ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Canard]

They need to be fitted with signaling and control equipment specific to our system - this was always the plan, from day one. Rolling off the flatbed, no, it won't be able to run down the tracks instantly. It'll take a few weeks to a month or two before we see it out on the line. Bombardier will be here on-site for the duration of power-up finishing off controls software and so on.

Metrolinx, on the other hand, won't take delivery of the Pilot, because they have nowhere to run it. If Bombardier started delivering their vehicles tomorrow, they'd be completely screwed.

Metrolinx has completely screwed this up and is trying to save face by throwing Bombardier under the bus. They gave no clear direction on what the Pilot should be or do: Just, "Build us a train and we'll tell you then what we want changed". From a manufacturer's perspective, this is a catastrophically inefficient and expensive way to work. It would be better for them to stay involved at all phases of development, but they won't do it.

Metrolinx only needs about 100 vehicles for projects under construction. But they have 182 on order. They are, in my eyes, simply looking for any legal way possible with the best optics for them to get out of the order (or reduce it in scope somehow).

As usual, media chooses to go for the sensational report, by using the delivery of our first train as the method by which to drum up more anger and hate.

Have a read through this thread, starting here.

[Markster]

Phase 2 has been split into its own thread:
http://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/s...hp?tid=683
I'd make it sticky like the main ION thread... but something seems to be slightly broken with the moderation tools at the moment.

[Canard]

Confirmed that our LRV passed through the Wolverton yard and is making its way to London this morning.

It'll get picked up by a local switcher and head back to Galt next.

[trainspotter139]

That was probably the train i heard this morning. could have been here today if it wasn't lashed to a non-stop to London.

[trainspotter139]

Decided to take a drive up to Alliston, Ontario today to see our first train! It was here all day at the Spence Yard, just south of Alliston. Rumour has it that it'll leave here sometime tonight.

Standard disclaimer: All photos taken from public property (11th Line). Finally got to give my 600mm lens a good workout!



That paper in the window is quite ironic isn't it? "Metrolinx Car #001 R.O.W" 

[KevinL]

Remember, our order was a piggyback on Metrolinx's. So technically they're still on the invoice.

[nms]

Just had a look at that - it is huge, but a big patch in the middle of it is empty! Curious.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.8041942,-...a=!3m1!1e3

This looks like a decommissioned hump classification yard to me.  Incoming trains would be pushed through the throat of yard (likely the lower/SW corner) and cars would roll downhill singly or in pairs on their own to their next train.  It was probably taken out of service when CP rationalized some of their network and/or changed their car movement patterns.

[nms]

Thanks, Rainrider!  The next few days will be challenging, for sure.  There's going to be a lot of shuffling around and I don't think it's going to be so easy to track... but, a big, shiny new train in Cambridge should be fairly easy to spot!  I just wish we knew with a little more certainty when exactly things will be happening.  I didn't realize just how "dynamic" and "flexible" the whole freight industry is.

1/2 Monday, February 20, 2017

Here are just a few more photos from today - I've tried to just pick and choose a couple as so not to flood the forum too much (sorry!).


At the Fairway terminus, things are shaping up great.


Both anchor walls and canopy structures are up.  There are snap lines installed for lining up the glass, so I'm sure they're getting to install those panels very soon.

Does anyone have any idea how passengers at either terminus will know which platform to wait on for the departing train?  I assume that an incoming train will arrive on Track 1, detrain everyone and then the driver would exit for a break/washroom stop.  While that is happening a train on Track 2 would depart.  Since the platforms flank the tracks, it will be a little more involved than passengers just turning around if they happen to have guessed wrong on the departing track.  While the decision is easy if there is already a train at the platform, but if there are no trains in the station, hopefully passengers will have a "Next Train: Platform 1" sign.

[Markster]

Does anyone have any idea how passengers at either terminus will know which platform to wait on for the departing train?  I assume that an incoming train will arrive on Track 1, detrain everyone and then the driver would exit for a break/washroom stop.  While that is happening a train on Track 2 would depart.  Since the platforms flank the tracks, it will be a little more involved than passengers just turning around if they happen to have guessed wrong on the departing track.  While the decision is easy if there is already a train at the platform, but if there are no trains in the station, hopefully passengers will have a "Next Train: Platform 1" sign.

It hasn't been explicitly described yet, but there will be digital displays on each platform. Presumably they will have a message on them to let you know. I've seen that on other systems. "NEXT TRAIN: OTHER PLATFORM" or less helpfully, each platform will have their own countdown "NEXT TRAIN: 18 MIN" on one, and "NEXT TRAIN: 4 MIN" on the other.

Still, not as simple as if it were an island platform.

