ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Spokes]

I had thought that there was a thread specifically for Ion Phase II (Fairway to Cambridge), but I may have been mistaken. Moderators can feel free to move this if I've chosen the wrong thread.

The premiere of Ontario met with the mayor of Hamilton to day, and it's being reported that the provincial government is committing to 100% funding for Hamilton's proposed LRT system. $811 million is the figure that Hamilton has been saying it will cost, but I think there's a good chance that it will have inflated from there.

I know that Hamilton is Metrolinx and Big Move territory, but it seems to me that Ion II has a really good chance of moving forward (especially since the Regional government is willing to pay their fair share) given this.

Seems like a potentially dangerous precedent to be setting

[Spokes]

Victoria seems like an obvious choice - head East, then South through Breslau to the airport, before curving back East along Fairway to terminate at the Mall. I can dream.

I still say Corination is a better choice for Cambridge than Hespeler/24.

I'd love to see a line running down Victoria from the boardwalk to the Airport.

Hespeler Rd makes sense from a development/commercial standpoint.

[MidTowner]

Seems like a potentially dangerous precedent to be setting

I think that municipalities as a matter of course should be pitching in for projects like this. But the precedent has already been set for full Metrolinx funding for GTHA rapid transit projects: the Eglinton Crosstown (at the better part of seven billion dollars) is fully-funded by the province. Mississauga's government (since the election) has said that it expects/hopes that the province will fully fund its LRT (at more than a billion and a half dollars).

[MidTowner]

[quote='Canard' pid='4523' dateline='1422361441']
I'd love to see a line running down Victoria from the boardwalk to the Airport.

Hespeler Rd makes sense from a development/commercial standpoint.

I agree completely: an Ion line down Victoria connecting to the airport would be fantastic. I'd say that a University line would make more sense sooner, but having the airport connection would really be great.

[plam]

I'd love to see a line running down Victoria from the boardwalk to the Airport.

Hespeler Rd makes sense from a development/commercial standpoint.

I agree completely: an Ion line down Victoria connecting to the airport would be fantastic. I'd say that a University line would make more sense sooner, but having the airport connection would really be great.

Apart from the airport, what are the important trip generators on Victoria? The Boardwalk is rather hostile to pedestrians as well. I think Cambridge really does make a lot more sense, and then University.

[MidTowner]

Like I said, I'd say that a University line would make more sense sooner. But I love the idea of the airport being one day connected.

Politically, I don't think there's any chance of any further expansion of Ion in the Region until Cambridge gets it.

[DHLawrence]

I still say Corination is a better choice for Cambridge than Hespeler/24.

I'd love to see a line running down Victoria from the boardwalk to the Airport.

Hespeler Rd makes sense from a development/commercial standpoint.

Also from a Nimby standpoint - there are enough complaints about the freight trains from Toyota as it is. Plus it would be difficult to operate down King Street without removing on-street parking (the rail corridor sadly isn't a likely option). Hespeler Road, by comparison, has fewer residents and plenty of land to operate on without affecting existing developments or traffic flow too much. And, as mentioned, there's plenty of redevelopment potential; you'd be hard pressed to find a building along Hespeler Road that people will get sentimental about.

The real weakness to the Hespeler Road plan is operating on Eagle Street; it's narrower than King Street, so expropriation is a given. Even after looking at the diagrams for the Cambridge segments, I still think the hill on Eagle Street past the Preston stop is going to be a challenge. Can't see them changing their minds and choosing an off-street route for that segment, though.

[Drake]

University could have been covered off in phase one, but the preference (and cost savings) I imagine involved following the existing rail line. If the LRT deviated at UofW and followed University Ave east to Regina and then headed into the Uptown it could have resumed its route there.

Just daydreaming

[clasher]

There's absolutely no reason to run an LRT to the airport. Victoria Street doesn't have room from trains west of Park Street until you get to Westmount, unless you want to demolish all the houses along that stretch.

My hope is that aBRT will start to work in Cambridge the same way the iXpress did in KW. GRT has already improved Cambridge transit so much I think most people will start to the see

The economic situation in Hamilton is a lot different than the ROW so I'm not going to get upset that they're getting some vague promises that may or may not amount to anything if some Rob Ford type can sink the LRT proposal.

[gomesjustin]

Well put clasher!

[BuildingScout]

I agree with Clasher too. An LRT on Victoria goes from nowhere to nowhere connecting not much in between either. The main centres of activity in KW are Fairway, Downtown/Uptown/Universities and Conestoga Mall. You can add Conestoga College if you like, but that's about it.  Victoria is mostly residential West of King and big box store East of King, none of which are conducive to public transit. Lastly it will be a long time before there is enough traffic to justify an LRT to the airport.

Here's hoping that such a day will come, but at the present time if we want public transit to the airport it would be best served by a shuttle tied to the arrival/departure times of the half dozen flights a day from there.

[white_brian]

In a perfect world I would love to see a second LRT line that travels similar to what they had envisioned the expressway to do years ago. Basically it would loop around the outer perimeter of the KW (pick your route) but connect with phase one the get to places like Conestoga College, Ira Needles, RIM Park just to name a few.
Secondly- all the cool kids wannna have they're tech start-ups in old buildings, KW is running low on potential developments and yet Cambridge not long ago was complaining about all of theirs!! IMO if Doug and crew got off their soap boxes and shined up some of their wears they would garner a lot of interest and help their case for both LRT and GO as well as solve the problems with derelict lands...

[JoeKW]

What's the likelihood that the LRT makes it to Fischer Hallman in the next 20 years?

[DHLawrence]

Trains magazine's News Wire is reporting that the Region has exercised its option to extend the contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff for another three years. What does that entail?

[Waterlooer]

What's the likelihood that the LRT makes it to Fischer Hallman in the next 20 years?

That will not happen, it's too low density. You'll have to use the 201 iXpress which goes down Fischer-Hallman to get on ION.