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

[Kyle Campbell]

Given the fact that there is only 9 weeks left to turn the line over to the city and what I saw first hand, it may happen, but not in the current time frame.

Bayview station is the worse one of the ones I saw. All the stations entrance for the tunnel section were about 50% completed that I could see. There is a hole that was still having items being lower into the tunnel that needs to be close off and fill in.

I was to visit KW last week, but things came up to change my plans.

I haven't follow the ION project for some time and no idea if all the cars are on site as plan. Until they are and have been burn in, delaying training and testing the plan schedule. Need all the cars to test the schedule to make sure it will work or need adjustment.

Other then lacking cars, no idea what other issues have surface that will delay the opening of the ION line.

Regardless when and who open first, got 2 more LRT lines to ride in Ontario until 2021-2024 when 4 more lines will go into service unless Ford delays or kill 3 of them. Of the 3 that could be kill or delay, Hurontario line is almost certain it will be built since Mississauga fully support it and no opposition on council to kill it.

They are working 24/7 in Ottawa, I was actually surprised that the hole down into the tunnel where the crane was last week is now filed in days later, it vanished virtually overnight. It looks like it will come down to the wire, but they are pulling out all the stops to make the date.

It seems a quite different story in KW, where people have been looking at complete stations for a year now, but still no service

 

[muller877]

They've been reworking some areas due to test results showing some deficiencies, as well as fully commissioning the track lubricators which required some cross-drilling of the rails and some reworking of concrete. But nothing too major that would delay the opening. Last I heard there is still an issue with the owners of the GM dealership on Courtland continuing to fight against the expropriation for grade-crossing signals.

I'm surprised all of the expropriation issues were not addressed well ahead of time.

This dealer has had his front parking eaten away slowly over time as Courtland has been expanded. It used to have room for cars to be parked vertically and now has room for one row of display cars on an angle. I totally get why he is fighting any type of additional expropriation and needs to be adequately compensated.

I'm sure he is also trying to make sure that they do not add planters or shrubbery that would block the vehicle displays.

This intersection is confusing. If someone is leaving the dealership they have to look past 2 signal arms, 2 train tracks and 5 lanes of traffic to see a traffic light. Is fine for a road where you are coming straight into the signal. But from a parking lot it is not well thought out. Where are the pressure sensors to turn the light? How about people turning right?

 

[W. K. Lis]

Toronto's Eglinton Crosstown LRT is to have about the same frequency (or headway) as it's subway, about every 5± minutes during the non-rush hours. Some American rapid transit lines have their's about every 10± or even 20± minutes, outside of rush hour.

What will be the headway for the ION light rail?

 

[jordanmkasla2009]

Toronto's Eglinton Crosstown LRT is to have about the same frequency (or headway) as it's subway, about every 5± minutes during the non-rush hours. Some American rapid transit lines have their's about every 10± or even 20± minutes, outside of rush hour.

What will be the headway for the ION light rail?

Draft baseline service plans available here:
http://rapidtransit.regionofwaterlo...endixDBaselineServicePlans2017to2047RFPV3.pdf

 

[KevinT]

https://twitter.com/rideIONrt/status/1035570504827002883

That #fridayfeeling when not one, not two, but three trains are testing! For information about ION visit http://grt.ca/ION

505, 507, and 509 are all out today doing laps between Conestoga Mall and the Cameron crossover.

 

[nfitz]

Draft baseline service plans available here:
http://rapidtransit.regionofwaterlo...endixDBaselineServicePlans2017to2047RFPV3.pdf

In a 138-page PDF file?

You couldn't simply say something like 5 minutes peak, or 10 minutes off-peak? Sigh ...


Looking at the weekday schedule, looks like every 8 to 9 minutes in AM peak, 10 minutes mid-day, 8 minutes PM peak, and wow, every 15 to 30 minutes in the evening. My gosh, that really sucks - does that even qualify as rapid transit? Good grief, and the last southbound departure from the terminal is 11:20 pm!

And never more than every 15 minutes on a weekend, dropping to every 30 minutes at times?

Good grief, and still every 30 minutes at times in 2046 - and still no departure southbound after 11:20 pm!

Surely there should be service minimum of every 10 minutes 18-hours a day, with every 30 minutes overnight.

 

[jordanmkasla2009]

In a 138-page PDF file?

