ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[schooner77]

I second nms's observation. The pedestrian paths around the Uptown area are mind numbingly difficult to navigate. The signage is almost non-existant. I really feel for the businesses, they must be feeling the pinch.

[Canard]

There's only so much they can do. When pranksters start moving cones, barrels, fences and signs around after-hours, what do you expect?

[KevinL]

There's only so much they can do. When pranksters start moving cones, barrels, fences and signs around after-hours, what do you expect?

That's despicable behaviour. But if it's happening in high-traffic areas, we should be seeing stronger enforcement, or at the least having someone check over their arrangement each morning and correct where needed.

[Canard]

It's definitely happening.  But by the next morning, it's too late - a bunch of pedestrians the previous evening have already been confused, leading to angry tweets and forum posts and cut-throughs!  Whenever I ride along after-hours, I do my best to put signs and barrels back, if it's obvious they've been displaced...

I must admit, I haven't fixed this one yet:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Okay... These detours are getting a bit ridiculous. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wrLRT?src=hash">#wrLRT</a> <a href="https://t.co/iEpWaGXhpM">pic.twitter.com/iEpWaGXhpM</a></p>&mdash; iain (@Canardiain) <a href="https://twitter.com/Canardiain/status/755847709555294208">July 20, 2016</a></blockquote>

[rangersfan]

Speaking of detours - the cycling detour where the Spur line trail hits Regina and heading north there are cycling detour signs all the way until you hit the construction on Regina St, not well coordinated.

[Canard]

The Bombardier FLEXITY Freedom mockup will be in Hamilton this weekend.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Coming to <a href="https://twitter.com/ConcessionBIA">@ConcessionBIA</a> Streetfest Saturday? So is a light rail vehicle! Join us + <a href="https://twitter.com/Metrolinx">@Metrolinx</a> 11am-7pm. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamOnt?src=hash">#HamOnt</a> <a href="https://t.co/Q3JFQgX1iQ">pic.twitter.com/Q3JFQgX1iQ</a></p>&mdash; City of Hamilton (@cityofhamilton) <a href="https://twitter.com/cityofhamilton/status/764165847346614274">August 12, 2016</a></blockquote>

[Canard]

Cambridge mayor floats express buses instead of LRT for city - Paige Desmond, Waterloo Region Record

[plam]

Cambridge mayor floats express buses instead of LRT for city - Paige Desmond, Waterloo Region Record

As far as I can tell he wants the complete aBRT line to be separated from traffic...

[Canard]

Right - so true BRT.  So this is going to be extremely confusing to the General Public, who have been told all along that they already have BRT.  What Mayor Craig is proposing is more like what is on Highway 7 in Toronto (VIVA) - which works very well.

Something had been bugging me - those two gaps in the embedded track.  One in front of Cameron Heights in Kitchener, and one in front of KCI, between Kitchener and Waterloo.  Then, this morning, I was thinking about crossovers... and realized that we haven't seen any installed yet in any embedded track sections.  I put two and two together...

...and sure enough, the two gaps are exactly where the crossovers will go!

Charles Crossover:
   

   

King Crossover:
   

   

[Canard]

1/2 - Saturday, August 13, 2016

   
Looking Northwest on Charles, from Borden.  The skuffs on the left are where the car fell in!

   
Looking Southeast on Charles, toward Ottawa. 

   
The curve from Allen onto King, in Waterloo.

   
Looking South from Allen at the future Allen station.

[Canard]

2/2 - Saturday, August 13, 2016

   
Anchor wall at Willis Way.

   
Anchor wall at Willis Way.

   
#notcorduroyroad

[KevinL]

Something had been bugging me - those two gaps in the embedded track.  One in front of Cameron Heights in Kitchener, and one in front of KCI, between Kitchener and Waterloo.  Then, this morning, I was thinking about crossovers... and realized that we haven't seen any installed yet in any embedded track sections.  I put two and two together...

...and sure enough, the two gaps are exactly where the crossovers will go!

Ha! Thanks for realizing that, makes perfect sense.

Are there embedded switches anywhere else in the system yet? If not, I imagine those will all be going in at once.

[Rainrider22]

Track is now embedded from Water/Duke to Duke/Beer Store.

1/2 - Saturday, August 13, 2016


Looking Northwest on Charles, from Borden.  The skuffs on the left are where the car fell in!


Looking Southeast on Charles, toward Ottawa. 


The curve from Allen onto King, in Waterloo.


Looking South from Allen at the future Allen station.

Why do they need to have crossovers and what determines the location?

[Canard]

1. No embedded crossovers have gone in; these are the only two. There is one already in just South of the OMSF on the Waterloo Spur, ballasted. There will be two full crossovers ("X's") at both Fairway and Conestoga. The one at Conestoga is unique in that it's more compact than typical (No. 5 vs. No. 8).

2. Their purpose is to permit trains reverse their travel direction; ie, to get back to the OMSF early, if required (ie, technical problems, cleanup, whatever). They are spaced at semi-regular intervals, where convenient. As far as how many: that would be a balance of cost (can't have too many - expense) vs. service impact (too few = loss of operational flexibility).

[Canard]

Since we discussed it a few weeks ago, I thought I'd mention it - there's now a petition out for the folks on Traynor asking for a pedestrian overpass:

Install an LRT Pedestrian Crossing to Fairway Rd from the Traynor-Vanier Neighbourhood

Not a bad idea to try, but just not so sure about the execution of the request. I don't feel it's directed at the right people, and with this being a P3, asking for changes now would open up a huge can of worms - the consortium could charge whatever they want and say it will take a ridiculous amount of time and there would be nothing the Region could do. It'd be best, I feel, to wait until the project is complete, then look at what can be done. Same idea as the ugly fences in Waterloo Park.

...and I can't let it slip: it makes my skin crawl every time I see someone misspell GrandLinq.