ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Square]

Lol, I remember hearing on the news back in the fall that Borden and Caroline were both suppose to be paved and track laid before winter set in! D'OH. Here's a link http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/visible-lrt-...-1.1950268

[Elmira Guy]

Thanks Markster!

[Square]

Here's an article that explains a bit about the delay. http://www.therecord.com/news-story/5632...christmas/

[panamaniac]

What is the reason for the delays on Caroline? I assume it's not soil contamination or we would have heard something about it by now.

[timc]

Lol, I remember hearing on the news back in the fall that Borden and Caroline were both suppose to be paved and track laid before winter set in!  D'OH.   Here's a link http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/visible-lrt-...-1.1950268

I think that was just the utility relocation that was supposed to be done. But it does seem to be significantly behind schedule as far as I can tell.

[Square]

What is the reason for the delays on Caroline?  I assume it's not soil contamination or we would have heard something about it by now.

This is the only article I found about the delay  http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news/not...-caroline/

[Square]

Lol, I remember hearing on the news back in the fall that Borden and Caroline were both suppose to be paved and track laid before winter set in!  D'OH.   Here's a link http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/visible-lrt-...-1.1950268

I think that was just the utility relocation that was supposed to be done. But it does seem to be significantly behind schedule as far as I can tell.

Thank you, that does make sense about the utility relocation only.

[Canard]

How do they pave over the ballast? Is there a special process/material or is it just like paving over dirt?

Here's a photo I took a few minutes ago:

   

It looks like they just lay some dirt/soil over top of the ballast, and then put down the pavement on top of that.

[MacBerry]

Surprised this has not come up here, I will save the long repost: LINK

Kitchener has essentially changed the name of King Central (station) to Central Station -- Innovation District. With the polar opposites of imaginative names, they could have settled for dichotomy station.

I think the name will be truncated by users to "CID". Someone had to start the speculation about user slang  

[MacBerry]

Took this photo a few hours ago... It was my first time walking by here during ION construction and I was very excited to see the tracks down!

Why wouldn't they make this crossing one large complete concrete crossing? 

I realize the rail sections are modular but I also see almost every rail crossing built a significant hazard to cars, bikes and pedestrians as the road beds sinks or lift after only a few years.

[Canard]

I personally don't know, but I assume they know what they're doing. My mother and law would tell you that they don't know what they're doing. Please don't be like my mother in law.

The concrete slabs are sitting on "long" ties that are wider than the conventional track ties, so the concrete will always stay at the same position in relationship to the rail height.

[ookpik]

Why wouldn't they make this crossing one large complete concrete crossing? 

I realize the rail sections are modular but I also see almost every rail crossing built a significant hazard to cars, bikes and pedestrians as the road beds sinks or lift after only a few years.

Where I am in Austria right now the crossings are made of sections of hard rubber. These have the maker's name moulded into the material so I presume they're a standard design and size. I'd have thought rubber would be more flexible in cold weather and provide cars with a smoother ride when they cross. Maybe rubber doesn't stand up to our harsher winters.

[clasher]

I notice a lot of those rubber rail crossing in the Chicagoland area and they have a pretty similar climate to us. Maybe the rubber just hasn't caught on with the rail people here yet? I know they use a lot of salt in the midwest and it gets almost as cold or colder in parts too.

[BuildingScout]

In Europe I saw rubber crossings abutting the rail on both sides. So when you cycle there is no slot in which your wheel may get trapped. Rail cars are so massively heavy that they just compress the rubber down and out of the way when going through.

[DHLawrence]

They have been installed in Cambridge and Mississauga. There used to be one on Eagle Street but a derailment sliced it up so CP took it out.