ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Pheidippides]

No word of an ion delay in the planning and works agenda. Lots of news on other things though (hub, Bridgeport signal relocation, GRT pccs, 2017 collision report, road construction season update, etc.).

[Canard]

Could you please provide a link to the document? Thanks in advance.

(Is this the document which will be discussed on Tuesday?)

[trainspotter139]

No word of an ion delay in the planning and works agenda. Lots of news on other things though (hub, Bridgeport signal relocation, GRT pccs, 2017 collision report, road construction season update, etc.).

It won't be included in the agenda until the morning of the meeting, as per usual practice.

Could you please provide a link to the document? Thanks in advance.

(Is this the document which will be discussed on Tuesday?)

https://calendar.regionofwaterloo.ca/Cou...202018.pdf

[GtwoK]

Could you please provide a link to the document? Thanks in advance.

(Is this the document which will be discussed on Tuesday?)

https://calendar.regionofwaterloo.ca/Cou...202018.pdf

How do you go about finding this? It's not in the city's calendar, searching through public records for this exact file name gives me no result, and the folder structure only shows committees for Audit, Comm & Infra, Fin & Corp, and Plan & Strat - none of which contain this document

[trainspotter139]

https://calendar.regionofwaterloo.ca/Cou...202018.pdf

How do you go about finding this? It's not in the city's calendar, searching through public records for this exact file name gives me no result, and the folder structure only shows committees for Audit, Comm & Infra, Fin & Corp, and Plan & Strat - none of which contain this document

https://calendar.regionofwaterloo.ca/Council has all the agendas for the Regional Committee and Council meetings that have been posted.

[tomh009]

No word of an ion delay in the planning and works agenda. Lots of news on other things though (hub, Bridgeport signal relocation, GRT pccs, 2017 collision report, road construction season update, etc.).

It won't be included in the agenda until the morning of the meeting, as per usual practice.

That's the usual practice for iON delays? Or for iON discussion in general?

[Pheidippides]

It won't be included in the agenda until the morning of the meeting, as per usual practice.

That's the usual practice for iON delays? Or for iON discussion in general?

That's usually the practice for the monthly vehicle report; other reports tend to show up on the agenda beforehand. The vehicle report is expected on the 14th.

[trainspotter139]

That's the usual practice for iON delays? Or for iON discussion in general?

That's usually the practice for the monthly vehicle report; other reports tend to show up on the agenda beforehand. The vehicle report is expected on the 14th.

It's the usual practice for the reports to be left off the agenda until the day of the meeting so that it is kept out of the press cycle until it is discussed at the meeting. The media (and the ion twitter account) are saying it will be at the P&W Committee meeting

[Canard]

I think 511 is out today!

(...with low windshield washer fluid! Lol)

505 is out already too!!

AND! They’re going all the way from Conestoga to Mill Crossover today! (Normally they just go to Cameron).

[trainspotter139]

I think 511 is out today!

(...with low windshield washer fluid! Lol)

505 is out already too!!

Time for an in-field refill

the others (507 & 509) are out now too

[Pheidippides]

It's the usual practice for the reports to be left off the agenda until the day of the meeting so that it is kept out of the press cycle until it is discussed at the meeting. The media (and the ion twitter account) are saying it will be at the P&W Committee meeting

That really isn't true.

All the other major Ion reports, even controversial ones, like the mode selection, the route selection, the station placement/naming, have all come out beforehand. Unless there is a very good reason for the release of the report to be delayed, e.g. revealing a pending land acquisition, it is really undemocratic too. The Friday to Tuesday window is at least some time for the public to ensure that their councillor knows their views on the report before the vote happens. That they would change their practice now would suggest that it is REALLY bad news, but I hope not.

Regardless of when the report comes out I am expecting mix of good and bad news. The good being being more testing and public events, the bad being a delay in launch.

I hadn't seen that Twitter post until after you mentioned it so that must mean the report is being received in the in-camera portion of the meeting (note that item one on the agenda is "Motion to Reconvene into Open Session") or that report wasn't finished in time to be posted with the rest of the agenda items and is awaiting final details to be firmed up (imagine the nightmare the person who has to schedule Trudeau and Ford to get on the same train to take credit during the opening is going through!).

Also, I noticed this in the finance agenda:
   

[Canard]

What twitter post?

The crossing at Shelley sounds like the one they’re already finishing up, which had been closed due to expropriation issues with the car dealership. Crews are still working frantically to complete it.

[Pheidippides]

This is the one I just came across.

This is the one I originally saw.

[trainspotter139]

It's the usual practice for the reports to be left off the agenda until the day of the meeting so that it is kept out of the press cycle until it is discussed at the meeting. The media (and the ion twitter account) are saying it will be at the P&W Committee meeting

That really isn't true.

All the other major Ion reports, even controversial ones, like the mode selection, the route selection, the station placement/naming, have all come out beforehand. Unless there is a very good reason for the release of the report to be delayed, e.g. revealing a pending land acquisition, it is really undemocratic too. The Friday to Tuesday window is at least some time for the public to ensure that their councillor knows their views on the report before the vote happens. That they would change their practice now would suggest that it is REALLY bad news, but I hope not.

Regardless of when the report comes out I am expecting mix of good and bad news. The good being being more testing and public events, the bad being a delay in launch.

I hadn't seen that Twitter post until after you mentioned it so that must mean the report is being received in the in-camera portion of the meeting (note that item one on the agenda is "Motion to Reconvene into Open Session") or that report wasn't finished in time to be posted with the rest of the agenda items and is awaiting final details to be firmed up (imagine the nightmare the person who has to schedule Trudeau and Ford to get on the same train to take credit during the opening is going through!).

Also, I noticed this in the finance agenda:

It has been true for most of the previous ION Vehicle updates that they were not on the media release agenda until the morning of the meeting. It has been that way because the local media has, with every vehicle progress report, spun the contents in a negative light. Better to release it the day of than let it percolate in the media cycle for the Friday - Tuesday period. As for the contents, I don't expect any delays. We have 6 (soon to be 7-9) vehicles with equipment installed here, once 511 is done debugging the systems it's full steam ahead with equipment testing and everything will start falling into place quite rapidly. 505, 507 & 509 have been doing operator training (in both daylight and nighttime conditions) and simulated burn-in testing for the past couple of weeks as well in preparation for the ramp-up of testing. 

As for Ford, he has no place being at the opening. His government had no role in funding ION and him being there would be another classic case of the government of the day taking credit for the hard work of a previous government.

[trainspotter139]

What twitter post?

The crossing at Shelley sounds like the one they’re already finishing up, which had been closed due to expropriation issues with the car dealership. Crews are still working frantically to complete it.

Shelley is the alternative entrance for the dealership that currently has only a pedestrian crossing. Siebert is the one that was half-built