10-06-2016, 10:42 AM
(10-06-2016, 08:29 AM)Canard Wrote: Well this is great news!
New option may see LRT in service as scheduled in late 2017
I'm excited but I don't like that our opening ceremony will then get pushed close to winter. If it's like the weather is right now, I'm fine with that. But if it slipped at all, and went into November/December, then I'd rather just wait for a Spring 2018 opening.
No opening ceremony in the snow!!
There are definitely advantages to beginning ION service sooner, but if it is to begin sooner it is very important that it is as frequent as 200 iXpress is now. As I see it, we could feasibly begin service with 12 out of 14 vehicles (the number required for 10 minute headways with 2 spares). I would consider 10 minutes the maximum headway acceptable for launch of ION service. Anything greater would mean a reduction in service from the existing 200 iXpress. While it would be great to have 8 minute frequency from launch, I think the trade-offs of beginning ION service sooner would be worth it.
With this in mind, I would hope for a launch to coincide with the Holiday 2017 schedule service period. Hopefully, this delay will allow Bombardier enough leeway to have delivered enough trains to make 10 minute service feasible. While a winter launch may not be the most ideal photo op, beginning ION service at this time will allow two weeks buffer to run ION at further reduced frequency if absolutely necessary. It will also allow transit users and bus drivers the chance to get used to the new transit network before regular service resumes in January.
The first benefit in my mind to an earlier ION launch would be implementation of GRT route streamlining around ION stations. There is a lot the restructuring will do to improve both the directness and frequency of trips on GRT whether or not those trips involve making a connection with ION. For instance, the realigning of routes in SW Kitchener to Block Line station and away from Forest Glen will significantly improve the efficiency of bus routes and reduce the amount of time riders spend on-route and making connections between routes.
Until 8 minute peak frequency on ION can be realised, it would be good to see additional (unscheduled) runs added to routes in the CTC during peak periods. If there are spare buses available (by extending service life of soon-to-be-retired vehicles or otherwise), Route 7 King and Route 8 Courtland in the 2018 GRT service proposal would benefit from additional runs.
It may also be prudent to investigate the possibility of operating with 11 vehicles instead of 12 in case Bombardier's schedule slips. To ensure frequency does not fall below 10 minutes, we should look at operating with one spare instead of two. It may not be desirable to operate the system with only one spare, however if it is possible in the terms negotiated with Grandlinq, it is in my mind a risk worth taking, especially if the 12th vehicle is in the process on burn-in at the time of ION launch.
Ultimately, I don't want to see frequency sacrificed for the sake of a snow-free opening ceremony. What matters more is the service. 15 minute frequency on ION at launch would potentially damage existing transit ridership in the central transit corridor due to the existing 10 minute service on route 200.