ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Square]

I wish this terrible weather to go away, so we can see the construction ramp up!

[JCnb]

TPSS is now in place at Bearinger and I now see catenary cable strung up around that crossing as well!

[timc]

I don't know the technical term here, but I think I saw ropes up on the poles for pulling wires yesterday. I don't think they were actual wires.



There was a big crane at Columbia this morning, but no box there yet when I went past.

[Viewfromthe42]

How high are the power lines over these roadways relative to double-decker GO buses?

[BuildingScout]

How high are the power lines over these roadways relative to double-decker GO buses?

Double deckers are 4.4m in height. The LRT study by the RoW considered 4.9m, 5.7m and 6.1m as possible heights. Normal pantograph operation height is 5.5m according to said document. Lower and higher heights are reserved for special cases (overpasses, special intersections) with minimum height anywhere being 4m.

[tvot]

There was a big crane at Columbia this morning, but no box there yet when I went past.

I was walking by around 11:30 and the truck had arrived to drop off the box. It was struggling a little in the muddy median.

   

Are there any plans to hide or beautify these boxes somehow? They're not the nicest landscape features I've ever seen

[timc]

Are there any plans to hide or beautify these boxes somehow? They're not the nicest landscape features I've ever seen

If not, I suspect they may become beautified with spray paint.

[Pheidippides]

Ion update to council in planning agenda for next week:
http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/region...df#page=39

Not much we haven't heard before:
"the Region and GrandLinq’s goal continues to focus on service launch in late 2017."
"Delivery of vehicles is currently scheduled to be delayed by two months to October 2016 for the first vehicle and by four months to May 2017 for the fourteenth vehicle from the original delivery schedule."
"A web page dedicated to Stage 2 ION has been created and can be accessed at www.stage2ION.ca"

Latest expenditures to date:
http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/region...df#page=51

Construction milestones
 Of the 36,000 metres of LRT track required for ION, more than 8,600 metres of
track has been placed since the start of construction. The remaining LRT track is
expected to be placed this year
 Construction of the King Street grade separation bridge is well underway. On
March 5, 2016, the major concrete pour for the bridge deck took place. This
required pouring close to 800 cubic metres of concrete. This was achieved with
the assistance of a climate controlled structure, which allowed crews to complete
critical temperature-sensitive work. On March 5 and March 6, during the major
concrete pour, the outside temperature had dropped to minus 12 degrees
Celsius
 Installation of TPSS (Traction Power Substations) stations has taken place at
Northfield, Bearinger and Columbia. The TPSS convert commercial alternatingcurrent
electricity into direct-current electricity that is required to power the
light rail vehicles
 Construction on the OMSF has been proceeding well with completion expected
later this year
 Over 50% of municipal underground utility (watermains, sanitary sewer, storm
sewer) replacements have been completed with work in UpTown Waterloo,
Downtown Kitchener and Courtland remaining
 The majority of other utility work (electrical, natural gas, communications) is also
complete with some areas expected to be completed early in the 2016
construction season
 Over 5,000 metres of roadway have been restored
 Eight of ten bridges/culverts have now been placed, including the pedestrian
bridge over Montgomery Creek on Courtland Avenue and the Laurel Creek
culvert in Waterloo Park
 Foundations have been placed for five ION stops
 Communications milestones and statistics are included below

[Markster]

Not much we haven't heard before:
"the Region and GrandLinq’s goal continues to focus on service launch in late 2017."
"Delivery of vehicles is currently scheduled to be delayed by two months to October 2016 for the first vehicle and by four months to May 2017 for the fourteenth vehicle from the original delivery schedule."
"A web page dedicated to Stage 2 ION has been created and can be accessed at www.stage2ION.ca"

We definitely haven't heard that before, and it's pretty critical.
It's the first unequivocal impact from the Bombardier LRV production issues.

[tomh009]

Definitely not. I hope (and suspect) that the ION schedule has sufficient buffer to prevent the launch schedule slipping due to these delays. They are not big delays as of yet, but can BBD deliver on the revised schedule?

[ac3r]

Bombardier on time? Never.

[KevinL]

"Delivery of vehicles is currently scheduled to be delayed by two months to October 2016 for the first vehicle and by four months to May 2017 for the fourteenth vehicle from the original delivery schedule."

Aww, man.

[Canard]

The project can handle a 6-month delay in LFLRV delivery, so opening day isn't in jeopardy.

All this delay means is that a few of us who were really, really excited to see the train will have to wait just a bit longer, that's all. No big deal really.

[timc]

I think I was mistaken before when I commented about the overhead wiring. They appeared to be wires when I went past yesterday, just a different colour than I was expecting. The cables extend to just south of Columbia Street.

[timc]

TPSS at Columbia Street from yesterday afternoon.



When I looked at the plans, it seemed like this was originally supposed to be on the south side of Columbia. Any idea what happened?