ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[rangersfan]

A positive Ion article from The Record.

http://m.therecord.com/opinion-story/613...-kitchener

[SammyOES]

Canard, I find your comments pretty interesting. I don't think things like the chime are super pressing matters but given this is a thread on an online forum about the LRT it seems like a reasonable thing to mention.

[clasher]

I took a ride down Charles from Stirling today, it's paved close to the intersection with Borden.

They had tarps covering most of the newly poured concrete and some heaters pumping hot air under the tarps, gotta keep it warm.

   
   

It's looks like ~500 metres of completed track once this pavement is cured, I think. It's a pretty nice speedbump on courtland with the asphalt right now.  Seems the bridge over the creek is covered with dirt again so it's passable.

   

I also took a picture of the right-of-way looking toward the expressway from Ottawa St. it's quite the big strip of land. The old commercial/light industrial building that faces the tracks is empty and would be a nice plot of land to redevelop, hopefully something nice gets done with... it's covered in crappy graffiti right now.

[panamaniac]

Are you sure that the industrial building beside the future Mill station is empty? I thought it was still being used, but absolutely it would be a good site for some mid-density residential.

[clasher]

Not sure at all, it just seems like the signs for the old businesses that I remember are all gone but it being a Saturday it's not surprising that it looked abandoned.

[timio]

I noticed this morning that the Construction Updates link on rideion.ca has changed from linking to the not really updated Tumblr account to the bi-weekly e-mail updates. It's all the same information, just a bit more streamlined.

[KevinL]

One week later - let's try this again. Kitchener Market station:

[Canard]

Track on the North side of Northfield is now connected to the Southbound alignment - still a temporary setup.
   

   

Conduit and equipment box behind Albert McCormic Arena.
   

Future R&T Park Station.
   

   

[Canard]

At University of Waterloo, some kind of paved road is being put down on the other side of the fences that the University just put up.  Is this a maintenance access road or something for the track?

   

Work in Uptown Waterloo on Caroline continues.  Here's the Willis Way platform.

   

   

   

   

[Canard]

Trackwork also continues South on Caroline.

   

   

Crossing at Borden/Courtland:

   

   

The bridge on Borden, filled back in now.  When I talked to the folks at the PCC they said there was a lot of soil contamination found around MTD.  So maybe that's why this section is taking so long.

   

[Canard]

One last shot of Borden.

   

Two shots of Charles.  It's open now in both directions, with a turnaround loop at Borden (you have to turn around, no connection to Borden, except through the Tim Horton's lot).

   

   

That's it for today. It's a beautiful morning!

[jwilliamson]

Can anyone explain what the track layout seen in Canard's "Future R&T Park Station" picture is for? Is it somehow related to the station, or is it just a coincidence they occur together here?

[Canard]

Hi jwilliamson, it's called gauntlet track.  It permits the freight trains that use this line to bump out a little bit, so they don't clip the canopy or platform edge.  All of the stations on the spur lines will have this feature, on the Southbound track.

[ijmorlan]

At University of Waterloo, some kind of paved road is being put down on the other side of the fences that the University just put up.  Is this a maintenance access road or something for the track?

It is the multi-use trail, now re-instated north of University. It was there for many years before LRT construction began. Actually I have been wondering when the section from Seagram to University will be re-instated. It has been closed for several months, which I can’t see happening to a road unless it truly needed to be closed for that length of time.

Thanks for more great photos. I live near the Caroline St. trackage and have been very pleased to see that go in. I’ve now driven across the tracks to get on to Father David Bauer Drive a couple of times.

[jwilliamson]

Hi jwilliamson, it's called gauntlet track.  It permits the freight trains that use this line to bump out a little bit, so they don't clip the canopy or platform edge.  All of the stations on the spur lines will have this feature, on the Southbound track.

Good to know. Thanks for the great photos.