[dowlingm]

Getting from GLA to the city centre was a bit of a dogs breakfast when I was doing it (one of Prestwick's upsides was proximity to the railway) but given the poor press the Edinburgh tram project received I wouldn't be surprised if there was some scepticism on this even though it would be a very different project in actuality.

It's still not worth discussing in a Canadian context. I mean, for goodness sake the O-Train is not a light rail train in Europe - it's a heavy rail train. But it can't run on Canadian mainlines without temporal separation. How are we going to put a tram - even a stiffened one like Dualis - on a mainline??

 

[CDL.TO]

You need a system that makes it impossible (and foolproof) for any type of a collision between a light vehicle and a heavy vehicle to occur. Then you need to get Transport Canada to agree to your proposed system (which they might not be willing to do).

Right now in NA, the accepted "system" is temporal separation: ensuring that light and heavy rail aren't on the line at the same time.

@smallspy: I know the O-Train has (had?) the Indusi ATP system to prevent O-Trains from passing a red signal and entering the diamonds on the line at-danger. Is there anything preventing heavy rail trains from entering the diamonds when O-Trains are occupying them?

 

[Catenary]

You need a system that makes it impossible (and foolproof) for any type of a collision between a light vehicle and a heavy vehicle to occur. Then you need to get Transport Canada to agree to your proposed system (which they might not be willing to do).

Right now in NA, the accepted "system" is temporal separation... ensuring that light and heavy rail aren't on the line at the same time.

@smallspy: I know the O-Train has (had?) the Indusi ATP system to prevent O-Trains from passing a red signal and entering the diamonds on the line at-danger. Is there anything preventing heavy rail trains from entering the diamonds when O-Trains are occupying them?

Capital Railway continues to use the Indusi system. I am unaware of any system to stop heavy rail trains from entering the diamonds beyond the standard practices used at any other diamond. Both the VIA and CR lines through Ellwood diamond, which is quite possibly the busiest rail diamond in North America, were recently upgraded with CTC and new signals. RailTerm maintains and dispatches both lines.

 

[Duck]

(Scrub to 1:05 if you're impatient)