LRT won’t snarl intersections like Edmonton system
Waterloo Region Record
By Paige Desmond
WATERLOO REGION — Regional officials are assuring the public that light rail trains won't jam traffic and cause the type of delays at intersections that have plagued Edmonton's system.
"Our philosophy on this has been we need to balance," said Thomas Schmidt, commissioner of transportation and environmental services. "It's not just the trains. There's still cars out there, there's buses, there's pedestrians and we need to have that balance."
Delays of up to 15 minutes for traffic have been reported for the Edmonton system, which was built in phases over several years.
Schmidt said the Edmonton system is using outdated technology for older portions of its rail line that don't integrate with the new portions.
At the same time, Edmonton light rail drivers are determining when to stop vehicle traffic and the signalling system has slowed trains to just 25 km/h.
Here, signal controls at intersections in Kitchener and Waterloo will be controlled by a computer system, Schmidt said. Train operators will be able to decide whether to stop or go at a traffic signal, the same as someone in a car or a bus driver might.
The Waterloo spur line is an exception. What's called an automated train protection system will be installed there so while the operator is technically in control, if a red light is run the train stops automatically.
Gates to stop traffic and allow trains to pass through intersections shouldn't be down for more than 30 seconds and trains may not automatically get priority over other traffic.
"We could run the system that way, but that would potentially disadvantage the rest of the transportation system," Schmidt said.
Schmidt said the region wants to instead integrate train and car signals to keep traffic flowing. Trains would get a priority signal only if they were behind on their route, similar to bus priority lanes on Hespeler Road in Cambridge.
Coun. Tom Galloway said he expects there will be an adjustment period for non-train traffic when the light rail is up and running in late 2017. He is confident residents can adapt.
"People are used to doing certain things — cars, pedestrians. When you introduce a train in the environment, obviously it's going to take some adjustment," he said.
The average on-road speed of the trains will be about 50 km/h on the 19 kilometres of track between Conestoga Mall in Waterloo and Fairview Park mall in Kitchener.
Speeds in areas with significant pedestrian traffic such as Waterloo Town Square or for pulling into stations will be slower, but in less congested pedestrian areas speeds could be increased to about 70 km/h, Schmidt said.
The full round trip from Conestoga Mall to Fairview Park mall in Kitchener and back is expected to take about 95 minutes.
To ensure all traffic flows smoothly, there are rules in the region's contract with construction consortium GrandLinq about how the system performs. If they don't perform, there are penalties.
According to the agreement, the system "shall allow (light rail vehicles) to be consistently served without significant delay to general traffic at signalized intersections."
There will also be several trial runs to work out kinks in the system well before service starts.
"Our goal would be to run perfectly from Day 1 … but you have to be prepared that there might be some hiccups along the way and we'll have to solve those," Schmidt said.
pdesmond@therecord.com , Twitter: @DesmondRecord
Waterloo Region Record
By Paige Desmond
WATERLOO REGION — Regional officials are assuring the public that light rail trains won't jam traffic and cause the type of delays at intersections that have plagued Edmonton's system.
"Our philosophy on this has been we need to balance," said Thomas Schmidt, commissioner of transportation and environmental services. "It's not just the trains. There's still cars out there, there's buses, there's pedestrians and we need to have that balance."
Delays of up to 15 minutes for traffic have been reported for the Edmonton system, which was built in phases over several years.
Schmidt said the Edmonton system is using outdated technology for older portions of its rail line that don't integrate with the new portions.
At the same time, Edmonton light rail drivers are determining when to stop vehicle traffic and the signalling system has slowed trains to just 25 km/h.
Here, signal controls at intersections in Kitchener and Waterloo will be controlled by a computer system, Schmidt said. Train operators will be able to decide whether to stop or go at a traffic signal, the same as someone in a car or a bus driver might.
The Waterloo spur line is an exception. What's called an automated train protection system will be installed there so while the operator is technically in control, if a red light is run the train stops automatically.
Gates to stop traffic and allow trains to pass through intersections shouldn't be down for more than 30 seconds and trains may not automatically get priority over other traffic.
"We could run the system that way, but that would potentially disadvantage the rest of the transportation system," Schmidt said.
Schmidt said the region wants to instead integrate train and car signals to keep traffic flowing. Trains would get a priority signal only if they were behind on their route, similar to bus priority lanes on Hespeler Road in Cambridge.
Coun. Tom Galloway said he expects there will be an adjustment period for non-train traffic when the light rail is up and running in late 2017. He is confident residents can adapt.
"People are used to doing certain things — cars, pedestrians. When you introduce a train in the environment, obviously it's going to take some adjustment," he said.
The average on-road speed of the trains will be about 50 km/h on the 19 kilometres of track between Conestoga Mall in Waterloo and Fairview Park mall in Kitchener.
Speeds in areas with significant pedestrian traffic such as Waterloo Town Square or for pulling into stations will be slower, but in less congested pedestrian areas speeds could be increased to about 70 km/h, Schmidt said.
The full round trip from Conestoga Mall to Fairview Park mall in Kitchener and back is expected to take about 95 minutes.
To ensure all traffic flows smoothly, there are rules in the region's contract with construction consortium GrandLinq about how the system performs. If they don't perform, there are penalties.
According to the agreement, the system "shall allow (light rail vehicles) to be consistently served without significant delay to general traffic at signalized intersections."
There will also be several trial runs to work out kinks in the system well before service starts.
"Our goal would be to run perfectly from Day 1 … but you have to be prepared that there might be some hiccups along the way and we'll have to solve those," Schmidt said.
pdesmond@therecord.com , Twitter: @DesmondRecord
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I used to be the mayor of sim city. I know what I am talking about.
I used to be the mayor of sim city. I know what I am talking about.