You couldn't simply say something like 5 minutes peak, or 10 minutes off-peak? Sigh ...


Looking at the weekday schedule, looks like every 8 to 9 minutes in AM peak, 10 minutes mid-day, 8 minutes PM peak, and wow, every 15 to 30 minutes in the evening. My gosh, that really sucks - does that even qualify as rapid transit? Good grief, and the last southbound departure from the terminal is 11:20 pm!

And never more than every 15 minutes on a weekend, dropping to every 30 minutes at times?

Good grief, and still every 30 minutes at times in 2046 - and still no departure southbound after 11:20 pm!

Surely there should be service minimum of every 10 minutes 18-hours a day, with every 30 minutes overnight.

The buses here aren't really any better than that to be quite honest. Though I can see it changing based on what I'm seeing on the ground in ridership trends...

 

[nfitz]

The buses here aren't really any better than that to be quite honest. Though I can see it changing based on what I'm seeing on the ground in ridership trends...

I hadn't realized that bus service had deteriorated so much since I lived in KW. Gosh, used to be a 7 bus on King from downtown Waterloo to downtown Kitchener every 4-5 minutes rush hour and about every 7.5 minutes mid-day! Even late into the evening, I don't recall it being worse than once every 15 minutes - not once every 30 minutes. And I remember catching buses after midnight!

 

[jordanmkasla2009]

I hadn't realized that bus service had deteriorated so much since I lived in KW. Gosh, used to be a 7 bus on King from downtown Waterloo to downtown Kitchener every 4-5 minutes rush hour and about every 7.5 minutes mid-day! Even late into the evening, I don't recall it being worse than once every 15 minutes - not once every 30 minutes. And I remember catching buses after midnight!

They are scheduled for that but can never adhere to that schedule and often bunch so bad they have to short turn some.

The changes they are implementing once ION launches will see the 7 run straight up King via Connaught at 7-8 minute frequency in peak and 15 minutes off-peak as an infill route for ION through the core. Other routes are generally being routed such that the only time spent in the core is to connect to ION for transfers to/from the train and generally a no greater than 15 minute frequency with exception to those routes that are part of the iXpress network.

 

[nfitz]

I rarely ventured south of central Kitchener on 7 - normally used it from downtown Kitchener to Uptown Waterloo. Invariably the 8 or 12 was more convenient to Fairview.

Still seems poor form to spend that much on infrastructure, and then skimp with only running LRT every 30 minutes. Gosh, how much does that really save?

To encourage modal shift, you have to have frequent service. Which is generally every 10 minutes or better. Even every 15 minutes is pushing it.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

My thought is why should university students bother using it for evening night outs when service is so infrequent and ends at 11:20pm.

 

[W. K. Lis]

My thought is why should university students bother using it for evening night outs when service is so infrequent and ends at 11:20pm.

Want the ION light rail to succeed, increase service.

See link on how service drives demand.

 

[ShonTron]

I rarely ventured south of central Kitchener on 7 - normally used it from downtown Kitchener to Uptown Waterloo. Invariably the 8 or 12 was more convenient to Fairview.

Still seems poor form to spend that much on infrastructure, and then skimp with only running LRT every 30 minutes. Gosh, how much does that really save?

To encourage modal shift, you have to have frequent service. Which is generally every 10 minutes or better. Even every 15 minutes is pushing it.

Yeah. Every 30 minutes might be acceptable for a suburban feeder bus route, or a regional rail line (like GO Lakeshore), but not for a trunk LRT, especially if the route network is being designed around it. Every 15 minutes should be the absolute minimum service level for LRT during all operating hours.

 

[kEiThZ]

Which is generally every 10 minutes or better. Even every 15 minutes is pushing it.

Every 15 minutes should be the absolute minimum service level for LRT during all operating hours.

10 mins should be the minimum. This is Ottawa's schedule:

https://imgur.com/a/uQoKd#BenoqHO

 

[Frank Ruehlicke]

From the ROW iON website:
How often will I be able to catch ION?Exact schedules will be established before ION service begins, but generally speaking ION LRT trains will run every eight minutes during rush hours and every 10 to 15 minutes during the rest of the day.

Service for bus rapid transit (BRT) will operate at a frequency of every 10 minutes during morning and afternoon peak periods. Both LRT and BRT will come every 15 minutes outside of peak periods.