ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[danbrotherston]

It will be interesting to see if the reopening of King St, after such a long closure and with the many changes now in place, have any effect on the old Kitchener habit of "cruising King St".  I always found it interesting how many drivers tended to choose King over faster routes.  I confess that I still tend to do it!

Yesterday, I cruised King St in midtown just for kicks, and can say that with all the new traffic lights, that will be a habit that should die quickly. Getting past the hospital is a lot of traffic lights, and they are not particularly well synchronized for a green wave (which would be impossible to accommodate for both directions at once)

I believe things will improve once the signals are properly programmed.  Right now they seem to be operating without sensors, and they trigger every direction for the maximum time every time.

[kps]

We're getting close to the ability to use a pallet train end to end.  Who's going first?

Now we're talkin'!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LADv8JYZncg

That stretch down King from Welling to Victoria will be AWESOME!

Metre-gauge tram line, though. It will take ugly protruding axles to run a 4′ pallet on our 4′8½″ tracks.

[timc]

On the subject of Waterloo Park-Laurier, I watched a bit of the paving work they were doing last week on Seagram. I saw one of the guys pouring some black goop from pails into the gap between the pairs of gauntlet track. I didn't know what it was, but when I went by today, it looked like some kind of hardened black resin instead of asphalt in the narrow gaps. Does anyone know what that is? It looks like it will be more durable than asphalt in the narrow gaps.

[Canard]

I think it is exactly what you describe. Custom filler for that small gap likely doesn't exist off the shelf. They got creative.

[Markster]

Mill Station:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The change between Line of Sight driving, vs. obeying railroad signals. <a href="https://t.co/NgPhXY7Z9w">pic.twitter.com/NgPhXY7Z9w</a></p>&mdash; Mark Jackson-Brown (@Markster3000) <a href="https://twitter.com/Markster3000/status/871526887801180160">June 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Views from the south end of Mill Station <a href="https://t.co/UtKCduG1vS">pic.twitter.com/UtKCduG1vS</a></p>&mdash; Mark Jackson-Brown (@Markster3000) <a href="https://twitter.com/Markster3000/status/871526328775974913">June 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The crossing lights at the south end imply a southern station access point, but there is no obvious way out down here. Not yet. <a href="https://t.co/Jkrr7xsw74">pic.twitter.com/Jkrr7xsw74</a></p>&mdash; Mark Jackson-Brown (@Markster3000) <a href="https://twitter.com/Markster3000/status/871527641429442560">June 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

Northfield Station:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Northfield Station answers questions about Mill St. The south end platform access is just an alt sidewalk on the far side of the tracks. <a href="https://t.co/EaElktQX9y">pic.twitter.com/EaElktQX9y</a></p>&mdash; Mark Jackson-Brown (@Markster3000) <a href="https://twitter.com/Markster3000/status/871782336861540352">June 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

Block Line Station:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Block Line Station. Future home of four 30 storey residential towers? <a href="https://t.co/8HfPSk0oKk">pic.twitter.com/8HfPSk0oKk</a></p>&mdash; Mark Jackson-Brown (@Markster3000) <a href="https://twitter.com/Markster3000/status/871531974359486464">June 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Courtland and Hillmount is quite intimidating to cross. Courtland is 7 lanes wide.<br>4 travel, 2 bus bays, and a future left turn bay. <a href="https://t.co/wuW31e1xru">pic.twitter.com/wuW31e1xru</a></p>&mdash; Mark Jackson-Brown (@Markster3000) <a href="https://twitter.com/Markster3000/status/871532544407326721">June 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

Fairway Hydro Corridor:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The current state of pedestrian access across the Fairway hydro corridor. <a href="https://t.co/pbVBr5Hyb4">pic.twitter.com/pbVBr5Hyb4</a></p>&mdash; Mark Jackson-Brown (@Markster3000) <a href="https://twitter.com/Markster3000/status/871536140960112640">June 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

[trainspotter139]

I think it is exactly what you describe. Custom filler for that small gap likely doesn't exist off the shelf. They got creative.

Looks like a liquid rubber or tar gap filler.

[Canard]

Lots of concrete rubble and torn up embedded trackwork at the curve between Hayward and Courtland.

[taylortbb]

What is the purpose of the mats?

The original project agreement specified embedded track in station areas, and the mats are probably some sort of compromise. Agreement says

LRT Stop platform Considerations 
Embedded track shall also be used in all LRT Stop platform areas to promote a stable track to 
platform relationship needed to address cleanliness, safety, facilitate bus bridging and promote 
AODA requirements by resisting the potential for frost heaving.

I don't see it helping with track stability, but maybe cleanliness, and safety. If someone fell off a platform they're more able to step back on than lose their balance and fall.

[KevinL]

Huh. Makes sense, though.

[Canard]

So a friend of mine in Toronto thought it was "Weird" to hear the "beep - beep - beep" reversing alarms on our construction vehicles building our LRT. I was baffled - that's all I've ever heard. Apparently, in Toronto, these are almost entirely gone, and replaced with this:



I had no idea this was a thing. It makes sense, and I get it - but why, I wonder, haven't I ever heard a single construction vehicle here with it? So weird! The beeping is probably the worst part for people in construction areas.

[timc]

I had no idea this was a thing.  It makes sense, and I get it - but why, I wonder, haven't I ever heard a single construction vehicle here with it?  So weird!  The beeping is probably the worst part for people in construction areas.

I have definitely heard it on vehicles in Waterloo. I first learned about it from a Tom Scott video.

[Canard]

I watched that last night too. So weird! I can't believe this has been a thing for decades. I literally have never run across this anywhere.

[JJTL]

I had no idea this was a thing.  It makes sense, and I get it - but why, I wonder, haven't I ever heard a single construction vehicle here with it?  So weird!  The beeping is probably the worst part for people in construction areas.

I have definitely heard it on vehicles in Waterloo. I first learned about it from a Tom Scott video.

Neat info! Funny that there is a garbage truck that picks up a bin on my street every week, and it has that white noise back up alarm. Until reading this my thought was always "that back up beeper sounds broken!". Learn something new everyday.

[timc]

I thought I had heard it on a garbage truck, but I'm not usually around when they are backing up.

[Canard]

It really does sound like the Matrix glitched out and there's going to be a tear in the space/time continuum. I don't know if I like it or not! I think it's kind of terrifying.

In other news, GrandLinq is getting together again and playing in Mississauga as Trillium! I knew this was happening since they used my photos for their bid presentation Exciting to see progress!