ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[mpd618]

Even-handed is overrated. What we need are more one-handed Councillors: Delivery delayed: Waterloo Region won’t get in on TTC lawsuit over late Bombardier LRT streetcars   

[On the one hand:] A legal battle brewing between the Toronto Transit Commission and Bombardier over late streetcars won't draw in the Region of Waterloo, officials say. "I don't think it affects us at all at this point," Coun. Tom Galloway said.

[On the other hand:] Delivery needs to start in late 2016 so that Bombardier and construction consortium GrandLinq have time to work out any issues with the trains and the system. "There is reason to be concerned," Galloway said. "They're very late on the Toronto order."

[Posted partly in jest since I have no idea whether we should really be worried or not.]

Don't assume that a quote in the press is in proper context. My guess is that Galloway's first quote is about the TTC lawsuit itself - which, yes, shouldn't affect the completely independent Metrolinx order. We don't have any grounds for a lawsuit, but that doesn't mean everything's fine.

[Markster]

What is persuasive to me about a Hespeler Road alignment is that it has a lot of past-its-prime big box and strip plazas, whose owners would likely be quite willing to redevelop to maximize their revenue. And no one would miss what's there now. Plus, a lot of it could be built just on the far-too-large parking lots, without initially displacing the current uses. There's a lot less opportunity for transit-oriented development along Coronation.

In a world where Preston and Galt are strong downtowns, bustling with people, shopping, services, etc, and Hespeler Rd is just a highway with automotive and industrial supply stores, the Coronation Blvd route makes a lot of sense.

But that's not the world we're in. The downtowns struggle to compete, and Hespeler is lined with shopping. We need the LRT to connect where people live to where they want to go, or at least be "one the way" to one of those. Hespeler is the stronger candidate.

[MidTowner]

As DHLawrence points out, there would inevitably be a lot of NIMBY opposition to routing Ion along 8. Along 24, however, you have a lot of large commercial landowners who would instead see the obvious benefits to them.

I think I missed something. Phase II routing to Cambridge has (as far as I know) used Hespeler for a while. An EA has been done, hasn't it? Ion aBRT has been installed there. Why are we talking about changing the routing?

[Markster]

I think I missed something. Phase II routing to Cambridge has (as far as I know) used Hespeler for a while. An EA has been done, hasn't it? Ion aBRT has been installed there. Why are we talking about changing the routing?

It's always been a conceptual routing.
An EA for LRT has not been completed, and that's what they're starting in November.
We're talking about routing, because Doug Craig doesn't want it on Water Street in front of Galt Collegiate Institute.

[MidTowner]

We're talking about routing, because Doug Craig doesn't want it on Water Street in front of Galt Collegiate Institute.

That's what I thought.

I was under the impression that an EA had been completed, so thank you for clarifying. aBRT is already running on Hespeler. I know he's the person Cambridge re-elected as mayor, but this seems like past the time to talk about where you (don't) want LRT running.

[GtwoK]

Duke Street closing between College / Ontario starting Monday. Wow, wasn't expecting this leg to start this year. Figured they'd wait for this NB portion until spring sure to both weather and current traffic with the SB portion underway.

[timio]

They started Caroline and Borden around this time last fall to get as much as they could complete before the winter hit.

[Canard]

Probably just utility work, but still, yeah - really thought they'd wait until Charles was re-opened as a vehicular thoroughfare before shutting down one of the only other options. Yikes/Yay?

[GtwoK]

There are officially curbs running down the west side of King St, running from Wellington to just before KCI (because the retaining wall isn't finished yet).

[notmyfriends]

Wasnt there a pretty document that walked through short/medium/long (pie in the sky) redevelopment plans for Hespeler road and Fairway road and other areas? Had a bunch of high rises and what not filling up the Cambridge Centre parking lot etc.

Here you go, notmyfriends, I found it!

http://issuu.com/urbanstrategiesinc/docs...647#search

The transformation over time section starts on page 135.  Page 139 has Hespeler Road and page:

       



Fairway is pretty interesting too on page 145:

       

[Canard]

As much as I don't want to post this, I'd rather it be me that breaks the bad news. First official word that our trains are behind schedule - and so is the King Street Underpass, by a staggering 6 months.

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/lrt-vehicle-...-1.2635924

[Section ThirtyOne]

As much as I don't want to post this, I'd rather it be me that breaks the bad news.  First official word that our trains are behind schedule - and so is the King Street Underpass, by a staggering 6 months.

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/lrt-vehicle-...-1.2635924

And so it begins...

At least they are being up front about it.

[MidTowner]

The fact that the trains might be behind schedule doesn't seem so surprising given all of Bombardier's woes. That the King Street underpass would be half a year behind schedule already...wow.

[Canard]

There's still a lot of time that Bombardier can pull up the schedule, too. I'm not concerned. What I am concerned about is the delay at Weber. 6 months behind on an 18 month-project is pretty bad. That pushes the projected opening back to early 2017. That's very bad.

[KevinL]

In more positive news, it appears the northbound curve at Benton had its concrete poured today! I would provide a picture but I didn't get to see it until after dark and it's tarped over.