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ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit
(05-27-2016, 10:29 AM)panamaniac Wrote:
(05-26-2016, 09:28 PM)Canard Wrote: I hope so, but I'm not optimistic, given history.  It's one of the inevitabilities with the technology, since it interfaces at road level with all other modes of transport, instead of traveling above or below grade.  Houston has had a particularly bad time with this.

I still say a safety campaign should be started sooner, rather than later, to get the word out about safety and behavior around tracks.


You misunderstood me - I doubt we will have to wait three full weeks from the time ION starts running regularly to the first reports of contact with vehicles.  I fully expect ION to become K-W's "scratch and dent" trains.
To be clear, I don't expect any of it to be due to the trains - we will be able to thank local drivers!

Of course, that's not how the driver's nor the Record will see it Wink

"This crash wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the DAMN LRT. My car crash is the fault of LOCAL POLITICIANS."
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It wouldn't surprise me!   My "complaint du jour" with the Record is their persistent use of the verb "to drop" rather than "to spend" or (God forbid) "to invest" in reference to expenditures of the Region or the municipalities.  E.g. today's report of Waterloo "dropping" XXX dollars on the Clay and Glass Museum.  Such loaded language seems intended solely to stir controversy, imho.
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I love this quote from the article:

Quote:"Hopefully, in the end everything at the corner, Erb and Caroline and the Clay and Glass will all be bright … and there'll be nice trains running through there maybe," she said.

Maybe?
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Wonderful article today:

http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/6...r-the-job/
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As we know, the Region is planning public art installations at various stations. A short time ago, a tour was arranged for artists aspiring to be commissioned, showing them the physical context of each site and having members of the community give cultural context.

Each of these presentations were filmed, as it turns out, and have just been posted to the Region's YouTube channel.
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As always the comments on the page of that Record article are absolutely ridiculous.
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(05-27-2016, 03:22 PM)rangersfan Wrote: As always the comments on the page of that Record article are absolutely ridiculous.

I usually remind myself not to read those.  Sad
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Quote:Cheers to granlinks for putting together a great plan to put tranes in the downtown, really cool project.

This made me laugh out loud!
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With this heat it would be nice to have some Tranes running downtown to keep us cool
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New Ion update! Mostly stuff we already know. Anyone know what's up with these?

Quote:Beginning on or about May 26 for approximately one week crews may work periodically overnight (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) on King from Victoria to Moore

Beginning on or about May 26 for approximately one week crews may work periodically overnight (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) at King/ Francis

Beginning on or about May 26 for approximately one week crews may work periodically overnight (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) at Queen/Charles

Beginning May 19, for approximately two weeks, crews will work overnight (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) from Fairview Park Mall to Hayward

Why would they need to work overnight? Between Victoria and Moore, MAYBE for move the rail onto the bridge. And Queen, possibly just to really push to get it done. But why at King / Francis, or on Courtland?

Also,

Quote:Francis, King to Duke, in Kitchener
The installation of curbs, sidewalks, and asphalt is underway. This work will be followed by the installation of track and the rest of the ION infrastructure

Holy hell, quickest stretch of road complete so far? That's incredible!
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Probably just to get 'er done...?

Yeah, that's awesome about Francis! We used to live at the Kaufman Lofts - I would have loved to have been there now (and once service is running!) to watch this all unfold around me.
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(05-27-2016, 02:00 PM)KevinL Wrote: As we know, the Region is planning public art installations at various stations. A short time ago, a tour was arranged for artists aspiring to be commissioned, showing them the physical context of each site and having members of the community give cultural context.

Each of these presentations were filmed, as it turns out, and have just been posted to the Region's YouTube channel.


I watched the piece on the Mill Station site, which is of interest to me.  I see that they captured the historical dimension of the site (including the transit angle of the bus terminus - there was a small, dark green wooden bus stop with a peaked roof in the triangle that I remember from childhood.  It was also the site of one of the Eby farms, on the original Eby land grant, and they mention the orchards that were there until the 1950s (the Eby farmhouse and gardens stood down Mill where the seniors residence and neighbouring apartment building are now).  And they make the point, often forgotten I think, that Mill St is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) street in Kitchener - it apparently follows the path parallel to Schneiders Creek that the original Mennonite settlers would have followed.  That's a good bit of local history for what is now a fairly non-descript part of town.  Seems like terrific information for the successful artist to work with!
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We've come a long way.  1 year ago today, the first permanent ion tracks were laid.

   

   

   
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King (looking south-ish) at William:
   
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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I don't have any good photos (it's 11:30pm, and the flash on my phone isn't helping), but Water has been completely repaved and painted. Sidewalks are also in on the south side of Duke between Water and Francis, and are in the middle of being built on the North side. Also: LRT curbs are going in on this same stretch! The track crossing at Water may not be going in during this closure, but it seems track might be laid along Duke and then down Francis first. I'm thinking, considering the Francis closure only took maybe 3 weeks with catpole foundations going in almost immediately, there must not have been any utilities running along Francis. Would've sped things up quite a bit! Looking forward to seeing these done, maybe even withing the next few weeks.
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