KCMO Downtown Streetcar

[normalthings]

the alignment test won't occur the day the first vehicle arrives.

When would we see streetcars on the track? Not necessarily under there own power. But on the track? And when can we see them around dowtown?

[flyingember]

the alignment test won't occur the day the first vehicle arrives.

Of course it's not happening the first day.

I'm saying scheduling can't be discussed any sooner than 2-3 weeks after it arrives because the train will arrive sooner than we're ready for it.

Which is in direct conflict with city statements.

There's still incomplete track work months after the city said it was done. So the city is being dishonest in the schedule at this point. Dishonesty doesn't sell people saying yes to expansion.

[grovester]

"This marks what the Kansas City Streetcar Authority says is the "beginning of the end" of the prep work for the streetcar line."

" The arrival of the first vehicle, combined with this action, signifies the transition from construction to the operations and testing phase of the KC Streetcar, both of which precedes the start of passenger streetcar service in 2016. "

Neither of these statements strike me as dishonest except under the most anal interpretation.

[flyingember]

Those aren't the articles that said our part would be complete September to October

http://www.kansascity.com/news/governme ... 39725.html
September/October

http://www.kctv5.com/story/29770928/kan ... ible-delay
Power line work to be completed by end of September. The power line work still has temporary equipment hanging some segments.

http://www.kcstreetcar.org/wp-content/u ... _FINAL.pdf
All track is still not in the ground two months after this release. I saw this fact yesterday and posted photos of one of the 4-5 small segments still needing the track slab poured on Twitter as part of my regular postings. You can say the track is placed, but it's going to get put in concrete since it has the jacket around it that is used to reduce conductivity with the ground. If it wasn't going to be put in concrete why is the jacket still there, removing it would be a 5 minute job prior to completion.

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... pdate.html
Read the article title, never corrected by the city. (9 weeks corresponds to the last week of October)

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... sting.html
Construction should be done by the time the train arrives. That was from two weeks ago.

[longviewmo]

"This marks what the Kansas City Streetcar Authority says is the "beginning of the end" of the prep work for the streetcar line."

" The arrival of the first vehicle, combined with this action, signifies the transition from construction to the operations and testing phase of the KC Streetcar, both of which precedes the start of passenger streetcar service in 2016. "

Neither of these statements strike me as dishonest except under the most anal interpretation.

We should know better than to challenge some people here to an anal war.

[flyingember]

here's the official schedule from March that's the basis for the end of October

http://www.kcstreetcar.org/construction-schedule/

That schedule has six weeks of OCS testing before our testing is done. that doesn't get any more clear.
We know this doesn't correspond with train testing since that goal was stated to be done by mid-March with the first train arriving in September.

read that last article again, specifically this quote from the head of the authority

As Gerend said previously, the presence of a third streetcar vehicle in Kansas City will be essential to completing the testing process. Plans call for running three streetcar vehicles along the streetcar route, so the city must prove that the system works with all three cars running simultaneously. Construction of the system and testing of the components already built in Kansas City should be done by the time the streetcar arrives.

so that means full OCS system testing had to start before he made this quote to meet that timeframe of done by the time it arrives. It didn't because the OCS system construction wasn't complete so OCS systems testing couldn't begin by September 21st, three days before.

It's not being anal, it's holding the city to it's schedule, when there's clear dishonesty going on.

The authority knows track work is not complete and it knows it was never going to be done by the end of October.

[grovester]

That's about enough out of you Clay!

[DaveKCMO]

KC vehicle #2!

[normalthings]

KC vehicle #2!

How far is vehicle 2 to being completed?

[DaveKCMO]

it will arrive before the end of the year.

[flyingember]

The key thing is everything be put in right.
like it's fine the last track work took months longer than was said, because it needs to be done right.
testing should be the same way where taking an extra month is fine to have it work right from the start

we don't want a DC Streetcar type of delay at the end that draws things out. they're two years behind.

Opening in May-June with everything being done well instead of March and there's service outages all the time because of missed issues is 100% fine.

What we need is honest expectations on the timeframe to go with doing things right. That's what we're not getting right now.

[DaveKCMO]

it's worth pointing out that DC streetcar is a complete anomaly. they ordered vehicles and installed track before designing the system (which is backwards, clearly a political decision). since they accepted no federal funds, they had little oversight during the design process. a strong mayor system encouraged their internal DOT to communicate opening dates that were not possible to meet.

with no federal funding and no election, the system SHOULD have opened sooner that its peers.

KC streetcar, on the other hand, was designed as a system from the beginning. it's entirely possible that something will still not be 100% right once the alignment test begins. they're dealing with tolerances of an eighth of an inch.

[DaveKCMO]

forgot to post this bit about how streetcar and bus will work together at streetcar stops: http://ridekc.org/blog/streetcar-and-bu ... n-downtown

also, here's a recap of the recent chamber leadership exchange trip to portland (with some streetcar comments, obviously): http://www.pamplinmedia.com/pt/239-busi ... -stumptown

[flyingember]

Bets on which company's delivery driver will be the first to block the train during testing?

I'm betting on UPS. There's one driver that has been seen in the crossroads with that nice new center turn lane to park in AND a 40 foot segment in the parking lane free of cars and uses neither, instead double parking and blocking the only traffic lane.

[beautyfromashes]

How long til we have a car/train collision?

[DaveKCMO]

How long til we have a car/train collision?

in the first 30 days. it will be the car driver's fault.

[DaveKCMO]

from today's presentation at the KC downtowners:

[DaveKCMO]

streetcar authority moves into singleton yard: http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=c08 ... 91de20e033

[flyingember]

Stop status

major concrete work complete or better--
Delaware
5th/Walnut
7th NB
9th NB
9th SB
12th NB
14th SB
16th SB
16th NB
19th NB
19th SB

work underway--
3rd/Grand- concrete reinforcing metal is in. so this is at 1-2 weeks to go. This stop is going to be interesting from an access standpoint, should really change the traffic dynamic of that intersection since people will need to take slow, careful turns. good traffic calming item

12th SB- the destruction stage looks to be done and the foundation work is well along with some conduit in. Since there's no shelter I'll call this two weeks to go

Union Station- new concrete for the platform was covered with plastic today. guessing 1-2 weeks

14th NB- the stop is in and cured and the forms for the wall were going up today. 1-1.5 weeks to go

That's 15 of 16 stops.

remaining:
7th SB- the fence is in and some wood framing is staged so I'm guessing work starts next week. 3-4 weeks to go



A key step for electrical is to put the bridge plates where the pantograph changes electrical systems. Union Station, 5th and Main are two of these spots you can tell this will be done. Uncertain about 3rd and Grand, I can't tell based on just looking at it.

Looks like there's one new sidewalk corner in the crossroads the hotel will do, the new sidewalk on the north side of 3rd and Grand needs to be finished but those parts of downtown are under way or finished. That leaves a few in the CBD to start. I'm leaning towards two weeks to go here.

the new traffic signals are going up and active. 16th and 3rd/Delaware are now blinking.


My estimated date for completion of the system right now- early in the third week of November.

[DaveKCMO]

this biz journal article was previously for subscribers only and details the testing phase: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/p ... ll-it.html

overhead wires go hot this wednesday. those needing to work within 10' of the wires need a track access permit and (short) training, which can be requested from the streetcar authority.