ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[timc]

I hope such a campaign would be more successful than trying to educate people about roundabouts.

[KevinL]

I think the ideal time to start such a campaign is once the vehicles arrive and are in regular testing among the streets. If you start any earlier, people will feel it doesn't apply to that present situation and tune it out; but this would work while both local drivers andtrain operators are getting accustomed to it.

[Coke6pk]

So when driving thru Toronto recently (on my way to Ottawa), as I drove along the 401, I saw the subways pass overhead at Yorkdale, and it got me thinking... 

When Ion Stage 2 crosses the 401, will there be a bridge built, or will it be hidden out of sight?  I ask as (IMO) this would be great (free) advertising of our system, as well highway overpasses of the OC system have actual Transpo ads on them.

Additionally, I thought a station at/near Kinsman Park would be a great park/ride location... at the cost of a parking lot, maybe get those out of towners to take their trips into Kitchener or Cambridge.....

Coke

[KevinL]

Depends on the final route for Stage 2.

The original plan was to use the CP corridor, which passes under the 401 just east of Fountain Street. In that scenario it would be invisible from the highway for the most part.

If an alternate alignment, like Speedsville, is used then it could well be more visible.

[timio]

Anyone know if there have been provisions made in the current work on the 401 for a future LRT passing under the rail corridor. It doesn't look like the current space would be wide enough to handle 3 tracks. That is, assuming CP doesn't want to share their track.

[mpd618]

Anyone know if there have been provisions made in the current work on the 401 for a future LRT passing under the rail corridor.

Unfortunately, I don't think so. See, that would require staff to look past Environmental Assessment completion and project funding, and I don't think they feel like they have support to plan that far ahead.

[Canard]

I also don't think we'll see LRT and freight sharing the line here, because the line is used during the day. The only way they can get away with it on the spur in Waterloo is because it's only used by freight after-hours, so there's no mixed service. Transport Canada will not permit freight trains running at the same time as LRT, because of crash regulations. (This is also why the UP Express is as ugly as it is, I found out recently.)

[Canard]

Crews this morning busy terraforming the R&T stop berm! Also, the disgusting fence is up between Bearanger & Quiet Place, and it's bad, folks.

[Canard]

Catenary work continues between Bearanger and Columbia. The OCS is divided up into sections, each of which has a tensioner. So the section from Columbia to Bearanger is one "zone" of tensioned wire.

   

   

   

Work on the future R&T Park platform:

   

[Canard]

Traction Power Substation (TPSS) at Bearanger:

   

   

Overview of the state of the OMSF:

   

   

   

I find it very interesting that they have fenced off the interior of the yard, where the trackwork will begin.  Why would they fence off a section of an already fenced-off construction zone (the whole site)?  In my experience, once you're "in" a construction site there should be no more fences, because you've already got your PPE on and have been given proper safety training.  I can't wrap my head around this.

Edit - I have since learned that this is used to delineate the work zones between multiple subcontractors.

[Canard]

...and finally (see previous page for more photos), the fence going up between Bearanger and Quiet Place.  It is 1.5m/5' high.  And it is not pretty.

   

[panamaniac]

It seems that when it comes to ION LRT, you can't have too many fences.

[timc]

Crews this morning busy terraforming the R&T stop berm!

What's that mean? I remember asking and being told that the berm was going to be left as it is.

[Canard]

They're notching out the berm right where the kink in the road is - knocking it down flush/flat, I suspect for the trail/entrance to be a little bigger into the station area.

[rangersfan]

I think the fence we are seeing installed is the direct result of trying to create a rapid transit system on the cheap, elements were shaved off to cut costs.

I really wish the underground section at King and Victoria would have remained a part of the project.