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

[drum118]

The article is saying a ten day journey. The wayfreight that picks the car up only works three days a week, but even so I'm baffled why it would take ten days.

The article is also saying three deliveries by Thanksgiving. For that to be so, there will have to be some additional transporter cars acquired. The other two that have been used to date are both on the road making TTC deliveries and/or returning to Thunder Bay.

- Paul

Got to be transfer from CN to CP and then to GEXR in Cambridge like they did for the first one, which is odd in the first place. If GEXR Pickup the car at Mack yard, then there is no need to interchange with CP at all with less travel time.

BBD should have a fair number of flats now for both ION And TTC getting cars these days. Those cars will be needed to handle Metrolinx order and Edmonton cars as well.

As for 3 deliveries by Thanksgiving could see 3 cars at one time on a train and need to get out to shoot that train.

Would Waterloo look at having 502 on display at a platform stop for Oktoberfest, since it supposed to run under its own power??

 

[KevinT]

Would Waterloo look at having 502 on display at a platform stop for Oktoberfest, since it supposed to run under its own power??

Ooo, I *LOVE* that idea!

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

I said on another forum that it would be irresponsible of Bombardier to not have more transporter cars considering the frequency and volume of expected deliveries for Eglinton Crosstown deliveries next year and the length of time required to ship Valley Line vehicles to Edmonton. That's not even including the transporter cars needed for the expected increase in frequency of Flexity Outlook streetcar deliveries. As to why it takes 10 days: it's loaded up now, a source says the CN local switcher is supposed to pick it up Wednesday which will take it to the closest yard (the closest one i can tell is in Belleville) to ship it to CN MacMillan Yard in Toronto from there it depends on who is contracted to take it to Kitchener. My best guess is GEXR but I'm unsure of how often GEXR is scheduled to depart from CN MacMillan Yard.

Why are they shipping this by rail when they can use flatbed trucks and it will get there faster. I understand the TTC doing it because it was an easy conation at Hillcrest for them but this plan of shipping them by rail to Kitchener and Waterloo is insane.

 

[Markster]

Would Waterloo look at having 502 on display at a platform stop for Oktoberfest, since it supposed to run under its own power??

Alas. I think they're going to want to keep them in the yard for at few weeks. If we had gotten a vehicle in August, I think it could have been possible.

On the other hand, do they really want to put their nice new vehicles out for all the drunks to accost?

 

[rbt]

Why are they shipping this by rail when they can use flatbed trucks and it will get there faster.

Cost I would assume. There is no need for delivery speed of the vehicles to arrive earlier except for perhaps the last 1 or 2.

BBD delayed delivery of these vehicles at the request of the client; neither side is particularly interesting in paying extra to speed up the shipping process.

 

[Markster]

BBD delayed delivery of these vehicles at the request of the client; neither side is particularly interesting in paying extra to speed up the shipping process.

Uh, that is not the case. The client (Region of Waterloo) wants them ASAP. But getting the first vehicle a week earlier by shipping it on a truck is not going to open the system any sooner.

 

[rbt]

The client (Region of Waterloo) wants them ASAP.

Sure, but in working condition (including their delayed signalling system components) and only if they don't need to pay extra for shipping. So, it's ASAP with a few caveats. They could have had them months ago in effectively the same condition as the first vehicle they took delivery of.

Only the schedule of the last couple of vehicles may change the opening date. Those are the important ones.

 

[smallspy]

I said on another forum that it would be irresponsible of Bombardier to not have more transporter cars considering the frequency and volume of expected deliveries for Eglinton Crosstown deliveries next year and the length of time required to ship Valley Line vehicles to Edmonton. That's not even including the transporter cars needed for the expected increase in frequency of Flexity Outlook streetcar deliveries. As to why it takes 10 days: it's loaded up now, a source says the CN local switcher is supposed to pick it up Wednesday which will take it to the closest yard (the closest one i can tell is in Belleville) to ship it to CN MacMillan Yard in Toronto from there it depends on who is contracted to take it to Kitchener. My best guess is GEXR but I'm unsure of how often GEXR is scheduled to depart from CN MacMillan Yard.

The "lack of transporter cars" is really a fairly trivial issue. It will take CN 6 hours or less to rig up another car - they just need to be told by Bombardier to do it.

As for the trip, the most likely route will be Bombardier->Belleville->MacMillian (Toronto) on CN, and interchange to GEXR there. It should take 3 to 4 days on CN, and another 2 days on GEXR, as they'll bring it to Kitchener Yard before taking it up to the ION yard.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[Markster]

Sure, but in working condition (including their delayed signalling system components) and only if they don't need to pay extra for shipping. So, it's ASAP with a few caveats. They could have had them months ago in effectively the same condition as the first vehicle they took delivery of.

Yes, they want functional vehicles ASAP. I didn't feel "don't send them until they're done" is "a delay at the request of the client".

 

[rbt]

I didn't feel "don't send them until they're done" is "a delay at the request of the client".

It was a variation on the contract requested by the client. So, whether you feel it or not, legally it was.

I agree it seems silly for the original contract to include delivery of multiple not-yet-complete vehicles. One makes sense for dimension testing (drag it around and see if it fits everywhere).

Metrolinx is having the same issues on many projects; their staff wrote/signed shitty contracts and become surprised when the vendor sticks to the wording within (A or B means vendor can choose B even if you really don't want them to choose B).

Either way, it's starting to look like we won't have to worry about Bombardier anymore in a decade; going the way of Nortel.

 

[jordanmkasla2009]

Either way, it's starting to look like we won't have to worry about Bombardier anymore in a decade; going the way of Nortel.

Not likely. They have clients all over the world still buying locomotives, light rail vehicles, subway vehicles, monorails and bi-level passenger cars from them. The only clients having significant issues with delivery dates are here in Canada.

 

[drum118]

Not likely. They have clients all over the world still buying locomotives, light rail vehicles, subway vehicles, monorails and bi-level passenger cars from them. The only clients having significant issues with delivery dates are here in Canada.

How sure are you on that statement???? There are others around the world having problems with BBD.

Why hasn't BBD pickup another order for Streetcars in North America after all the problems Minneapolis had for their cars in early 2000's???
France backs Alstom-Siemens merger

 

[KevinT]

BBD tweated this morning that 502 "was outside of Liverpool, ON early this morning". Any local spotters care to keep an eye out and post a pic or two?

 

[crs1026]

It's remotely possible that it could connect to today's GEXR train to Stratford, but more likely that it would wait in Mac Yard for tomorrow's train.

The local that runs up the Elmira branch only works Monday-Thursday evenings, so delivery is likely Monday night....unless someone wants it safely in the OMSF before then and orders a special move.

The unloading ramp needs to be set up at the Maintenance Facility, that is likely a Monday task. So best guess for unloading seems to be Tuesday.

- Paul

 

[KevinT]

Thanks Paul, man that would be awesome if we had all weekend to ogle at it here in KW!

Last time the vehicle sat in the Victoria / Lancaster Kitchener yard until the nightly run to Elmira, when it was dropped off outside the OMSF. The yard tug and ramp weren't moved out of the OMSF to retrieve it from its flatcar until the morning of the offload.