ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[clasher]

The trains will be going by here a lot more frequently than any VIA crossings though, maybe that has something to do with it? (I'm not pro-bridge or anti-bridge)

[Canard]

So the Waterloo Spur crossings are unsafe?

[Markster]

Yeah, it's weird. A level crossing will be fine. I don't understand the concerns.

Hell, a level crossing will be safer than no crossing.

[KevinL]

At this point I think Elizabeth worded her response poorly and meant somthing different than I am seeing.

I'm sure the public meeting will clear this up, at any rate.

[Canard]

I think it's just people who don't understand railways or haven't ridden Light Rail systems before in other cities. It might look a little "wrong" to them or something, I dunno.

Here's a Sunny Sunday winter update!

• A crew was busy along Hayward today, tamping the track and installing the road deck plates to give access to Graybar. I assume this was one of these urgent "weekend pushes" that they do to try and minimize the disruption to local businesses. They had a great day today for it.
  
• Fairway is coming along great, with a very stylish Driver's Lounge being built! It'd make a great LEGO set.
  
• Platform lighting is in at many of the stops, even Block Line, which doesn't have the station canopy or anchor wall, yet. A few of the downtown Kitchener stops have lighting installed in the canopy weldment arms themselves, and at least one (Willis Way) has a digital destination signboard installed now, too (spoiler: it's one of those ghastly low-resolution Red-LED affairs, from like 1987).
  
• I noticed there's still a "30 Minute Loading Zone" sign up in front of Allen Square (https://goo.gl/maps/MG6BWzo2cT72), On King between Allen and William. That should probably come down.
  
• On a positive note, no one was parked in UpTown Waterloo on the Rapidway this afternoon, so maybe the message is getting through.
  

1/6 - Sunday, January 8, 2017

   
Ballast sweeper and Tamper at the Hydro Corridor/Wilson Ave.

   
Always a pleasure to see a Mk. VI Tamper out and about!  One of several in the area, now.

   
Hopefully, in not too long, we'll see a crossing here for the folks in Traynor.

   
The Fairway terminal crossover.

   
Crossover detail.

[Canard]

2/6 - Sunday, January 8, 2017

   
More photos from Fairway.

   

   

   

   

[Canard]

3/6 - Sunday, January 8, 2017

   
Fairway terminal continued.

   
Here's the driver's lounge.

   
I can't get enough of this design - well done, GrandLinq!

   

   

[Canard]

4/6 - Sunday, January 8, 2017

   
Crews out busy as ever on a Sunday, no less, pounding away on Hayward. Graybar is on the right there.

   
The guy in the background has a cool job - that's a gas-powered leaf blower, and he's blowing out snow from the trackwork.

   
Huron Spur, looking toward Mill/Ottawa, from Hayward.

   
Mill Station, looking back down toward Hayward, along the Huron Spur.

   
I get a kick out of the disparity in arm length here at Seagram.

[Canard]

5/6 - Sunday, January 8, 2017

   
Showing the 300 mm stagger of the contact wire, to prevent wearing a groove in the pantograph.

   
Those wacky crossing arms.

   
Seagram/Laurier/Waterloo Park station.  You'd think it was already open, with those footprints.

   
Srsly, is this not the world's largest?

   
Weber, just South of the OMSF.  Note the more permanent guarding up now to prevent accidental contact with the... contact... wire.  

[Canard]

6/6 - Sunday, January 8, 2017

   
The [very lonely and empty] yard at the OMSF.  Soon.

   
Lots of complex catenary over the S-curve above King/Conestogo.

   

   
Conestoga Terminal.

   

[Chicopee]

Nice pictures! I agree that the lounge looks pretty good. Other than a washroom, I wonder what amenities they poses.

[Canard]

Nice pictures!  I agree that the lounge looks pretty good. Other than a washroom, I wonder what amenities they poses.

Thanks! I'm pretty sure this one is just washrooms - the one at Conestoga is more substantial, and I assume would have things like a lunch room and lockers.

[KevinL]

If I'm not mistaken, that washroom building has the same colour scheme as that planned for the station's feature wall.

[Canard]

Great catch, Kevin - it looks like you're right!

   
From: http://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/...mittee.pdf

[ijmorlan]

The pedestrian crossing issue in the Traynor-Vanier neighbourhood is showing some movement!  Elizabeth Clarke just posted on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.clark...0923562112

A couple of months back, there was some Facebook discussion about the new ION tracks, and the safety fence running alongside them, cutting off pedestrian access to and from the Traynor neighbourhood.

In fact, the path that was blocked was never a legal (or maintained) access, as it trespassed across a private hydro corridor. However, the discussion served to raise the issue of the need for such an access for the neighbourhood.

The City of Kitchener has now commenced a study and public consultation, and is inviting interested community members to attend a meeting on Saturday January 28th, from 1:00 to 4:00, at the Kingsdale Community Centre, at 80 Wilson Avenue.

The characterization of the crossing as having “trespassed” across the hydro right of way is entirely inappropriate. The corridor had an official path running along it and absolutely no attempt was made to prevent people from walking wherever they wanted in the corridor. There may be a case to be made in some cases that using some of the crossings required trespassing on adjacent properties, although even there that is in many cases not appropriate due to the lack of fencing or signage and in some cases the presence of specifically-constructed gaps in fences.

And don’t get me started on the statement that a crossing would be “unsafe”. In addition to what others have already pointed out, we don’t need people making up bogus safety issues that even the sometimes overly enthusiastic regulators aren’t concerned about (or at least, aren’t concerned about identical situations in other parts of the city).