Welcome Guest!
In order to take advantage of all the great features that Waterloo Region Connected has to offer, including participating in the lively discussions below, you're going to have to register. The good news is that it'll take less than a minute and you can get started enjoying Waterloo Region's best online community right away.
or Create an Account




Thread Rating:
  • 15 Vote(s) - 3.93 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit
Just had a nice walk along Charles from Stirling to Cedar, and was impressed by how finished it all looks. The Cameron crossover is in, overhead wiring is pretty much complete, and the traffic signals at Cedar are operational.

I've also got a look at the current isolators that separate one block of power from another, which are interestingly intricate (no pictures, alas). There was even a Mass Electric crew working on one near Kitchener Market station.
Reply


(02-14-2017, 02:08 PM)Canard Wrote: How is cancelling 7 LRT lines not Rob Ford's fault? It was the first thing he did on Day 1 in office! He orphaned more than half of the LRV order. Crosstown (and maybe Finch) are the only survivors.

Let’s be clear, Rob Ford was one of the worst politicians in Canadian history. I disliked him so intensely, I — no joke — wish he had lived to be the oldest person in the world and witness a Toronto in which every major street has lanes dedicated to LRT lines.

But in terms of Transit City, he said on 2010-12-01 that Transit City was dead. Several of the lines were to my recollection already not in the immediate plan due to Provincial changes. At that time, construction on Sheppard was imminent, with some early works already in progress (specifically, a rail grade separation). In 2012, less than two years later, City Council voted to re-instate the remaining portion of Transit City. It was due to Provincial changes in priorities that construction on Sheppard did not promptly resume, and the SRT replacement and Finch lines move forward to construction. I don’t remember the exact time lines, but by now I believe all those lines were supposed to be open for multiple years under the original timeline.

So Rob Ford was responsible for maybe a two-year delay in Transit City. The rest is Provincial government dithering.
Reply
I had the similar thought as Markster. If they still have 100+ (74 crosstown, 13 ion, 14? Valley) vehicles to build by even year-end 2021 that is a vehicle every 17 days which not something they have proven the can do yet let alone sustain.
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
Reply
Toronto council was pretty lukewarm on the Sheppard LRT, even after the resurrection of Transit City. Council and the Province both allowed the Sheppard LRT to languish.
Reply
15 days is the target cadence for Millhaven.

Thunder Bay more-or-less hit that with 2 bays for Outlook - Millhaven has 8.
Reply
(02-14-2017, 03:56 PM)Markster Wrote: Toronto council was pretty lukewarm on the Sheppard LRT, even after the resurrection of Transit City.  Council and the Province both allowed the Sheppard LRT to languish.

You’re right, it’s cooperative dithering between the Province and the City. But Rob Ford can only be blamed for something under two years of the delay. Although it is a fact that his delay triggered the other dithering — with somebody sensible being elected in 2010, it’s pretty clear the projects would have all most likely proceeded.
Reply
Several folks have been by the plant today, and it sounds like it didn't make it onto the flatbed tonight - unless it's happening right now...

EDIT - Sounds like TTC FLEXITY Outlook No. 4432 is coming the "usual way", straight down via CP... but ion LRV No. 1 may be taking a far more circuitous route, going to Winnipeg first (CN)!  At one point earlier today there was even talk that it could very well pass through Cambridge and up that way. It's amazing to me how it isn't known (or at least, no one has leaked) exactly what the path might be.
Reply


(02-14-2017, 11:13 AM)Pheidippides Wrote: Remind me again would there be a separate OMSF in Cambridge?

The annotated map of the preferred Cambridge alignment put out by the Region has a little box saying that a maintenance facility location would need to be selected. So it seems they are planning for a separate one.
Reply
Got a little antsy waiting for the real thing...

   

   

   

   

   
Reply
(02-14-2017, 08:32 PM)Canard Wrote: Several folks have been by the plant today, and it sounds like it didn't make it onto the flatbed tonight - unless it's happening right now...

EDIT - Sounds like TTC FLEXITY Outlook No. 4432 is coming the "usual way", straight down via CP... but ion LRV No. 1 may be taking a far more circuitous route, going to Winnipeg first (CN)!  At one point earlier today there was even talk that it could very well pass through Cambridge and up that way.  It's amazing to me how it isn't known (or at least, no one has leaked) exactly what the path might be.

The tracker now says it's being loaded on the train at 12:30 today.
Reply
Canard, was it too long for your print plate, or why did you ramp it like that?
Reply
(02-15-2017, 01:05 PM)tomh009 Wrote: The tracker now says it's being loaded on the train at 12:30 today.

I think that is just the last time the Ion tracker page was approximately updated.
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
Reply
Correct - as of noon today, it's still nowhere to be seen (local info).

Model was oriented on build plate that way due to peeling process in SLA printer - it always prefers to have the model oriented without any parallel faces to reduce stress.
Reply


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our first ION train is being loaded for shipping from Thunder Bay, stay tuned for more updates <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IONtracker?src=hash">#IONtracker</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wrLRT?src=hash">#wrLRT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RegionWaterloo">@RegionWaterloo</a> <a href="https://t.co/fBcALUaDK1">pic.twitter.com/fBcALUaDK1</a></p>&mdash; ION (@rideIONrt) <a href="https://twitter.com/rideIONrt/status/831983571535532032">February 15, 2017</a></blockquote>

It's... it's beautiful!!!!
Reply
(02-15-2017, 05:56 PM)Canard Wrote: It's... it's beautiful!!!!

Except for the lack of the blue strip below the windscreen.  Smile
Reply
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »



Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 22 Guest(s)

About Waterloo Region Connected

Launched in August 2014, Waterloo Region Connected is an online community that brings together all the things that make Waterloo Region great. Waterloo Region Connected provides user-driven content fueled by a lively discussion forum covering topics like urban development, transportation projects, heritage issues, businesses and other issues of interest to those in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the four Townships - North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich.

              User Links