ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[danbrotherston]

I wasn't sure where to put this, but given it's part of the ION project, I figured it works here, but it's really about cycling.

I recall on Northfield that someone was suggesting to the region that the cycling/ped infra should have been diverted to the middle of the overpass in order provide segregated infrastructure and protection. Given the infamy of the cycling lanes on this section, it seems like it would have been a good idea.

The region of course dismissed such ideas because the design they built is perfectly fine, who wouldn't ride there (the answer is everyone of course).

But I did think it was a unique solution, and our engineers are highly conservative, and unwilling to try unique ideas (except this year for some reason). However, it is no longer unique. Apparently Viva used this design on their Highway 7 Rapidway over Highway 400. I've not seen it in person, and to be fair, Highway 7 is probably even more hostile to pedestrians and cyclists than Northfield, but still, it is amazing how much better our overpass could have been.

https://youtu.be/DiO0P3SDSDU?t=335

[ijmorlan]

I recall on Northfield that someone was suggesting to the region that the cycling/ped infra should have been diverted to the middle of the overpass in order provide segregated infrastructure and protection.  Given the infamy of the cycling lanes on this section, it seems like it would have been a good idea.

Thanks for pointing this out. I was talking about this idea before, although there may have been others as well. It’s good to see something like what I was thinking put into practice.

[dtkvictim]

While I can appreciate that it's definitely a better solution, that still looks like a thoroughly unpleasant environment to be in.

[danbrotherston]

While I can appreciate that it's definitely a better solution, that still looks like a thoroughly unpleasant environment to be in.

No question about that.

That area will never be walkable...it's a thoroughly anti-pedestrian situation (and I don't care how possible it is to walk places).

However, making places like that safely bikeable I do believe has a huge impact on enabling other transportation options. It's still not pleasant, but if it is at least safe, it's feasible.

[KevinL]

The Ion line south of Mill will be closed all weekend for track work. https://www.grt.ca/en/schedules-maps/ion...irway.aspx

Not sure what track needs work, but the line is finally old enough to need this kind of maintenance, it seems.

[ac3r]

That seems oddly fast to be doing track work considering it was only laid in 2017 (I think). I wonder what they're doing.

[danbrotherston]

That seems oddly fast to be doing track work considering it was only laid in 2017 (I think). I wonder what they're doing.

There was speculation on twitter that they were correcting whatever technicality is preventing trains from exceeding 15 km/h north of Hayward...

Which really was a good joke, because drivers generally went at least double that...

[KevinL]

They're putting in level crossings for Virrera Village and the Traynor pedestrain crossing. https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...ekend.html

Crews will be installing plates to create a level crossing across the Ion tracks, to give access to two properties just north and south of Block Line Station, including one site just north of the station where Viridis Development plans to build four residential towers.

Crews will also be working to improve an existing crossing that connects Fairway Road with a multi-use trail near Traynor Park.

[Momo26]

What exactly is a level crossing ?

[ijmorlan]

What exactly is a level crossing ?

Any place where non-rail traffic crosses the tracks at the same level as the tracks, i.e., without a bridge or tunnel.

[ac3r]

Specifically like this: https://www.edilonsedra.com/wp-content/u...Sydney.jpg

I imagine what they're building here will be a bit more rough, since this would presumably be for construction vehicles to enter the site.

[Bytor]

That seems oddly fast to be doing track work considering it was only laid in 2017 (I think). I wonder what they're doing.

There was speculation on twitter that they were correcting whatever technicality is preventing trains from exceeding 15 km/h north of Hayward...

Which really was a good joke, because drivers generally went at least double that...

Yeah, I don't know what Iain was smoking when he asked that.

[danbrotherston]

There was speculation on twitter that they were correcting whatever technicality is preventing trains from exceeding 15 km/h north of Hayward...

Which really was a good joke, because drivers generally went at least double that...

Yeah, I don't know what Iain was smoking when he asked that.

Wishful thinking?

I mean, I honestly do not understand the purpose of the restriction there...it's ridiculous...but I'm not a railway engineer, so I'm sure there's a good reason why a train can't do more than a jogging pace through an entirely segregated straight right of way next to a track where trains go four times the speed in the opposite direction.

