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

[Towered]

That announcement might be coming.....

(though the extension would be the other direction!)

I should add, any announcement wouldn't actually be for imminent construction.

Just the whole RFQ etc process at best.

My understanding is that construction of ION south is penciled in for a 2028 start; but could be bumped a bit.

That's the Cambridge extension, right?

I wonder if one up to St. Jacob's would be justified....

 

[Northern Light]

That's the Cambridge extension, right?

I wonder if one up to St. Jacob's would be justified....

The way the tracks are oriented at Northfield Stn would require a change; but otherwise, it looks (just from eyeballing it) as though there is sufficient room in the ROW or immediately adjacent for what would be a 1.5km extension with only 1 stop.

On the one hand, it would probably be low-cost; and there is some retail up there beyond the market (Walmart, Dollarama, Marks would all be pretty much adjacent to the station); on the other hand, there are still farms/rural close-at-hand, and very little residential density.

I think it might make sense to make sure any space needed to do that in the future is secured, I'm not as convinced there's a compelling case right now, but I could be wrong.

 

[DKsan]

I do wonder about maybe subsidizing the Waterloo Central Railway (the tourist train), which has been suspended due to the COVID, to run more often, as opposed to LRT-ifying the route.

 

[Streety McCarface]

I do wonder about maybe subsidizing the Waterloo Central Railway (the tourist train), which has been suspended due to the COVID, to run more often, as opposed to LRT-ifying the route.

They just got RDCs. Make it like WES commuter rail for the heck of it.

 

[crs1026]

^There’s a multi use trail under construction alongside the rail line as far as St Jacobs. Not sure how that impacts the potential for twinning the rail line for LRT.

- Paul

 

[jamincan]

I really don't think it's on the radar for anyone.

 

[DirectionNorth]

^There’s a multi use trail under construction alongside the rail line as far as St Jacobs. Not sure how that impacts the potential for twinning the rail line for LRT.

- Paul

For better or for worse, the LRT runs to Conestoga. I've never lived in K-W, but I bet somebody did the math at the county and found that building to the mall generates more ridership than to the market. And there's no potential ridership past St. Jacobs, either. I'm not too concerned.

 

[nfitz]

For better or for worse, the LRT runs to Conestoga. I've never lived in K-W, but I bet somebody did the math at the county and found that building to the mall generates more ridership than to the market. And there's no potential ridership past St. Jacobs, either. I'm not too concerned.

More - but the market isn't just a market. There's a lot of big box stores and a Walmart these days.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

More - but the market isn't just a market. There's a lot of big box stores and a Walmart these days.

The market was included in the original studies for the LRT. End of the day I agree, if we ever have a serious desire to do something more going north the best options really are ones that leverage Waterloo Central.

In the short term this can be as minimal as, yes, running an RDC and building a new platform at Northfield to make the connection on the same side of the street.

Even to the point of this being something like a full-time service I'd suggest less LRTifying Waterloo Central than installing a new chord at King/.Allen and turning diesel/hydrogen/whatever self propelled trains in Waterloo. Even if you really want to make the GO connection, the original DCTA A-Train plans for through running would make a lot of sense... Don't so much improve Waterloo Central as run one or two dual mode TPH down to Kitchener.

 

[awaterwell]

UW bus station update: electrics, lampposts, and what I think is framing for enclosed shelters. Also, some little wispy wires hanging from the roofs. No vertical construction on the north platform yet - I wonder if there'll just be a standard GRT shelter there, since there's only a single bus bay.

Also, I wanted to post what I think is the most effectively-placed "pillar" sign yet: a sign for R&T Station at the end of the path leading from Phillip Street. The station itself isn't visible from here, but the sign is!

 

[Allandale25]

Region developing business case to bring LRT to Cambridge

Draft business case coming next spring as part of $4.7 million process to assess Stage 2 of the LRT

www.cambridgetoday.ca

 

[awaterwell]

UW station photos from GRT's social media:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1458075905557938185

 

[awaterwell]

Waterloo Region takes step towards closing Duke Street for transit hub

Permanent closure of street needed to accommodate 12-car GO trains

www.therecord.com

Highlights:

• A section of Duke St. will be transferred to the Region in anticipation of its eventual closure to motor traffic
• Metrolinx will put the new GO/VIA platforms out for tender this fall, start construction in spring, and open in summer 2023 (supposedly)
• Construction of "the rest of the transit hub" awaits funding

Full article text:

KITCHENER — Regional council took steps Wednesday that will lead to the permanent closure of a part of Duke Street near the future King Victoria Transit Hub.

The transit hub will be a central location to catch the LRT, Grand River Transit, intercity buses, GO and Via trains.

