ION Stage 3 Speculation - Facts, Theories, Speculation, Rumors!

[Markster]

ION - Stage 3
Speculation Thread

A thread for speculation!
What will Waterloo Region's next higher-order transit project be?

   

[jamincan]

So I guess this is the thread for discussing regional name pronunciations? Is that Eeb-ycrest or Ebb-ycrest? ?

[Markster]

No!
You can make your own thread for that!

[panamaniac]

So I guess this is the thread for discussing regional name pronunciations? Is that Eeb-ycrest or Ebb-ycrest? ?

Ebb-ycrest?  Surely you jest!

[KevinL]

A Redditor on /r/toronto has posted a fantasy map for the entire Greater Golden Horseshoe, including Ion.

Some highlights:


He also adds an infill station between Uptown and Laurier, which he calls Silver Lake.



Other than his airport spur, he adds no east-west routes.

[Spokes]

Can't help but wonder if they'd love a Victoria St route to tie in with the central station.

[urbd]

Interesting how the stretch of Erb connecting to Uptown is not included as potential stage 3 RT

[chutten]

Interesting how the stretch of Erb connecting to Uptown is not included as potential stage 3 RT

I dunno, to me going Conestoga to Boardwalk via University Ave continues to feed (and feed off of) the intensification around the University (as well as supporting the intensification existing transit converging at the University already supported). Also, given the "long and skinny" geography of the region, a pure East-West RT line north of Victoria might not be long enough to be warranted.

(( ...and with this routing WLU would actually be reachable by RT, no matter how generously Line 1-Waterloo Park might be officially named. ))

That being said, it would cannibalize ridership from the 202 as its routing remains unchanged. If we Stage 3 this way, I would prefer to see the 202 reroute via Erb and Weber (or King, but why we continue to treat Weber as being allergic to express bus service eludes me) to provide iXpress connectivity to Line 1-Uptown.

Mostly I'm wondering how a Stage 3 on University would interconnect with Line 1, since it decided to not put a stop on Universtiy. Walking transfer up to Line 1-UW? A rail-sharing detour to Line 1-Waterloo Park?

[KevinL]

Infill station on line 1 just south of University, perhaps.

[Canard]

Victoria makes so much sense, for all the same reasons they want to put it down Hespeler Road/Hwy. 24 in Cambridge. The "look" of both areas is very similar, and the desire to intensify them should be the same.

[Rainrider22]

Victoria makes so much sense, for all the same reasons they want to put it down Hespeler Road/Hwy. 24 in Cambridge.  The "look" of both areas is very similar, and the desire to intensify them should be the same.

I agree !!!

[C Plus]

Wouldn't a rail intersection at university require a grade separation according to Transport Canada since freight still uses the spur line

[Markster]

Wouldn't a rail intersection at university require a grade separation according to Transport Canada since freight still uses the spur line

The freight line is already running on LRT tracks, so no.
Grade separation is needed elsewhere, because those lines have to allow for double height cars, which would interfere with overhead wires. No double height rail cars run on the spur line.

[ijmorlan]

Wouldn't a rail intersection at university require a grade separation according to Transport Canada since freight still uses the spur line

The freight line is already running on LRT tracks, so no.
Grade separation is needed elsewhere, because those lines have to allow for double height cars, which would interfere with overhead wires.  No double height rail cars run on the spur line.

Don’t count on it!

What I want to know is what sort of connection between the two crossing lines they would put in. I suspect that it might be too much to hope for a grand union!

[panamaniac]

How many kilometres would a line be that started at Conestoga Mall and ran down King to University, over to Erb, down Ira Needles, and across town on Victoria (or Highland/Belmont/Victoria) to the transit hub?