ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[chutten]

Outhit already knows about this, and has talked about this. I'm not concerned about what he's going to write.

To each his own but I rely on Outhit for the opposite view of reality. If Jeff says it's black, then in reality it's usually white (or very light grey.)

I'm new here: who or what are Outhit and Jeff?

[tomh009]

To each his own but I rely on Outhit for the opposite view of reality. If Jeff says it's black, then in reality it's usually white (or very light grey.)

I'm new here: who or what are Outhit and Jeff?

Jeff Outhit, The Record's transportation writer:
http://www.therecord.com/waterlooregion-...eff-outhit

[MidTowner]

Jeff Outhit, The Record's transportation writer:
http://www.therecord.com/waterlooregion-...eff-outhit

He is? I figured he had a title, but would never in a million years guessed at that one. Why wouldn't the "transportation writer" know a thing or two about transportation?

Anyway, Outhit is wrong (about pretty much everything). And, as for the trains, there's no need to speculate almost a year and a half early about their being late.

[BuildingScout]

Jeff Outhit, The Record's transportation writer:
http://www.therecord.com/waterlooregion-...eff-outhit

He is one of those people who consistently manages to be on the wrong side of things. For example a few years back he argued vehemently against making Ira Needles a four lane street as city planners had initially proposed. And guess what? just this year they are having to expand to four lanes at great cost.

[UrbanCanoe]

This afternoon I saw a flatbed trailer loaded with dozens of new rails turning onto Charles from Sterling, most likely headed to Borden - sorry, no pics. Likely won't be long 'till they're installed. They'll be the first tracks laid in Kitchener!

[Canard]

There's actually an agreement between Metrolinx and the Region of Waterloo to do perform some of the initial acceptance testing for the entire order on the Waterloo spur. That's why the spur line tracks are so far ahead of the rest of the project, they need to be in service (electrified, etc) for late 2016 rather than 2017.

While I'd heard that rumour as well (perhaps from you), I asked the team and Bombardier directly about it, and they said that all testing would be done at Bombardier's facilities (low speed at Thunder Bay, high speed at Millhaven.  No prototype testing in KW, unfortunately.    (Yes I realize there will be 6-9 months of testing our system once we take delivery of our first few trains.)

[Canard]

This afternoon I saw a flatbed trailer loaded with dozens of new rails turning onto Charles from Sterling, most likely headed to Borden - sorry, no pics. Likely won't be long 'till they're installed. They'll be the first tracks laid in Kitchener!

The first permanent tracks already went down at Bearanger a few months ago.

[tomh009]

This afternoon I saw a flatbed trailer loaded with dozens of new rails turning onto Charles from Sterling, most likely headed to Borden - sorry, no pics. Likely won't be long 'till they're installed. They'll be the first tracks laid in Kitchener!

The first permanent tracks already went down at Bearanger a few months ago.

However, Bearinger is actually not in Kitchener!

[Canard]

Sorry - I use Kitchener and Waterloo interchangeably. Slap my wrist!

Latest ion update just came out - exciting news, catpole (OCS) foundations are going in next along Borden between Charles and the CN Tracks! Very exciting; we'll get our first glimpse of a finished section of road+track there.

[taylortbb]

There's actually an agreement between Metrolinx and the Region of Waterloo to do perform some of the initial acceptance testing for the entire order on the Waterloo spur. That's why the spur line tracks are so far ahead of the rest of the project, they need to be in service (electrified, etc) for late 2016 rather than 2017.

While I'd heard that rumour as well (perhaps from you), I asked the team and Bombardier directly about it, and they said that all testing would be done at Bombardier's facilities (low speed at Thunder Bay, high speed at Millhaven.  No prototype testing in KW, unfortunately.    (Yes I realize there will be 6-9 months of testing our system once we take delivery of our first few trains.)

Okay, that's good to know. I'm certain I read about it in a council report, but the only reference I could find is a Record article that said "It would also mean the trains could be tested on portions of the Waterloo Uptown Spur, prior to the project’s completion in 2017." My guess is that it was considered and Metrolinx or Bombardier decided to not go ahead with it.

[KevinL]

 catpole (OCS) foundations are going in next along Borden between Charles and the CN Tracks

Footings for the poles that support the overhead wire, right?

[jamincan]

Yep, catenary pole foundation in long form.

[belmont]

Rails are stacking up all over the place. In front of Cameron Heights on Charles and over by the Schneider's plant on Courtland:

[Waterlooer]

Water is flowing under the Laurel Culvert.

[Markster]

Heh, a bit harder to deliver 500m segments to those locations!