ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[KevinT]

My assumption has always been that they couldn't drill into the bridge to set pandrol clips for fixed track because it would compromise the structure, and that pouring an additional layer of concrete would weigh more than ties and ballast. Has there been an actual statement from a project engineer about smoothness and expansion allotment?

[Canard]

There are no expansion joints - in fact, I can't think of a single expansion joint on the entire system anywhere, and I've essentially crawled over the entire system for the past 4 years!  I specifically noticed the ones in Cincinnati, on some sections of their streetcar which was built over an existing parking structure/highway, because they looked so alien to me.  If anyone can find one and take a photo of it, I'd love to see it!

The ballasted track was chosen to specifically avoid needing expansion joints, and because of mass (it's lighter than the embedded track slab that would have otherwise been required), which saved them rebuilding the bridge from scratch.  The convex bow in the bridge profile, plus the somewhat flexible ballast, makes expansion joints unnecessary.

(Safety disclaimer - I took these photos early on a weekend morning, shortly after construction had wrapped up in the area - obviously don't head out there now!

   
Here you can see the interface between the ballasted and embedded track - it's welded.

   
The extra piece of rail is simply a restraining rail, for safety.

   
Conventional ballasted track over the top - you can see the convex bow in this shot very well.  If the bridge were flat, this technique wouldn't have worked.

[KevinL]

If you take switches, gauntlets and crossovers out of the equation, the rails are essentially four very long strips of steel. It's amazing how modern metallurgy keeps them the same length despite our seasonal temperature swings.

[plam]

This is like 70 year old technology. How is this still happening?!

Are we the next Edmonton?

I think that one of the operators told me that the FIE talks to the crossing (presumably to reduce arms-down time to a minimum?). The FIE is decidedly not 70 year old technology; I bet it hasn't seen its last software upgrade yet. I don't say this with 100% confidence, but I'm reasonably sure that this is the case.

[Canard]

Of the two vehicles out yesterday, one had it, one didn't (512 and 507), so I suppose there was a glitch with either of them that hadn't yet been sorted.

@Spokes, if you didn't see any action yesterday, I just happened to flip on the radio and heard 506 and 510 getting ready to go for the day! If you really really want to see one, I'd suggest parking at Seagram and going for a walk down the Central Promenade to Erb/Caroline and back - with the time that takes, you'll almost certainly see at least one pass by.

Edit - 511 is already out, just passed Green!

Edit 2 - 510 isn't feeling so well, so only 511 and 506.

[ijmorlan]

I just saw two pass northbound along King St. in Uptown. First one went by while we were waiting to cross over from the west side of King; then when we had walked to maybe Regina we heard a honk behind us and caught the second one going by. The two were much closer than they will be in normal service, although there was still maybe a couple of minutes between them.

Speaking of gaps, does anybody understand how the signalling system regulates gaps, or if it does? I have observed an LRT running southbound knocking down the signal at Seagrem from green to red, but it’s not clear to me when it would go back to green. And on the northbound track I don’t believe there are any signals between Bauer (Erb and Caroline and associated crossovers) and the crossover south of the OMSF. So I don’t see how it can be a block type of system. Or is some of the signalling in the cab? But if so, why not all of it?

[trainspotter139]

I just saw two pass northbound along King St. in Uptown. First one went by while we were waiting to cross over from the west side of King; then when we had walked to maybe Regina we heard a honk behind us and caught the second one going by. The two were much closer than they will be in normal service, although there was still maybe a couple of minutes between them.

Speaking of gaps, does anybody understand how the signalling system regulates gaps, or if it does? I have observed an LRT running southbound knocking down the signal at Seagrem from green to red, but it’s not clear to me when it would go back to green. And on the northbound track I don’t believe there are any signals between Bauer (Erb and Caroline and associated crossovers) and the crossover south of the OMSF. So I don’t see how it can be a block type of system. Or is some of the signalling in the cab? But if so, why not all of it?

The signals on the spur where the gauntlet tracks are aren't designed to be block signals they are designed to be switch interlocking signals. They are designed to warn of switch position for the gauntlet tracks. Green being normal (straight through), Yellow being reverse (diverging track), Red being either out of correspondence (a switch position that isn't known or is currently being changed) or switch block occupied (switch points lock when a train occupies a set path between two points). When in operation those signals will automatically reset themselves for LRVs as the ATP system will control spacing between LRVs in the ATP sections by regulating the speed of LRVs in a moving block fashion rather than fixed block.

[Canard]

1/2 - Sunday, December 2, 2018

Another full day of testing, in the low, warm, winter sun!  I was so giddy, and happy to be biking along in my T-shirt (in December!!) to capture these shots!

   

   

   

   

   

[Canard]

2/2 - Sunday, December 2, 2018

   

   

   

   

   

[panamaniac]

I'm sure it's been discussed previously, but what is the anticipated stop time for Ion at each of the stations?

[MacBerry]

I agree that the current median is not intended for walking on, my point was that it should have never have been built that narrow to begin with. What’s more of a safety hazard is people using a space for purposes other than it was designed and intended.
 
They have created a safety hazard by not thinking about how humans will actually use the space. No one getting off the train and heading to KPL or Centre in the Square etc. is going to take a huge distance and time penalty (94m penalty for one-car train, 156m penalty for a two-car train) to walk back to King, cross the street, and walk back towards Duke.
 
They will take the shortest path sign or no sign.
 
Platform is 2.7m wide where it currently ends.
Platform narrows to 1.3m in middle.
Platform end is 1.5m.


 
They needed to add 27.3sq.m to the median to make it the same width as the end of the platform.

 
Which they could have easily have accommodated on the other side (it wouldn’t even take away from usable sidewalk space since no one can walk between the utility boxes and the road anyway):

Thanks for the detailed analysis. This gives me some hope that it might be corrected in the future; since it appears it can be fixed without changing where the tracks are, it could be done as part of a future renovation of the street. We just need to get the road designers to understand that there is a problem.

In the meantime, people will probably walk on the tracks. Fortunately, that isn’t that bad in this case: either they just got off a train and are leaving the stop, in which case they can walk behind the departing vehicle, with another not due for several minutes; or they are walking to the stop, in which case they will normally be facing train traffic, which furthermore needs to stop at the station before proceeding. Not ideal, but also nowhere near as dangerous as walking in a motor vehicle lane.

In Europe people walk on, through and over transit tracks all the time as people flow is not as controlled as we seem to be doing here. Usually this is not where traffic is also happening but people are always moving through transit lanes.

[trainspotter139]

Up the spur they go! 514 and 501 headed up the spur on tonight's train

[Bob_McBob]

Just went past UW. Very shiny 

[bgb_ca]

Just went past UW. Very shiny 

Here's my video for those that missed it

[bgb_ca]

And if anyone wants to see the complete collection, it's at this link

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...rBYvxkHl_c

And no, if the region orders more, I'm not doing a second collection, as it will likely be really late on those deliveries.