Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

$200,000 for strap hangers??? How is that not a rip-off?

It depends how many they need. There are 34 vehicles, each with 4 segments. If each segment has 14 straps (a guess), that’s 1904 straps, which works out to $105 per strap, installed. Considering we want them to be durable and last for years to come, that sounds very cheap.

[CityTech]

That cost would also include the cost of the labour required to put them on.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by CityTech

That cost would also include the cost of the labour required to put them on.

Agreed. That is why I said, "installed."

[CityTech]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Agreed. That is why I said, "installed."

lol I missed that. And yeah I would agree $105 a pop is a bargain.

RTG's quote of "over $1M", or over $525 a pop, way less so. Aftermarket worked out in this case.

[MalcolmTucker]

Well, RTG’s $1 million would likely have included 30 years of replacement and maintenance. So likely cheap just as cheap or cheaper in a life cycle basis.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by CityTech

lol I missed that. And yeah I would agree $105 a pop is a bargain.

RTG's quote of "over $1M", or over $525 a pop, way less so. Aftermarket worked out in this case.

To be fair, it was a guess as to how many are being installed per vehicle.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by TheMatth69

Does anybody know why they reduced the speed of entry/departure in stations ? Took 3 trains today and they were all entering and exiting stations very slowly (slower then usual that's for sure)!
My bet is that they set the trains like that to prevent weels from skipping over the rails. Ice, snow and cold my alterate breaking conditions of the train.

There were apparently a few trains with frozen track sanders. With the light loads for the holidays, they were making due with it for the day and operating with reduced acceleration.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Catenary

There were apparently a few trains with frozen track sanders. With the light loads for the holidays, they were making due with it for the day and operating with reduced acceleration.

With it being above freezing all day, I’m surprised they needed sand and that it froze.

[TheMatth69]

Just experienced a 25min delay at Tunney's Pasture... Cannot say how incompetent OC Transpo and their staff are.
So a train was held for a door issue at Parliament Station ... Results people waiting for up to 25min at Tunney's Pasture with barely no information. Worse when I went to talk to a "Red Vest" they had no clue of what was going on. I told them that they should reroute some of the people waiting on the route 16 that was coming in few minutes, but they told me they had instructions to keep people waiting on the platform for the next train.
Ended up taking the 16 with almost anybody inside, and got to Rideau before everyone else...

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by roger1818

With it being above freezing all day, I’m surprised they needed sand and that it froze.

On Friday the 20th, the high was -11. It was certainly chilly.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Catenary

On Friday the 20th, the high was -11. It was certainly chilly.

My bad. I thought you were talking about Monday, when it was above freezing all day.

[TheMatth69]

Trains are running with reduced acceleration/deceleration today. Seems like it's a protocol when ever the temperature is low or when the weather is prone to create ice and snow over the tracks (freezing rain, snow storm etc...).

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by TheMatth69

Trains are running with reduced acceleration/deceleration today. Seems like it's a protocol when ever the temperature is low or when the weather is prone to create ice and snow over the tracks (freezing rain, snow storm etc...).

Ken Woods on Twitter mentioned it is a parameter that can be set to reduce the need to activate the wheel sanders.

[J.OT13]

A couple weeks ago, there was a short conversation on the Stage 2 West thread regarding the old Blair elevator on the Gloucester Centre side and the City trying to "identify funds" for replacement.

This development between the station and Gloucester Cetnre might end up being the solution.

https://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=240500

Instead of trying to identify funds to replace the elevator, the City might want to work with the developer to fully replace this old vertical circulation shaft with an integrated entrance.

[Multi-modal]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

A couple weeks ago, there was a short conversation on the Stage 2 West thread regarding the old Blair elevator on the Gloucester Centre side and the City trying to "identify funds" for replacement.

This development between the station and Gloucester Cetnre might end up being the solution.

https://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=240500

Instead of trying to identify funds to replace the elevator, the City might want to work with the developer to fully replace this old vertical circulation shaft with an integrated entrance.

That definitely seems likely. Based on this paragraph in the design rational:

The proposed development has been designed to be engaging and permeable to residents and employees, as well as those who are passing through, whether they are transit users, cyclists or pedestrians. In addition to the elevated catwalk, the at-grade route from Blair LRT station to the Gloucester Centre shopping mall building passes through a 1,200 square metre publicly-accessible at-grade amenity space and wraps around the south end of the building, which is animated by residential and commercial entrances, as shown in Figure 6.

Plus, the site plan & renderings appear to remove the problem elevator. And finally, the floor plans show a pair of elevators on floors 1 and 2 directly next to the catwalk/the building entrance that is closest to Blair station and the westbound bus loop.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Instead of trying to identify funds to replace the elevator, the City might want to work with the developer to fully replace this old vertical circulation shaft with an integrated entrance.

That development is years away from becoming reality. They're just applying for a zoning change. Between zoning, permits and construction, by the time they're done Stage 2 will probably be open. I think there's pressure to mitigate the elevator issue rather quickly.

[Multi-modal]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

That development is years away from becoming reality. They're just applying for a zoning change. Between zoning, permits and construction, by the time they're done Stage 2 will probably be open. I think there's pressure to mitigate the elevator issue rather quickly.

I do not frequent Blair Station, but I'd argue they shouldn't replace the elevator on City dime if they could wait 4-5 years and get a good permanent solution for much cheaper or free.

[J.OT13]

This is very good video on the Confederation Line. It's an hour long, but I think it's well worth it. The guy takes the train for the first time on opening day and gets off at each station, providing commentary for pretty much the entire time (so not an hour of just footage). He has a great opening intro providing a theory of how transit systems define cities and how they are important at showcasing the city's identity. He also has a conclusion, taped a month after the opening (with hindsight) providing a conclusion of what the Confederation Line says about Ottawa. Hard to hear, but very true.

There are a few interesting moments, like when he finds out a day pass will not work if used more than 3 times within a half hour (I knew you can scan in twice within 5 minutes or so, but not the 3 scans rule).

• Video Link

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

This is very good video on the Confederation Line. It's an hour long, but I think it's well worth it.

• Video Link

I've watched a bit but there seems to be a lot of complaining for the sake of complaining... e.g. he is dismissive of the wifi because you need to put in your e-mail address to log in. Really? Isn't that pretty standard for public wifi?

His attitude is a bit hard to take for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

I've watched a bit but there seems to be a lot of complaining for the sake of complaining... e.g. he is dismissive of the wifi because you need to put in your e-mail address to log in. Really? Isn't that pretty standard for public wifi?

His attitude is a bit hard to take for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

I agree there is some complaining for the sake of complaining. For example, the architecture, I think, is pretty good, even with the grey. Anywhere you go, the main colour will likely be grey. It makes the illuminated red "O" and (most) art displays pop. Lots of complaining about Hurdman; he's unsure why it's "overbuilt" and elevated in a field; well that's because it will be re-developed eventually. He finds the wide doors to the bus loop confusing as it seems to be the main exit, but that's within the fare paid zone, a concept he doesn't seem to know about.

His comments on transit etiquette (which OC has been working on using stickers) or the rough workmanship (glass panels that don't align, incomplete ceilings and walls, etc) are bang on. His closing comments about Ottawa falling short on executing grand visions is also quite accurate (the same can be said for the Convention Centre, Stage 2 Trillium, the planned Central Library and many other projects).

For the wi-fi, I agree it might not be "worth it" if we have to login each time, but I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, once you login once, it connects automatically each time. That's something he might not know?