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Waterloo Region Transit Developments (ION LRT, new terminal, GRT buses)

May 23. Lots of work along the entire line, so lots of photos.

View from Highway 85 overpass on Northfield.
IMG_1092 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Northfield station forms ready for concrete pour, TPS installed and preparing for the curve onto Northfield.
IMG_1096 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Trackwork for Northern entrance/exit to OMSF.
IMG_1097 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Southern entrance to OMSF, track switch and OCS poles all in place.
IMG_1105-1108 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Catenary poles now reach the OMSF, but not yet rigged all the way. View from Weber.
IMG_1098 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Existing crossing protection reinstalled at Bearinger, with gates to come.
IMG_1114 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Gaunlet track switches now have actuators - this one from R&T Park station.
IMG_1118 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Crossovers being installed by the Perimeter Institute.
IMG_1129 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Corduroy Road gone.
IMG_1137 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Getting track ready on the curve from Caroline to Allen.
IMG_1141-1147 by ION Construction, on Flickr


Intersections by Grand River Hospital with Transit signals installed. Very busy!
IMG_1155 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Most of the track now laid in the run down the hill to CN Guelph Subdivision grade separation.
IMG_1163 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Excavation on the North side of Guelph sub grade separation, with VIA 6436 deadheading to Sarnia for tomorrow's #84.
IMG_1167 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Excavation on South side of Guelph sub.
IMG_1171 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Lots of work on Duke street. Looking South from Fredrick.
IMG_1179 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Lots of track laid on Charles on the run down to Stirling.
IMG_1187 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Trackwork on Charles towards Borden, with Borden station now poured.
IMG_1189 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Tracks on curve from Charles to Borden now laid. All trackwork is complete on Borden!
IMG_1192-1200 by ION Construction, on Flickr


Schneider Creek LRT bridge spans now complete, ready to receive rails on the decking.
IMG_1214 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Retaining walls and OCS pole footings on the hill up to the Hydro ROW from Courtland.
IMG_1227 by ION Construction, on Flickr

Rest of album on Flickr.
 
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I'm wondering if they'll continue to install Ontario's obsolete transit signals...
3c_3a.jpg


Or will they go move into the 21st century with proper transit only signals?
fig-10d-01.gif
 
W. K. Lis said:
I'm wondering if they'll continue to install Ontario's obsolete transit signals...
3c_3a.jpg


Or will they go move into the 21st century with proper transit only signals?
fig-10d-01.gif
Click to expand...



All signals being installed on the ION route are those seen below.

P0per said:
May 23. Lots of work along the entire line, so lots of photos.

Intersections by Grand River Hospital with Transit signals installed. Very busy!
IMG_1155 by ION Construction, on Flickr
Click to expand...
 
I see they're finally using proper (and generally world-standard) transit signals for the LRT. I figure it'll probably be used on the Toronto LRT lines too, and hope it'll eventually make it to Toronto's streetcar lines, or at least those in a streetcar ROW.
 
brainfreezed said:
I see they're finally using proper (and generally world-standard) transit signals for the LRT. I figure it'll probably be used on the Toronto LRT lines too, and hope it'll eventually make it to Toronto's streetcar lines, or at least those in a streetcar ROW.
Click to expand...

They should at the very least be "testing" the proper transit signals on Toronto's The Queensway or Queens Quay, since there are less number of signals that could go "wrong". However, it looks like they maybe "testing" them out first on the ION line.
 
For those interested, I was invited to a construction tour of the ION LRT, and I brought along a contingent of Hamiltonians.

My photo journal, written for the Hamilton LRT perspective, is here: www.raisethehammer.org/article/2959

---
EDIT: Should have checked if I was Ninja'd:
Markster said:
Photo Tour of Waterloo Region ION Light Rail Construction
By UT's very own @mdrejhon

It looks like it was a really good time! I'm just minorly disappointed I didn't get to meet my name doppelganger. Find out if he talks as much as he types! :D
Click to expand...
Actually, I talk way more online than in person, due to my deafness, but you would have seen me chatting to people via iPad here and there!

Likely, I'd probably organize some Hamilton LRT construction tour in the early 2020s, but will be visiting ION several times over the years, as it becomes a defacto nearby demo for Hamilton!
 
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I'm interested in what the contract allows for in delay damages. Given its all part of the Toronto contract and it was 5% of the contract maximum and they've crossed that threshold already does it basically mean that Waterloo is going to get nothing from this delay? (Or that Toronto will get less). It's a big hit for Waterloo to run busses for a year while the capital sits rusting away.
 
Transportfan said:
Those "streetcar" tracks look odd in Kitchener's town-type inner city.
Click to expand...

The images don't fully capture the feel of downtown K-W. It is not Toronto, to be sure, but it is a city of 305,000 people and when Cambridge is included, the population approaches 450,000. The region is growing rapidly and a there is a lot of development activity in the downtown. This is a perfect setting for LRT. BTW, those "streetcar" tracks are grade separated from traffic and in many locations will run on their own Right of Way.
 
drum118 said:
Is Edmonton to get "we are sorry to have to delay your order" as well??

The Star

Bombardier delays force Waterloo to push back LRT opening
Click to expand...
Bombardier is on the hook for a lot more damage if they don't deliver for Edmonton than KW. It will make the whole consortium look bad as well as large fines for every day they don't finish the project as per P3 contracts. KW doesn't have such contract so they can do whatever. Plus they got till early 2020 to deliver. By recognizing the problem today with new management, I don't think it would be a big issue by then. They would rather push back Metrolinx's order instead. At least TTC is finally receiving cars on a regular interval (slowly).
 
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