[ijmorlan]

Yeah, I don't know what Iain was smoking when he asked that.

Wishful thinking?

I mean, I honestly do not understand the purpose of the restriction there...it's ridiculous...but I'm not a railway engineer, so I'm sure there's a good reason why a train can't do more than a jogging pace through an entirely segregated straight right of way next to a track where trains go four times the speed in the opposite direction.

Maybe there is something wrong with the track? It’s hard to imagine what would require such an extreme slowdown.

A similar case previously occurred on the southbound track approaching Erb St. They would slow to a crawl ahead of the switch for the freight crossover, then speed up a little before slowing down as they approached the crossing at Erb. I actually watched one and the slowdown appeared to be intended to apply to the switch itself, so I suspect there was an issue with the switch. What it was I can’t imagine; and if they were concerned about the switch not switching properly or staying in the proper location I think a better approach would have been to send out a crew every morning to clamp or bolt it in the LRT operating position, then reverse the procedure before the freight went through in the evening. But regardless, eventually it was fixed and while they still proceed rather slowly through the Erb St. crossing they at least approach it at a somewhat more reasonable speed.

Although a lot of this stuff is somewhat mysterious. I recently watched a video discussing an incident in Britain where a passenger train went through a slow order 100mph over the limit, at full track speed of about 125mph rather than the slow limit of 25mph (numbers might be slightly off, but not hugely off; it went through at 5 times the speed limit). It was a temporary slow order, not a curve or something like that. What is weird is that the limit for freight trains was 125mph! Indeed, the signage, with two numbers on it, one for passenger and one for freight, was a factor in the incident. I don’t understand how passenger trains could need to slow to 25mph while it’s still considered perfectly safe for freight to blow through at 125mph.

[danbrotherston]

Wishful thinking?

I mean, I honestly do not understand the purpose of the restriction there...it's ridiculous...but I'm not a railway engineer, so I'm sure there's a good reason why a train can't do more than a jogging pace through an entirely segregated straight right of way next to a track where trains go four times the speed in the opposite direction.

Maybe there is something wrong with the track? It’s hard to imagine what would require such an extreme slowdown.

A similar case previously occurred on the southbound track approaching Erb St. They would slow to a crawl ahead of the switch for the freight crossover, then speed up a little before slowing down as they approached the crossing at Erb. I actually watched one and the slowdown appeared to be intended to apply to the switch itself, so I suspect there was an issue with the switch. What it was I can’t imagine; and if they were concerned about the switch not switching properly or staying in the proper location I think a better approach would have been to send out a crew every morning to clamp or bolt it in the LRT operating position, then reverse the procedure before the freight went through in the evening. But regardless, eventually it was fixed and while they still proceed rather slowly through the Erb St. crossing they at least approach it at a somewhat more reasonable speed.

Although a lot of this stuff is somewhat mysterious. I recently watched a video discussing an incident in Britain where a passenger train went through a slow order 100mph over the limit, at full track speed of about 125mph rather than the slow limit of 25mph (numbers might be slightly off, but not hugely off; it went through at 5 times the speed limit). It was a temporary slow order, not a curve or something like that. What is weird is that the limit for freight trains was 125mph! Indeed, the signage, with two numbers on it, one for passenger and one for freight, was a factor in the incident. I don’t understand how passenger trains could need to slow to 25mph while it’s still considered perfectly safe for freight to blow through at 125mph.

Maybe, if so, they should have fixed it...if not at launch...then now...1.5 years after launch.

Yeah, I have a feeling that some railway regulations are pretty bullshit, I mean, we have our own railway requirements that basically produce more expensive, less safe trains than in Europe, just because that's the way it's always been done here.

But ultimately, I don't know how you end up with regulations like for airplanes, which seem to be largely well designed and evidence based. For ground transit, we have train regulation and car regulations both of which seem to be an abject failure, one because it kills enormous numbers of people, the other because it kills enormous numbers of people by forcing people into the other mode.