[ijmorlan]

Does anyone have any idea how passengers at either terminus will know which platform to wait on for the departing train?  I assume that an incoming train will arrive on Track 1, detrain everyone and then the driver would exit for a break/washroom stop.  While that is happening a train on Track 2 would depart.  Since the platforms flank the tracks, it will be a little more involved than passengers just turning around if they happen to have guessed wrong on the departing track.  While the decision is easy if there is already a train at the platform, but if there are no trains in the station, hopefully passengers will have a "Next Train: Platform 1" sign.

No inside information here, but with peak frequency being only every 7 minutes, one platform is amply sufficient. So my expectation would be that only a single platform would be used at each end of the line. They may use “step-back” crewing, where a driver arrives on one vehicle, takes a break, and leaves on the next.

It occurred to me that a loop at the end of the line would also work fine for LRT. Minimum turning radius is much smaller than on a subway.

Actually, it’s not at all clear to me why we have two-track termini, or indeed why the line is two-track all the way to the end. It seems to me that the two tracks could merge into a single track 2-3 minutes travel time from the terminus and continue as a single track to the end. This would involve one switch and no crossovers of specialwork, as compared to the actual four switches and one crossover. This is how the Santee Town Centre station on the San Diego Trolley works, except that the station itself actually does have two tracks. However, the second track was not in regular use when I visited (track was all rusty). It’s not a bad idea to have a siding into which to push a disabled vehicle.

[tomh009]

Actually, it’s not at all clear to me why we have two-track termini, or indeed why the line is two-track all the way to the end. It seems to me that the two tracks could merge into a single track 2-3 minutes travel time from the terminus and continue as a single track to the end. This would involve one switch and no crossovers of specialwork, as compared to the actual four switches and one crossover.

In case we want to extend the track beyond the current termini in the future?

[KevinL]

Our own Canard has been cited for his dedicated tracking: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-...97?cmp=rss

[KevinT]

Does anyone have any idea how passengers at either terminus will know which platform to wait on for the departing train?  I assume that an incoming train will arrive on Track 1, detrain everyone and then the driver would exit for a break/washroom stop.  While that is happening a train on Track 2 would depart.  Since the platforms flank the tracks, it will be a little more involved than passengers just turning around if they happen to have guessed wrong on the departing track.  While the decision is easy if there is already a train at the platform, but if there are no trains in the station, hopefully passengers will have a "Next Train: Platform 1" sign.

No inside information here, but with peak frequency being only every 7 minutes, one platform is amply sufficient. So my expectation would be that only a single platform would be used at each end of the line. They may use “step-back” crewing, where a driver arrives on one vehicle, takes a break, and leaves on the next.

It occurred to me that a loop at the end of the line would also work fine for LRT. Minimum turning radius is much smaller than on a subway.

Actually, it’s not at all clear to me why we have two-track termini, or indeed why the line is two-track all the way to the end. It seems to me that the two tracks could merge into a single track 2-3 minutes travel time from the terminus and continue as a single track to the end. This would involve one switch and no crossovers of specialwork, as compared to the actual four switches and one crossover. This is how the Santee Town Centre station on the San Diego Trolley works, except that the station itself actually does have two tracks. However, the second track was not in regular use when I visited (track was all rusty). It’s not a bad idea to have a siding into which to push a disabled vehicle.

My assumption is that the crossover will always take the inbound train over to the outbound track for offload / reload.  It's only if vehicles begin to bunch up that a train would pull into the terminus 'inbound' platform to offload passengers, because a train is already sitting at the 'outbound' platform.  After the outbound train has left (and note that I'm still assuming stuff here, not saying that this is how it will actually be) then it will use the cross-over to get onto the outbound track, and back into the outbound platform for loading and departure.  That way trains will consistently load and depart from the 'outbound' platform.

(The only hiccup in that plan is the backing up required, as it would likely require the driver to switch ends three times.  Not sure they'd be allowed to do it on camera feeds alone.)

[KevinL]

HIghly impractical, especially at our termini. At Fairway they would have to back (at lest partially) across Wilson Ave; at Conestoga it's the Conestoga/King intersection, which is even worse.

[ijmorlan]

Actually, it’s not at all clear to me why we have two-track termini, or indeed why the line is two-track all the way to the end. It seems to me that the two tracks could merge into a single track 2-3 minutes travel time from the terminus and continue as a single track to the end. This would involve one switch and no crossovers of specialwork, as compared to the actual four switches and one crossover.

In case we want to extend the track beyond the current termini in the future?

Space could be left for the second track but the expense of actually building and maintaining it deferred until needed.

On a larger scale, it is my firm opinion that major Regional roads should be built so that they are compatible with LRT plans. Building an LRT down Fischer-Hallman, for example, should be a simple matter of installing it in the pre-determined location, with no utility moved required.