ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[KevinL]

In ION related news, retaining wall blocks are now on site at Charles and Ontario. The wall area looks like it needs a bit of prep but I imagine they'll start working on it very soon.

This morning, I saw a cement truck on site and a deep trench had been dug. I think they were making a concrete base for the wall, which will consist of the blocks above ground level.

[tomh009]

The rebar is ready for the second pour at the Queen St station:
   

[Canard]

Sorry, I meant the trail crossing from FDB to the Laurel Trail between PI and Laurel Creek.

Ohhh, you mean the actual track crossing there?   Yeah, on Saturday that was still all just loose ballast.  So they've put down finer gravel on top of it?

I wonder what the final treatment here will be (or if that's it!).

[darts]

Taxes in general are levied against people who don't directly benefit from the services all the time, because we think it's something that benefits society as a whole.  That's just how taxes work.

It is obviously a little more subtle than that, and I don't specifically have an issue with pro-rating township taxes for no transit service, but I don't find the "I don't directly benefit from this service" argument very compelling.  I mean, everyone who lives in Canada pays federal taxes which support Via Rail but many Canadian's live in cities not serviced by Via Rail.  Same in Ontario for GO Transit I believe.

Transit is a region responsibility because the cities uploaded it to the region. The townships get taxed by the region for the library but they don't the cities for it, even though they could access the service.

[Canard]

http://m.therecord.com/news-story/683009...y-in-storm



Not familiar with the locations here (I've never heard of "Country Hills"), but saw Schnieder Creek and Culvert mentioned - hope this isn't at all related to LRT! This isn't the bit between Hayward and the Conestoga Parkway, is it?

Edit: looks like it's here: https://goo.gl/maps/zQYvJZQA9R82

[timc]

Ohhh, you mean the actual track crossing there?   Yeah, on Saturday that was still all just loose ballast.  So they've put down finer gravel on top of it?

I wonder what the final treatment here will be (or if that's it!).

That's a good question. Before construction it was a gravel trail, matching the TCT in that area. I don't remember seeing any plan to pave the trail as part of the ION project, but there is discussion about making some changes in the future.

[ert86]

Tracks were laid across Wilson Ave today, at least partially (not connected on either end.) I really hope this street reopens on time (next week)

[tomh009]

Some activity on Charles now, though nothing like the earlier construction frenzy .

Sod on the wider boulevard segments between Cedar and Stirling:
   

Rails being welded near Ottawa:
   

Ottawa now mostly paved between Charles and Courtland:
   

Concrete repairs in progress for the Ottawa St bridge over Schneider Creek:
   

[Canard]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bombardier in final phase of manufacturing of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EglintonCrosstown?src=hash">#EglintonCrosstown</a> pilot LRV. Static testing has begun in Thunder Bay. <a href="https://t.co/wCzGVwTjXn">pic.twitter.com/wCzGVwTjXn</a></p>&mdash; BombardierRail (@BombardierRail) <a href="https://twitter.com/BombardierRail/status/771000750289879040">August 31, 2016</a></blockquote>

[bpoland]

Looks good! Did I read somewhere that this vehicle will be tested on our tracks, even though it's for Metrolinx? Or will we have to wait for them to make the first one for us?

[jamincan]

http://m.therecord.com/news-story/683009...y-in-storm



Not familiar with the locations here (I've never heard of "Country Hills"), but saw Schnieder Creek and Culvert mentioned - hope this isn't at all related to LRT! This isn't the bit between Hayward and the Conestoga Parkway, is it?

Edit: looks like it's here: https://goo.gl/maps/zQYvJZQA9R82

I think it might actually be a bit further south here: https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Schneid...80.4965821

The article mentions that it is south of the Balzer Road trail, which the crossing you linked to is not. The embankment at that crossing doesn't look as large as the one in the picture either, nor is the vegetation as thick.

[KevinL]

Those small individual culverts are also obvious in the Google aerial imagery. Looks like this was not well designed to handle flooding.

[chutten]

Those small individual culverts are also obvious in the Google aerial imagery. Looks like this was not well designed to handle flooding.

Honestly, with the weird nonsense-weather we've been having, I'm surprised we don't have more infra failures.

[Pheidippides]

Curb is now in along Caroline and Erb. I took this mid-day, but by the end of the day it wrapped around the corner to CIGI-ish:
   

[Canard]

Looks good!  Did I read somewhere that this vehicle will be tested on our tracks, even though it's for Metrolinx?  Or will we have to wait for them to make the first one for us?

From what I understand, the first 2 trains (which are Metrolinx'), will go to the Bombardier test facility in Millhaven (near Kingston), and that's where the Metrolinx team will play with them for the foreseeable future.  Toronto has no trackwork anywhere on their system that these trains can run.  I believe our first train (FLEXITY Freedom Serial No. 3) will also go to Millhaven for high-speed (BBD internal) testing, before coming here.

Trains will go through a burn-in phase, required by our Project Agreement, on our "test track" which is the portion of the line from Northfield to Erb/Caroline, which is nearly complete and powered up.

You could think of it this way:  When an automobile manufacturer makes a new car, they put it out for a few test laps at their own proving grounds after assembly and before offering it for sale - that's what's going to happen in Millhaven over the next few months.  Make sure the wheels don't fall off, that kind of thing.  When the customer decides to buy the car, they take it for a test drive around the block and kick the tires, making sure the stroller fits in the back and the seats recline - and that's what will happen early next year on our Northfield-Erb/Caroline test track.