Articles on the installment:

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/610830--a-quieter-smoother-...

Subject: [FotO] Short term improvements to the O-Train
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 09:15:37 -0500
From: Timothy Lane
To: Alex Cullen , Christine Leadman , Clive Doucet , Diane Holmes , Diane Deans , "Larry O'Brien"
Mr. Mayor and Councillors:
I have addressed this message to the Mayor, and the councillors in whose wards most of these improvements would be built.
Please note that the items listed below are my own ideas, and not necessarily endorsed by the Friends of the O-Train.
Now that the threat of "Mega Project" has apparently receded for the moment, I'd like to suggest that there will still be money available, from the GST and fuel tax rebates, to do transit related things around Ottawa.
Before we spend it ALL on bus improvements, and without needing to wait for the outcome of the Mayor's Task Force on transportation to finish their work, I would like you to consider addressing various "deficiencies" in the details of how the Ottawa Light Rail Pilot Project was built.
Many of these details were done that way, and excused, by claiming that there was "no money" to do it right, when what we now call the O-Train was constructed.
Most will recall the "noise" that erupted from Traverse Drive residents when the O-Train was pounding over that jointed rail in their backyards.
Resulting in a sound barrier fence being constructed, when many rail experts said that welded rail would have been a better solution.
When residents still complained after the fence went up, City Council was convinced to pony up the $2 million for new welded rail along the whole line.
This allowed us to go from the 20 minute frequency to 15 minutes, which resulted in an almost immediate ridership increase of 1,500 per day.
What I'm about to list are improvements that should be done this coming construction year, 2007. They are not expensive, relative to the 100's of millions of dollars that were to be spent (wasted?) on the Mega Project, or what is about to be spent "improving" the bus system.
I, as some of you know, have always got my failing eyeballs peeled for the "little things", which, if fixed, would allow what has been described by experts to be the "safest railway in Canada", to become even safer, as well as faster, more reliable, and more comfortable to ride. In addition, the improvements I suggest will reduce the noise for lineside residents, as well as the maintenance costs for the trains, and the track.
The list is certainly not comprehensive.
Here goes, not necessarily in order of importance:

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a. Eliminate the 15 second built in delay at the south signal at the Carleton U passing track. I have never seen a satisfactory explanation for this delay. Getting rid of it would save precious time on the longer south half of the line, making any delays caused by VIA or OCR trains crossing the diamonds easier to make up.
Approximate cost: $1,000 or less., for a signal maintainer to tweak the signal circuits.
b. More exits from the platforms, to reduce congestion, enhance safety, and speed up boarding and alighting. It amazed me that the Regulators required $400,000 of new fencing along the line, and a similar amount spent on a standpipe system for firefighting water supply in the tunnel, but allowed only one narrow exit from the busiest stations, Bayview and Carleton.
Approximate cost to refit those two stations: Under $10,000 each.
c. Realign the track between Walkley Road and the crossover for the Walkley Yard lead, behind the Liquor Warehouse. The curve here is not smooth, and not properly superelevated. Fixing this would allow a maximum speed of 85 km/h in this section.
Approximate cost: under $100,000
d. Eliminate the Brookfield Path level crossing by rerouting the path under the O-Train's Sawmill Creek bridge. Serge Lavigne, the man who built the O-Train system, suggested this, but was told, "Sorry, no money". This would allow a higher top speed between Ellwood diamond and Walkley Diamond.
Approximate cost: under $500,000
e. Move the hydro pole between Somerset St. and the Bayview Station that forces an S-bend in the track. Also see the next point.
Approximate cost: $700
f. Straighten out the track between Somerset and Bayview. Move the turnout at Somerset to south of Somerset. This is an industrial area rather than the residential area north of Somerset. Change it from a right hand turnout to a left hand turnout. Have the O-Train use the straight side of the turnout, instead of the curved side. This will:
i: Reduce the noise for the residents north of Somerset on the west side of the track.
ii: Reduce wear on the trains' wheels and track due to the S-bend.
iii: Eliminate the need to grease the track for noise control. (Yes, the drivers tell me this is a regular maintenance item!)
iv. Allow a faster approach to, and departure from Bayview. Right now, a train arriving at Bayview must slow for the "wrong" hand turnout, then apply power to climb the hill to the platform. When leaving, the train must brake on the way down the ramp, to avoid going too fast through the S-bend and curved side of the turnout. With the track straightened, and the turnout flipped, trains could approach Bayview at higher speed, and coast up the hill to the platform, with no power needed, and minimal braking. When leaving, the driver would release the brakes, and let 'er rip! The time saved would allow for the addition of a Gladstone Station, with no impact on the 15 minute schedule.
v. This reduces fuel consumption, air pollution, and brake wear on the trains.
Approximate cost of all these enhancements in point e: $300,000.

g. Add the Gladstone Station.
Approximate cost: Paid for by developers :>)
h. Gantlet track for freight trains to pass the platforms at Carling, Carleton (only one track, and one platform, need be done here), Confederation, and Greenboro. Fill in the edge of the platform between the platform extenders, to provide a continuous platform edge that is 14 inches wider than the existing platform.
Approximate cost for four platforms @ $500,000 = $2,000,000.
i. General ballast tamping & track alignment on the whole line.
Approximate cost: under $50,000
j. Extend the track one train length beyond the Bayview platform. This would allow a dead train (not that this happens too often!) to be pushed past the platform, so that the other train could continue running a 30 minute service, until the third train could be brought out of the shop. Doing this would require more signals to control the movements. The main reason for doing this, of course, is to get the O-Train 150 feet closer to Gatineau :>)
Approximate cost of track extension: under $100,000
k. More signals. I will spare the reader the details of where they should go :>)
Approximate cost: under $1,000,000
l. Negotiate with South Keys Shopping Centre to install Pay and Display parking ticket dispensers in their lot, for overflow parking from the Greenboro lot. City would install the machines, and split the revenue with South Keys S. C.
Approximate cost: Could be designed to be revenue neutral (what a concept!)
Item l, above, is probably the most crucial thing to do, and it would only take a few days to accomplish, if the right buttons are pushed :>)

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Mr Mayor and councillors, feel free to comment.
Remember, though, that we are looking for things that enhance the train, BUT DO NOT REQUIRE ANY OF THOSE DREADED E.A.'s!!!
Thank You,
Tim Lane