ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[MidTowner]

I thought the estimated time from Willis Way to Allen seemed pretty generous at 4 minutes. I think this is a reasonably conservative schedule.

The schedule in the My New Ride planner is not the same as the PDF 301 schedule that has been uploaded. The latter now shows the time between Willis Way and Allen at three minutes. But it shows the time between Allen and Grand River Hospital as three minutes as well, which seems very generous: that's only seven hundred metres and two stop lights.

The other discrepancies are between Conestoga and Northfield (six minutes in the planner; four minutes in the PDF); and Grand River Hospital and Central Station (two minutes in the planner; three minutes in the PDF); and Mill and Block Line (seven minutes in the planner; five in the PDF).

[KevinT]

I thought the estimated time from Willis Way to Allen seemed pretty generous at 4 minutes. I think this is a reasonably conservative schedule.

The schedule in the My New Ride planner is not the same as the PDF 301 schedule that has been uploaded. The latter now shows the time between Willis Way and Allen at three minutes. But it shows the time between Allen and Grand River Hospital as three minutes as well, which seems very generous: that's only seven hundred metres and two stop lights.

The other discrepancies are between Conestoga and Northfield (six minutes in the planner; four minutes in the PDF); and Grand River Hospital and Central Station (two minutes in the planner; three minutes in the PDF); and Mill and Block Line (seven minutes in the planner; five in the PDF).

I believe these schedules have a lot of padding built into them to deal with occasional issues without trains getting behind or bunched.  I do appreciate the non-bunching, but not so much the 'a lot slower service than it could be' part.

Two or three weeks ago as I'd follow an LRV from Manitou to Waterloo Public Square on my drives in to work it was difficult to keep up to it even though it stopped and cycled its doors at every station.  This week I've routinely been catching up to and then getting ahead of an LRV because it dwells what seems like forever at every station.  I think the difference is that now the operators are running to the schedule on their 'copilot' (a term I've heard multiple times on the radio) whereas a few weeks ago they weren't.

I'll take the May service for $200 Alex.

[JJTL]

...CBC is reporting WRPS statement that it was indeed an illegal U-Turn...

I've seen more U-turns in the last couple months than I have in the rest of my life.  Did the rules recently change or maybe it's a more common practice in other parts of the world that's starting to catch on here?  Illegal or not they are something you need to watch for at just about any intersection now.

I think it has to do with the LRT being centre run down the middle of many streets. This has effectively created more "divided roadways" in the region, where cars can no longer make left hand turns into destinations anywhere they like. Motorists are now more constrained in these areas to making left turns at intersections, or legal U-Turns where allowed to double back to their destination.

[MidTowner]

If there is padding in the schedule specifically to avoid bunching, then I find that encouraging. My understanding is that bunching occurs mostly as a result of delays imposed by passenger boarding and alighting, since that's the factor that is not predictable in the schedule. Those delays should be a lot less with Ion- more doors, level boarding platform fare payment, fewer stops overall.

I guess I also have to hope that the planners are being intentionally very conservative, and when they see that bunching is not such an issue (assuming it's not) they get a bit more aggressive in scheduling.

[KevinT]

I guess I also have to hope that the planners are being intentionally very conservative, and when they see that bunching is not such an issue (assuming it's not) they get a bit more aggressive in scheduling.

Agreed, that's been my hope too since observing the longer dwells in the past week or two.

[trainspotter139]

Canard will be happy to hear that I've seen trains out with Bombardier emblems on them. 503 and 512 are two of them that I've seen with the emblems.

[boatracer]

Canard will be happy to hear that I've seen trains out with Bombardier emblems on them. 503 and 512 are two of them that I've seen with the emblems.

According to this tweet from a Record reporter they are starting to apply them to all of the trains.

https://twitter.com/WeidnerRecord/status...2171225088

[Bob_McBob]

Yet another dig at ION from the Woolwich Observer.

"Like the bounty on Mother's Day, Father's Day has its own traditions that come into play every year."

[KevinT]

Canard will be happy to hear that I've seen trains out with Bombardier emblems on them. 503 and 512 are two of them that I've seen with the emblems.

Awesome.  Can't wait to see it, and thanks for the heads-up!

[jeffster]

Yet another dig at ION from the Woolwich Observer.

"Like the bounty on Mother's Day, Father's Day has its own traditions that come into play every year."

OK...well, I'm just going to chalk this up to them being butt hurt over not have the LRT go that last KM into St. Jacobs Market.

(In many way, I wish it had, would have been nice taking the LRT up to that area -- now the only reason for me to take the LRT towards Waterloo, if I wanted to, is to go to the Apple Store or see a movie)...

[danbrotherston]

Some information about launch day: https://www.therecord.com/news-story/943...tm_content=

[Bob_McBob]

[timc]

Too funny. I was on the other side.

[ijmorlan]

Too funny. I was on the other side.

They were probably doing that dumb “stop and open the door to listen for trains” thing that buses do. Unfortunately I have an idea that school bus operating companies don’t have the option of deciding to stop doing that like GRT.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re right to stay in an intersection … how a bus driver can be unaware that you proceed through if the light turns red while you’re over the stop line is beyond me. But then again, maybe the gate dropped on them while they were pointlessly stopped listening for trains.

Sigh.

[danbrotherston]

Too funny. I was on the other side.

They were probably doing that dumb “stop and open the door to listen for trains” thing that buses do. Unfortunately I have an idea that school bus operating companies don’t have the option of deciding to stop doing that like GRT.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re right to stay in an intersection … how a bus driver can be unaware that you proceed through if the light turns red while you’re over the stop line is beyond me. But then again, maybe the gate dropped on them while they were pointlessly stopped listening for trains.

Sigh.

Failing to stop at the stop line is so common, and so easy to fix.