ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Canard]

If anyone has any means of tracking it (I don't, yet), the train number is 420 and it's CP. It'll be coming into Toronto's Lambton Yard, then heading along the Kitchener GO line to get here. It'll then rest in the yard at Lancaster/Victoria before going up the Waterloo Spur.

This is helpful: https://rac.jmaponline.net/canadianrailatlas/

[KevinL]

 the train number is 420

-spits out coffee-

[Canard]

I thought a couple of folks on here might get a kick out of that.

[ijmorlan]

In fairness, it will be harder to fall behind with a 14-vehicle order than a 100+ vehicle order.

On the minus side, they could give us no trains at all and still be less behind on our order than they already are on Toronto’s!

What’s everybody think of Bombardier’s latest BS excuse for delay? (“It’s Metrolinx’ fault!”)

[Canard]

I think it's perfectly valid. It is. Metrolinx doesn't have anywhere to run it, so of course they have to try and shift the blame.

Bombardier: "Were a bit behind."
Metrolinx: "OMG were going to sue! And cancel our order"
Bombardier: "Ok it's ready where do you want it"
Metrolinx: (to themselves) "omg now what"
Bombardier: "......"
:: time elapses ::
Bombardier: (issues press release sharing their side)
Metrolinx: "WE ARE SO DISAPOINTED WITH YOUR CHILDISH BEHAVIOUR"

In reality, it's obviously more complicated than that, but neither party has clean hands. The TTC and Metrolinx have both done a pretty good job of saving their own public image, at the expense of Bombardier's.

tl;dr: Metrolinx has nowhere to run their first two Pilot LRV's they keep screaming about. If they took delivery of them, they'd then have to explain to Torontonians why they're sitting in a shed collecting dust for several years.

[jgsz]

 the train number is 420

-spits out coffee-

420 eh? No wonder its so highly anticipated!

[jamincan]

Hopefully in the spirit of minor holidays, we aren't all made April fools when Train 420 leaves without our LRV on Valentine's Day.

[tomh009]

Apparently those giant "no stopping" signs are still not big enough.

   

   

[Pheidippides]

After seeing more and more of those specialized no-right/left-turn-train-approaching signs around I think that they have mounted them too high on the poles. I think many drivers may not seem them because the viewing angles created between the signs on the poles, the stopping lines on the road (which too many people ignore already), and the the windshield/roof line angles.

Remind me again would there be a separate OMSF in Cambridge?

[Canard]

Great question - got me thinking... I guess yes.

Dutton can accommodate 28 trains (in future) by building out more tracks (currently bare land). But that would be for when service on the existing line increase and we start seeing two trains coupled together.

It's common for lines when they get expanded to build an additional MSF - sometimes just storage or a scaled back version (don't need to duplicate everything).

They've updated the tracker page with some additional information: Use the hashtag #IONtracker on twitter to share photos about the arrival! Stay safe, no trespassing or approaching the train (duh).

[Markster]

I imagine they would build a train storage area in Cambridge. It would reduce how long it takes trains to get to Cambridge to start service in the morning. As it is, it would take probably more than 45 minutes for a train to get to Galt from the OMSF if it went skipping all stops.

It would be interesting to see if they did build some of the more routine maintenance facilities too.

[Canard]

LRV 1 Update: Not yet on the flatbed, but will be on "sometime today". There was a priority put on getting TTC's 4432 out the door first (probably because they scream more).

[ijmorlan]

I think it's perfectly valid. It is. Metrolinx doesn't have anywhere to run it, so of course they have to try and shift the blame.

Bombardier: "Were a bit behind."
Metrolinx: "OMG were going to sue! And cancel our order"
Bombardier: "Ok it's ready where do you want it"
Metrolinx: (to themselves) "omg now what"
Bombardier: "......"
:: time elapses ::
Bombardier: (issues press release sharing their side)
Metrolinx: "WE ARE SO DISAPOINTED WITH YOUR CHILDISH BEHAVIOUR"

In reality, it's obviously more complicated than that, but neither party has clean hands. The TTC and Metrolinx have both done a pretty good job of saving their own public image, at the expense of Bombardier's.

tl;dr: Metrolinx has nowhere to run their first two Pilot LRV's they keep screaming about. If they took delivery of them, they'd then have to explain to Torontonians why they're sitting in a shed collecting dust for several years.

Did I just confuse the streetcar order with the LRV order?

Because while I haven’t really been following the LRV issue separately from the incredible receding time horizon for the Transit City LRT lines (which is at this point mostly the fault of the Ontario government and Metrolinx, not Rob Ford, who can only be blamed for a less-than-two-year delay), I see your point about not having anywhere to take delivery. Where do you put 100 LRVs that you don’t need yet?

[Canard]

How is cancelling 7 LRT lines not Rob Ford's fault? It was the first thing he did on Day 1 in office! He orphaned more than half of the LRV order. Crosstown (and maybe Finch) are the only survivors.

[Markster]

I don't think it's unreasonable for Metrolinx to look at the TTC order and have real concerns about their LRV order.

Bombardier's performance has been demonstrably miserable so far, and we're still waiting on the turnaround, which may be around the corner... or may not. If Metrolinx wants enough vehicles to run the Eglinton LRT in 2021, then at the current rate they need to start getting LRVs today, whether or not they have tracks to put them on.

The response Bombardier should have to "you aren't delivering" is to deliver. There is no "lol you don't have anywhere for them". That's Metrolinx's problem. Not delivering is just signalling that yes, you do indeed have problems and can't deliver, and are trying to hide behind your client's own timeline slip.