ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Viewfromthe42]

The proposed Park'n'Ride would be on the North side of Northfield, closest to the freight rail there. I already know coworkers in Downtown who use Conestoga as a P'n'R to iXpress/7 to work.

[Canard]

I love Park'n'Ride lots - we use them whenever we visit cities in our travels. We always get a hotel on the outskirts with good access to transit, then either drive or walk over to the station and take transit in for activities downtown. I'm glad it's at least on the radar, here, that there's a need for it - otherwise, you're missing hundreds of thousands of people who live in the Region but won't be able to use the system.

No surprises here for anyone who was at the OMSF tour, but the Media finally got wind of it:

Region won’t get light rail train for Christmas

At this point I kind of hope it gets delayed until April - trying to follow the first train in along the Spur Line trail is going to be a royal PITA in the middle of winter.

[Canard]

Eeeeeek, I think I just saw another place I'll put down a chip for a bet for "first accident" location...

We were driving North on King; just past William, heading into UpTown. Two cars in front of me, someone was stopped to turn left into the little driveway there just beside the LCBO. The driver in front of us didn't want to wait any longer and drove up on the rapidway (flush curb here) to go around.

No big deal at all normally, and standard practice to use the shoulder or empty parking spots to go around a stopped vehicle... but if a train were coming up behind us there, boom, that would have been instant crash.

[KevinL]

Hopefully in the same scenario once service begins, the driver will have the presence of mind to not use the rapidaway, or at least be VERY certain there is no incoming train.

[Canard]

Maybe!



...maybe not.

[ijmorlan]

Eeeeeek, I think I just saw another place I'll put down a chip for a bet for "first accident" location...

We were driving North on King; just past William, heading into UpTown. Two cars in front of me, someone was stopped to turn left into the little driveway there just beside the LCBO. The driver in front of us didn't want to wait any longer and drove up on the rapidway (flush curb here) to go around.

No big deal at all normally, and standard practice to use the shoulder or empty parking spots to go around a stopped vehicle... but if a train were coming up behind us there, boom, that would have been instant crash.

Do I remember correctly that the separating curb is more or less flat in that location? I’m surprised by the number of areas where there really isn’t any actual barrier between the LRT lane and general traffic.

[Canard]

Yeah, it's the flush/flat type curb there.

[danbrotherston]

Yeah, it's the flush/flat type curb there.

I've seen drivers using the rapidway in a number of places, including for a turn lane.  I have no idea why such a flat curb was used in those places.  It makes no sense to me.  

Does anyone know why?

[Pheidippides]

We should start a pool on where and how long after revenue service begins the first crash will be (that is with the huge assumption we make it through the testing phase unscathed).

[Canard]

LRT construction 90 per cent complete - The Record

[KevinL]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ottawa Mill now fully opened. No closures now except King grade separation <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wrLRT?src=hash">#wrLRT</a> thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/Nick_Wiatrowski">@Nick_Wiatrowski</a> <a href="https://t.co/ndXxtgmfsH">pic.twitter.com/ndXxtgmfsH</a></p>&mdash; Tom Galloway (@tomjgalloway14) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomjgalloway14/status/814214622429511684">December 28, 2016</a></blockquote>

Look closely - you can see both the freight track (foreground) and southbound LRT track are visible and fitted with a concrete deck.

[Canard]

Here's a photo of the new expansion at Bombardier's facility in Millhaven - where our trains No. 2 through 14 will be built!  The new hall is on the backside of the main building.

   

Approximately here:

   

More photos from my visit to Bombardier, as well as a tour of Ottawa's LRT construction.

[panamaniac]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ottawa Mill now fully opened. No closures now except King grade separation <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wrLRT?src=hash">#wrLRT</a> thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/Nick_Wiatrowski">@Nick_Wiatrowski</a> <a href="https://t.co/ndXxtgmfsH">pic.twitter.com/ndXxtgmfsH</a></p>&mdash; Tom Galloway (@tomjgalloway14) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomjgalloway14/status/814214622429511684">December 28, 2016</a></blockquote>

Look closely - you can see both the freight track (foreground) and southbound LRT track are visible and fitted with a concrete deck.

Has the Ottawa/Mill intersection now been reconfigured, or is that still to come?

[Coke6pk]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ottawa Mill now fully opened. No closures now except King grade separation <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wrLRT?src=hash">#wrLRT</a> thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/Nick_Wiatrowski">@Nick_Wiatrowski</a> <a href="https://t.co/ndXxtgmfsH">pic.twitter.com/ndXxtgmfsH</a></p>&mdash; Tom Galloway (@tomjgalloway14) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomjgalloway14/status/814214622429511684">December 28, 2016</a></blockquote>

Look closely - you can see both the freight track (foreground) and southbound LRT track are visible and fitted with a concrete deck.

Will I be in trouble with the Police Services Board Chair?

https://twitter.com/coke6pk/status/814498690417180672

Coke

[bpoland]

Yep, Mill no longer crosses the tracks. Going south/eastbound, you have to do the jog to the right past the church. When I was through a few days ago Ottawa was still closed east/northbound because they were still working on the NB track curve onto Ottawa, and Mill was closed on that side. They have also installed a median so going north/west on Mill it will be right turn only onto Ottawa. West/southbound Ottawa is open the whole way.