ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[ijmorlan]

For instance, the chart version of 2017-2020 Saturday service shows service terminating at 10-10:30pm, but the table version shows service terminating at 11:30pm (which is still early I think).

Seriously?  Wouldn't we want people using the LRT to get home after a Saturday night on the town?

It should run until long enough after the bars close that anybody leaving a bar who would want to use the LRT is able to do so, at least on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s weird to build a whole LRT system and then not use it to its full potential in achieving the various transportation-related goals of the Region.

[tomh009]

Seriously?  Wouldn't we want people using the LRT to get home after a Saturday night on the town?

It should run until long enough after the bars close that anybody leaving a bar who would want to use the LRT is able to do so, at least on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s weird to build a whole LRT system and then not use it to its full potential in achieving the various transportation-related goals of the Region.

That's what I would think, too.  Saturday late-night service could be every 30 minutes but it should be there.  From day one, so people get used to it.

[rangersfan]

Seems like many little details were not as thoroughly thought out as previously thought :
1) LRT station location for UW and subsequent bus connections to get station
2) pedestrian access issues for some of the stations
3) service times especially on weekends. I was expecting late night service for Friday and Saturday nights for that very same reason, seems like an incredibly easy way to help curb drinking and driving by making the alternatives much more appealing.
4) delay from LRT service start to the opening of the central transit hub (transit connections) , seems like a real lost opportunity.

[Viewfromthe42]

3) The region didn't want to bite off a lot with contracts, so they shamefully went very spartan on service levels. Hopefully they improve, but if they keep them low, it'll drive down overall usage.
2) Partly an issue of being unable to plan for every tiny detail, possibly some American standards being used.
1) The station choice was political. The logical connection would be a stop in UpTown, a stop at University, a stop at Columbia, a stop at Bearinger. But the biggest issue there was perceived favouritism to UW, perceived to be getting 2 stations to none for WLU, so Seagram became WLU's station, even though the walking distance likely means many people will go to the UW one and transfer on a bus along University, a transfer that would be much quicker had the University/Columbia plan gone along. Additionally, the perception is that putting a station right in the Tech Park would be useful, but without the tech park stepping up to the plate with circulators and transit oriented design, this is already proving to be a waste.

[Canard]

But evolv1 is being built right next to the station. So it's not really fair to say it's a waste and people aren't stepping up.

[Viewfromthe42]

I believe things like evolv1 would happen regardless of location, whether exactly located as currently or moved if the different stops were in place, but the Region sacrificed its network quality in order to work to the wants of others (Tech Park, UW, and WLU), the former two of which are now working against that which they advocated for (TP: not creating transit friendly or supporting environments, UW: actively pushing against transit being able to use the stop as a transfer point and certainly not helping make it easier), and upon which their cooperation was an intended requirement of the design chosen.

[Coke6pk]

IF they keep that start time I'll keep suing transit, but I'm near the end of my rope of waiting for better Sunday morning service.

And people constantly suing transit are why it costs so much!

(I know its a typo, but I can't help myself)

Coke

[Elmira Guy]

Article today from CBC. Probably not new news but I think any articles are worthy of posting.

Second LRT vehicle coming 'soon' but not by mid-month as thought

Vehicle had been delayed from June to early September but new deadline unclear

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/kitch...-1.4285945

[Elmira Guy]

/\ You can tell me. I promise not to tell anyone.

[jeffster]

I have some very good news about that which I probably can't share publically, but I think people are going to be very happy toward the end of this month.

I think I can share that at least one LRV in Millhaven was testing at 70 km/h yesterday.

CTV just said that there has been another delay.... ): News at 6

[rangersfan]

I like that for R&T Park station it will be connected to Phillip st, I believe we will continue to see strong development and business development along that stretch.

[Canard]

Nope, no new delay. Sit tight for 2 weeks.

[timio]

502 & 503 both coming on the same train?

[Canard]

I don't think so. They would have to make a whole new delivery flatbed. 501 came on a modified flatcar that included a fold-down box in the middle for all the mounting brackets and such to ship back. It's probably not worth building a whole second flatcar like that just to save a few days. If the two were ready to go at the same time, we could have them here within a few days of one another by sending the flatcar back.

[timio]

You get to drive the train hauling 502?

502 is actually a luck dragon with blue racing stripe?

They've traveled into the future and are shipping a competed 514 to give the illusion that they're ahead of schedule?