Metrolinx is moving ahead with its plans to move the GO train platform from the current train station at Weber Street to the new transit hub, as part of a larger project to implement two-way, all-day GO service between Kitchener and Toronto.

But GO trains, which are typically 12 cars long, need a platform 315 metres long. The only way to accommodate a platform that long is to have it extend across Duke Street, necessitating the closure of Duke Street. Extending the platform the other way, across King Street, would require the relocation of a spur line and the expropriation of several properties.

Regional council voted Wednesday for a short section of Duke Street, between the CN Rail tracks and Victoria Street, to be transferred from the City of Kitchener to the Region, with the aim of eventually closing that section.

Two other streets in the area, Ahrens and Waterloo streets, are already closed, and left turns are limited on King.

Residents have told regional officials at public meetings that they worry closing off a third street at the tracks will clog other nearby streets, and push more traffic onto Wellington Street, which has access to the expressway. They fear congestion will only worsen as several large developments such as the Google expansion and the multi-tower Station Park condo project come on-stream.

But regional official say a traffic study has determined there is enough capacity on nearby roads to carry traffic diverted by the Duke closure.

The closure won’t affect bike traffic or walkers. Maintaining convenient pedestrian and cycling access between the Breithaupt neighbourhood and downtown is “critical,” officials say, and the transit hub’s design will include a bike and pedestrian corridor, with direct access to the train platforms.

The actual closure of Duke will happen at a later date, after the Region passes a formal bylaw.

Metrolinx will be issuing a tender for construction of the new platforms this fall. Construction is expected to start next spring, with GO trains expected to start using the new platform by the summer of 2023.

Construction of much of the rest of the transit hub is on hold until the Region can line up funding for the $106-million project. The province has agreed to pay $43 million.

https://www.therecord.com/authors.thompson_catherine.html
Catherine Thompson is a Waterloo Region-based reporter focusing on urban affairs for The Record. Reach her via email: cthompson@therecord.com

Not much action, but nice to hear something is happening!

 

[nfitz]

Not much action, but nice to hear something is happening!

Closing Duke from Breithaupt to Victoria was inevitable, once they moved the GO Train platform closer to King. However I'm surprised they want people to walk so far from the terminal, to the Ion LRT on King (Central Station stop). I assume they'd could squeeze it in between King and Waterloo Street, just north of Victoria.

It's fine on Duke for transfers to/from GO, with the length of the GO platform. But most transfers would be to Ion.

 

[reaperexpress]

Closing Duke from Breithaupt to Victoria was inevitable, once they moved the GO Train platform closer to King. However I'm surprised they want people to walk so far from the terminal, to the Ion LRT on King (Central Station stop). I assume they'd could squeeze it in between King and Waterloo Street, just north of Victoria.

It's fine on Duke for transfers to/from GO, with the length of the GO platform. But most transfers would be to Ion.

The original plan was indeed for the platform to stretch west across King Street, with vertical access on both sides of King. In fact they have already built that portion of the platform.

However, according to the report being discussed:

• Following assessment of technical requirements (including rail operations, grade crossing regulation and Transport Canada railway operating rules) and existing site conditions and constraints Metrolinx has determined the only viable relocation option is to shift the platform to the east side of the King Street West Rail Bridge. The typical GO train used along the line is 12 cars long and needs a platform approximately 315 metres long to accommodate access to those cars. By accommodating a platform of that size at the King/Victoria transit hub, the train would extend into the Duke Street right of way, as shown in Appendix B.
• An alternative alignment was considered that could have lessened the impact on Duke Street and would have seen the train pushed beyond King Street. However, locating the platform more westerly would force the realignment of a spur rail line adjacent to Victoria Park, and require property purchases that affect several homes. Ultimately this alternative alignment was screened out through the assessment process.

It's still possible that they may use the already-built platforms as a pedestrian path to access vertical circulation on the west side of King, similarly to how they shifted Milliken Station south compared to the original plans, but still kept the planned access from the north side of the underpass - connected by dual pedestrian bridges extending from the ends of the platforms.

But even then I don't understand why it needs to be shifted completely off the bridge. Surely the alignment on the bridge isn't going to change. Otherwise we'd be talking about how they need to replace a bridge which was built specifically with this station in mind.

If the new platforms were extensions of the existing platforms, a double-headed 12-car train would still probably block Duke Street, but at least the walking distance to the LRT platforms would be reduced, and the passenger distribution would be slightly less imbalanced.

To make matters worse, the locomotives are on the east end of the train, which means that it's the east end that is always used due to the position of the accessibility car (5th from the locomotive). So a 6-car train would only use the eastern half of the platform, nowhere near any of the main entrances.