ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[tomh009]

I'm sure that land will attract bids from many other developers as well. I think this may be the most attractive piece of land that is or has been made available in DTK in recent memory.

[ijmorlan]

I'm sure that land will attract bids from many other developers as well. I think this may be the most attractive piece of land that is or has been made available in DTK in recent memory.

I just hope the City/Region don’t drop the ball on the urban planning aspects of it, including, but not limited to, the idea that Gaukel should be closed to motor vehicle traffic. Whatever is built there should have a strong relationship with the active transportation route on Gaukel and with the park on the other side of Joseph St.

[tomh009]

I'm sure that land will attract bids from many other developers as well. I think this may be the most attractive piece of land that is or has been made available in DTK in recent memory.

I just hope the City/Region don’t drop the ball on the urban planning aspects of it, including, but not limited to, the idea that Gaukel should be closed to motor vehicle traffic. Whatever is built there should have a strong relationship with the active transportation route on Gaukel and with the park on the other side of Joseph St.

The city controls Gaukel -- and the Gaukel greenway proposal is moving forward, though it hasn't made it to council yet. The terminal land, on the other hand, is a regional property.

[Acitta]

Again . . .
Motorist strikes Ion train, causing minor damage

[Pilsner]

I don't think it's been posted here yet, but Keolis will be testing the system tomorrow with approximately 200 students acting as customers boarding and disembarking the trains at various stations. It should be a fun operation for those involved, and hopefully doesn't cause too much confusion from the public when they see people boarding the trains. It will be an early preview of what full service operation will look like with customers.

I heard this was postponed. Anyone out spotting this morning to confirm?

[Pilsner]

I caught 514 a couple of days ago with the fixed “rear”. Sorry for potato photo.
   

[ijmorlan]

The city controls Gaukel -- and the Gaukel greenway proposal is moving forward, though it hasn't made it to council yet. The terminal land, on the other hand, is a regional property.

OK, that’s something. I think it should go beyond that, though — the entire block, including all the sidewalks and roads around it, as well as the portion of the park immediately the other side of Joseph, should be planned together. I’m not sure what this specifically means, but the arbitrary line between City and Regional property should not affect the outcome and should not divide the design into two completely separate pieces.

[tomh009]

The city controls Gaukel -- and the Gaukel greenway proposal is moving forward, though it hasn't made it to council yet. The terminal land, on the other hand, is a regional property.

OK, that’s something. I think it should go beyond that, though — the entire block, including all the sidewalks and roads around it, as well as the portion of the park immediately the other side of Joseph, should be planned together. I’m not sure what this specifically means, but the arbitrary line between City and Regional property should not affect the outcome and should not divide the design into two completely separate pieces.

All the streets you mention are city streets, not regional roads. I believe the city owns the sidewalks, too, though I could possibly be wrong on that. So the city is in control: if you want to make a proposal, you can either present to council or join in with the Gaukel Greenway group

The terminal land is just like private ownership of property, it just happens to be the region. City will generally not have any rights on that unless it chooses to expropriate the land.

[bgb_ca]

Details on opening weekend are up. They are not doing full scheduled service until the Monday.

https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/ready-to-ride-ion.aspx

[jeffster]

Just looked at their ION schedule -- man. They need to clean up the scheduling. Maybe I am just used to the TTC, but their paperwork makes zero sense. Though if I am reading correctly, I am surprised at the early service (before 5), this is earlier than Toronto, though doesn't run as late.

[plam]

Just looked at their ION schedule -- man. They need to clean up the scheduling. Maybe I am just used to the TTC, but their paperwork makes zero sense. Though if I am reading correctly, I am surprised at the early service (before 5), this is earlier than Toronto, though doesn't run as late.

Looks like a fairly standard paper schedule to me. It does start surprisingly early and finishes about the same time as Montreal's Metro. Maybe not as late on Saturdays. (Montreal runs till about 1am on Saturdays and 00:30 otherwise.)

[KevinL]

Keep in mind that the tracks need to be free overnight for freight movements on the Waterloo Spur.

That said, I'd love to see the replacement shuttle setup used to someday bring overnight bus service on the 301.

[ijmorlan]

All the streets you mention are city streets, not regional roads. I believe the city owns the sidewalks, too, though I could possibly be wrong on that. So the city is in control: if you want to make a proposal, you can either present to council or join in with the Gaukel Greenway group

The terminal land is just like private ownership of property, it just happens to be the region. City will generally not have any rights on that unless it chooses to expropriate the land.

I believe Charles is Regional.

Anyway, my point is that the Region shouldn’t just sell the land, no strings attached. Instead, they should work with the City to plan what the block will look like at street level. If that includes severing part of the block to widen the space available at Gaukel or some other adjustment to property boundaries, that is best done cooperatively between the two governments. The relationship between the building and the surrounding streets should also be worked out. Then the developer can decide what to build, how tall, how much commercial, etc. within the urban planning context established by the City and the Region.

[ijmorlan]

Keep in mind that the tracks need to be free overnight for freight movements on the Waterloo Spur.

That said, I'd love to see the replacement shuttle setup used to someday bring overnight bus service on the 301.

The LRT is supposed to run both ways on the northbound track during freight hours. Operating this way, the only conflict between LRT and freight is between the switch in Waterloo Town Square parking lot to the crossover near the Perimeter Institute.

Except that I just took a look at the ION schedule, and it shows a scheduled 10 minute travel time between Northfield and Waterloo Public Square/Willis Way, implying that only a 20 minute headway can be maintained between those points on a single track with no intermediate passing sidings, but the schedule calls for 15 minute headway right up to the end of service at 01:00. So now I’m confused about what they are planning.

[ijmorlan]

Just looked at their ION schedule -- man. They need to clean up the scheduling. Maybe I am just used to the TTC, but their paperwork makes zero sense. Though if I am reading correctly, I am surprised at the early service (before 5), this is earlier than Toronto, though doesn't run as late.

I don’t understand what you think is wrong with it. It has one column for each stop, showing the times the LRT stops. Headways are 10 or 15 minutes at all times, except when it shuts down from about 01:00 to 05:00. The only change I would make is to use 24-hour time. What do you think should be changed about the published schedules? And are you concerned about the actual scheduling, or the way the scheduling is presented and displayed in the published materials?