ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[danbrotherston]

I was assuming that the engineering preference would be for the rails to be straight at the platform since I'm not sure what kind of S-curves might be required to deviate around a wider platform before returning to a straight path. That being said, I guess they could have used the full grass median and left long two wedges at either end of the platform to return to the regular alignment.

Or just move the track over for the entire block.

[ijmorlan]

I was assuming that the engineering preference would be for the rails to be straight at the platform since I'm not sure what kind of S-curves might be required to deviate around a wider platform before returning to a straight path. That being said, I guess they could have used the full grass median and left long two wedges at either end of the platform to return to the regular alignment.

Or just move the track over for the entire block.

Yes, in our system the tracks are deliberately kept straight for the entire length of the platform; and most new systems are designed under this constraint, to maintain small platform edge gaps. For this reason there will most likely never again be built anything like New York’s old City Hall station. But that being said there is plenty of space to ease the tracks over before and after the station or to slightly redesign the entire block as Dan suggests.

[danbrotherston]

My friend caught a photo of a double train running today. I'm not sure if they're doing testing, or if one is disabled, but that was a fun catch.

   

[bgb_ca]

Didn't look like anyone was on board either one, so I am guessing some sort of testing or disabled tram as you said. Only one had the pantograph deployed though. Nice picture though.

[taylortbb]

With only one pantograph up I wonder if they're doing unpowered pull-through testing on the new 515.

[ac3r]

With only one pantograph up I wonder if they're doing unpowered pull-through testing on the new 515.

Likely. I don't think it has really been out yet, so they're perhaps testing the wheels and tracks.

[bgb_ca]

With only one pantograph up I wonder if they're doing unpowered pull-through testing on the new 515.

Could be. Looking at the car, the doors by the wheel covers are not installed. If I remember, 515 didn't have them installed when they arrived as well.

[nms]

I'm parking this here because the accident involved LRT infrastructure at the Erb/Caroline intersection, but it wasn't clear to me whether an LRV was actually involved as I couldn't see one on the scene.

Around 11:30am on Thursday, I drove from Caroline to Erb. There was a four-door sedan pointing mostly south, up on the pedestrian island and wedged up against the south side of at least one pole. It looked like there might have been damage to the hood of the car, but I couldn't tell. Police were directing traffic, a tow truck had just arrived to move the car and someone from RailTerm was also on site. Later that day, I was driving northbound on Caroline around 5:00pm, before heading west on Father David Bauer Drive. Service trucks were in the intersection, likely readjusting the poles.

[danbrotherston]

I'm parking this here because the accident involved LRT infrastructure at the Erb/Caroline intersection, but it wasn't clear to me whether an LRV was actually involved as I couldn't see one on the scene.

Around 11:30am on Thursday, I drove from Caroline to Erb. There was a four-door sedan pointing mostly south, up on the pedestrian island and wedged up against the south side of at least one pole.  It looked like there might have been damage to the hood of the car, but I couldn't tell.  Police were directing traffic, a tow truck had just arrived to move the car and someone from RailTerm was also on site.  Later that day, I was driving northbound on Caroline around 5:00pm, before heading west on Father David Bauer Drive.  Service trucks were in the intersection, likely readjusting the poles.

I heard about this on Twitter. Frankly uncomfortable given how crowded that island is...but not unexpected given how unsafe that road design is.

[Acitta]

I'm parking this here because the accident involved LRT infrastructure at the Erb/Caroline intersection, but it wasn't clear to me whether an LRV was actually involved as I couldn't see one on the scene.

Around 11:30am on Thursday, I drove from Caroline to Erb. There was a four-door sedan pointing mostly south, up on the pedestrian island and wedged up against the south side of at least one pole.  It looked like there might have been damage to the hood of the car, but I couldn't tell.  Police were directing traffic, a tow truck had just arrived to move the car and someone from RailTerm was also on site.  Later that day, I was driving northbound on Caroline around 5:00pm, before heading west on Father David Bauer Drive.  Service trucks were in the intersection, likely readjusting the poles.

Nobody seems to have taken any pictures.

[danbrotherston]

I'm parking this here because the accident involved LRT infrastructure at the Erb/Caroline intersection, but it wasn't clear to me whether an LRV was actually involved as I couldn't see one on the scene.

Around 11:30am on Thursday, I drove from Caroline to Erb. There was a four-door sedan pointing mostly south, up on the pedestrian island and wedged up against the south side of at least one pole.  It looked like there might have been damage to the hood of the car, but I couldn't tell.  Police were directing traffic, a tow truck had just arrived to move the car and someone from RailTerm was also on site.  Later that day, I was driving northbound on Caroline around 5:00pm, before heading west on Father David Bauer Drive.  Service trucks were in the intersection, likely readjusting the poles.

Nobody seems to have taken any pictures.

Indeed, it's a bit surprising that there aren't photos.

There's plenty of evidence though, piles of absorbant contaminated with whatever toxic fluids leaked out of the overturned vehicle...just another societal microaggression by car culture.

[nms]

To be clear, the car did not appear to have turned over nor was there any broken glass. As I was driving, taking pictures was not an option for me.

[danbrotherston]

To be clear, the car did not appear to have turned over nor was there any broken glass. As I was driving, taking pictures was not an option for me.

Props for that!

That is interesting, I just made an assumption, which probably wasn't justified, as we learned in DTK last week it is possible for a vehicle to leak a lot of fluid without overturning.

[KevinL]

Ion's cousins, the Eglinton Crosstown trains, are taking their first test runs on street-based parts of the line in Scarborough.

https://blog.metrolinx.com/2021/05/25/eg...irst-time/

[ac3r]

I love the grey paint on the vehicles. I've never been a fan of the blue we use here - either on the LRT or buses. I actually miss the old Kitchener Transit orange! Though I think that's a bit dated to use these days...