ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Canard]

It's a bit deceiving, it's more-or-less perpendicular to the tracks.  So is Old Albert.

[MacBerry]

It's a bit deceiving, it's more-or-less perpendicular to the tracks.  So is Old Albert.  Bikes should always be walked over tracks, though.

Walking or biking - regardless of swing gates

STOP, LOOK and LISTEN 

[KevinL]

Had some unexpected free time yesterday and checked out a lot of things at the north end of the line. Here it all is, about 36 hours later...

First up, Conestoga Mall station. Here's the epic retaining wall.


Future pedestrian access (stairs at left, ramp at right).


Have to wonder what CIBC thinks of the TPSS taking up so much of its view. 


The entire station area, from the intersection at King.

[KevinL]

Behind McCormick Arena - the culvert is rather picturesque.



The pedestrian crossing is still very rough and ready - I wonder when a permanent solution will be put in around the level pieces.



Hey, we were talking about the Quiet Place signals just now, weren't we? Funny, that. 





Bearinger crossing, with TPSS.

[KevinL]

R&T station.



Pleased to see this building will be addressing the station with this new entrance structure.


The platform.


Just a short time later, these fellows rolled through.

[KevinL]

Near Columbia, yet another TPSS. 



These hatches lead to utility vaults of some kind. They're showing up all over the line, but I think these are the most 'polished' I've seen.


Just south of Columbia. Reels and reels of cable!


The UW station platform from the access road. That signal box is a real eyesore here - I hope there's some plan to disguise it, at least.


View from the E5 path. I hope they build access to the station platform from this side as well.

[KevinL]

Finally, the busy goings-on at Seagram.

[Canard]

With all the giant substations, signal boxes, fences and massive railway crossing infrastructure, were unfortunately starting to see the downside of Light Rail as a transit technology, over other elevated technologies that I proposed years ago. (Just saying)

[timio]

These hatches lead to utility vaults of some kind. They're showing up all over the line, but I think these are the most 'polished' I've seen.

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42

[Canard]

3.14592653589794334

[Canard]

I am surprised that the embedded track along Charles, South of Borden is flush with the roadway, not flush with the top of the curb. I had expected that the top of the concrete would be flush with the top of the curb. So as it stands right now, the Rapidway will essentially be a big ditch that will make snow removal and water drainage potentially much more difficult. It will also make it more difficult (if not impossible) for emergency vehicles to mount and use the Rapidway as a traffic bypass - a potential bonus situation discussed early on in the project.

   
Source: http://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/..._Part7.pdf

Why was this done?

I expected this:

[timio]

Emergency vehicle access? I recall something about mountable curbs.

[timc]

I didn't think Quiet Place is even a proper road there, just an extension of the access road to the apartment on Parkside. This really seems to be overkill.

Yes. The crossing there is not part of Quiet Place. I may be wrong, but I believe that road itself is a former alignment of Bearinger Road. Quiet Place now ends at the tracks, and there is a pedestrian walkway through there.

[Canard]

Quiet Place now ends at the tracks, and there is a pedestrian walkway through there.

Quiet Place and Old Albert are both pedestrian crossings - no cars. Quiet Place is weird because the road from the apartment building on the West side kind of leads up to it and then just ends. The road on the other side also self-terminates too.

Emergency vehicle access?  I recall something about mountable curbs.

Right - that was my point. If the track is flush with the top of the curb, that's mountable with some care and caution. Track flush with the level of the road, separated by a high curb, is not mountable. The vehicle will hang up on the curb, unless it's a Hummer.

[Markster]

The curb business is weird. Did they actually consider emergency vehicle access into the design? Is it completely an after(/non)thought? How did they consult with GRH and somehow neither side brought it up years ago?

With all the giant substations, signal boxes, fences and massive railway crossing infrastructure, were unfortunately starting to see the downside of Light Rail as a transit technology, over other elevated technologies that I proposed years ago. (Just saying)

They could have placed electrical substations terribly with an elevated system too!