the Region of Waterloo (ROW).
  
• ML was on the hook for providing the "Specialized Equipment" for these LRV's - the safety and singling system by which the LRV communicates with the wayside (trackside) stuff, like signals and crossing arms and so on.
  
• Meanwhile, the design of the ECT changed significantly from a surface route to mostly subway, at Rob Ford's direction, causing a huge delay. ML had no need for trains on the original timeline and didn't submit any further specifications to Bombardier - knowing that they would have nowhere to physically put the trains, had Bombardier built them on the original schedule.
  
• Meanwhile, ROW desperately needs trains - but Bombardier was stuck in the middle. They had no spec to build to, and couldn't help us out.
  
• ML wanted out of the 182 LRV order - and couldn't get out of it, because it was a contract, so sued BBD for breach of contract, hoping to get out of it.
  
• The judge sided with Bombardier, but a new contract was formed, around the actual number of LRV's that ML needed for Crosstown.
  
• Meanwhile, an in-cab singling system still hadn't been selected or developed. The Region was now about a year behind in opening ION.
  
• Frantic, the Region worked with Bombardier and Grandlinq to source an off-the-shelf solution, which they did. Bombardier has been working closely and offering help installing this equipment for the Region, sending tools and personnel from Millhaven to speed up work, having it done here.
  
• Now we are here.