Jump to content

Waterloo Region Rapid Transit


Recommended Posts

On 1/30/2018 at 8:16 PM, Tom1122 said:

I wonder if GRT could lease the Talents from OC Transpo if Bombardier can't deliver? (I know they've been put up for sale)

 

According to an Ottawa city council document I found via Google, the Talent's minimum turning radius is 90 meters. (The Flexity is 25m.)

 

Flatly impossible for them to make several of the turns.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, shivers said:

The Flexity, as configured for Ion, has a turning radius of 25 meters. According to an Ottawa city council document I found via Google, The Talent is 90 meters.

 

Flatly impossible for them to make several of the turns.

Okay. No Talents for GRT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Related to the above testing: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/ion-lrt-waterloo-region-powered-testing-1.4524759?c

 

"Cautiously optimistic [about] June" is now the latest launch estimate I've seen, and that quote is a month old. That'd probably be June 25, to coincide with the summer GRT schedule... though it certainly wouldn't hurt to start live service a couple weeks before and eat the loss of doubling up, just to make sure there are no drastic teething problems and maintain a ready safety net in the form of the 200 bus.

 

Still betting September, myself, as I have been since last summer. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we still only have 4 trains in the region? The rest have been at the "almost completed" stage for a couple months now but haven't shipped? Even if I'm wrong and the complete set of 14 are in region in the next couple weeks, April is clearly not happening. Given the track record, I doubt we'll even have all the trains before April. If that's so, June would be a tough deadline to reach, between mechanical checks, Metrolinx equipment installations, track certification (in progress), burn in on each vehicle, and (pretty important) hiring, training, and a bit of all-up, no-passengers simulation of service for the ~35+ drivers and ~15+ mechanical/supervisory/support staff it'll take to run the line. Not to mention putting up fare vending and validation machines at the actual stations.

 

EDIT: Shiner shields? :P

Quote

Loving those couplers and coupler hatches/housings (idk what the appropriate term is). 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Doppelkupplung said:

Are there not going to be ticket machines inside the cars?

Doesn't seem so.

According to the contract they signed with S&B, there will be 2 fare processing machines at each station (Reads tap cards and QR barcodes on transfers), as well as 1 ticket/pass vending machine. Possibly more than one at some stations, not sure exactly. They've ordered 32 of the vending machines (for 19 Ion stations), but if I'm not mistaken they intend to also install them at the Cambridge BRT stations, and at non-LRT bus terminals (IE The Boardwalk), so I think 1 per is probably correct except maybe for the ends of the line?

 

In fairness, I bet if there *were* machines on the cars, there would be a few people who would stand beside them fondling coins in their pocket, never paying unless fare inspectors walked on, and then suddenly they'd have the right coins in hand.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
On 9/3/2017 at 12:50 PM, shivers said:

 Now I'm wondering if they'll even have enough trains to pull split-vehicle service off next September, and whether it might be delayed until January 2019.

 

I mean, not to say "called it", but... uh...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Streety McCarface said:

I don't understand how this can happen. It shouldn't take 6 months to do a burn in for 14 vehicles. 

It is not a matter of just "burning in" the vehicles. It is not like the TTC that receives a brand new streetcar and places it in service within three weeks or whatever. This is a brand-new transit system and the article suggests that there is a lot more work that remains to be done to the supporting infrastructure once the vehicles are on property before it opens for passenger service. There is also the matter of training the required number of maintenance staff/supervisors/operators etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, ttc rider said:

It is not a matter of just "burning in" the vehicles. It is not like the TTC that receives a brand new streetcar and places it in service within three weeks or whatever. This is a brand-new transit system and the article suggests that there is a lot more work that remains to be done to the supporting infrastructure once the vehicles are on property before it opens for passenger service. There is also the matter of training the required number of maintenance staff/supervisors/operators etc.

Not to mention that Metrolinx hasn't even got a CBTC-compatible prototype for the Crosstown yet...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/14/2018 at 9:14 PM, Transit geek said:

Not to mention that Metrolinx hasn't even got a CBTC-compatible prototype for the Crosstown yet...

Metrolinx doesn't even have anywhere to test a CBTC-compaptible prototype. Why would they need a test it?

 

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎2018‎-‎04‎-‎16 at 6:36 PM, smallspy said:

Metrolinx doesn't even have anywhere to test a CBTC-compaptible prototype. Why would they need a test it?

Because the Crosstown is planned to use CBTC on the underground section (specifically, Bombardier's CITYFLO 650). That would likely require modifications to the cab to fit a display unit for the signalling equipment, as has been done to the Confederation Line Citadis Spirit (which will use SelTrac).

Related image

The cab design of the Waterloo LRV is almost identical to the TTC's Flexity streetcars, including the centrally located analog speedometer. That speedometer would need to be supplemented or replaced with a LCD screen showing cab signal indications. That could very well be the purpose of the display on the right in the image (which on the streetcars is a camera display, which is okay since there is no cab signalling equipment onboard) - but as you know, Ion is different.

Related image

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/21/2018 at 10:32 AM, Transit geek said:

Because the Crosstown is planned to use CBTC on the underground section (specifically, Bombardier's CITYFLO 650). That would likely require modifications to the cab to fit a display unit for the signalling equipment, as has been done to the Confederation Line Citadis Spirit (which will use SelTrac).

You've missed the obviousness of my comment.

 

Metrolinx has no place to receive, nevermind test a car. Why would they be in a hurry to have Bombardier ship them, then? Where would it go?

 

I'm well aware of the nuts-and-bolts of the systems and processes, and the various steps nevermind hoops that need to be jumped through, likely moreso than you are.

 

Dan

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/6/2017 at 10:09 PM, 2281 said:

Correct, ION aBRT is being operated as 200 iXpress until the arrival of ION branded buses and the launch of light rail. The buses are set to begin service in February on local routes in Cambridge.

The ION branded bus should not be used on the iXPRESS routes. They should only be used on the Cambridge only routes to get the residence used to seeing the buses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, D4500 said:

The ION branded bus should not be used on the iXPRESS routes. They should only be used on the Cambridge only routes to get the residence used to seeing the buses.

Sounds more like advertising the brand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

June 21
Luck out stopping off in Kitchener on my way to London to caught 506 in testing between Mills Station and Fairview Mall. If I have visited before 12 pm, I wouldn't have caught these videos. Testing was to start at 8:00 am, but started after 12 pm.

Every intersections had police officer on duty as well the contractor.

No idea what the plan is for communication, but the driver had a hand-held device that was moved from end to end and clip to the control panel.

Found the horn weak for crossing the road.

Car was slow arriving at Fairview Station, but it sure jack rabbit departing the station.

 






  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...