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Vancouver circa 1912 was built around a mix of regional rail and streetcar. Calgary appears to be going for a mix of regional rail and light rail. Amsterdam/Rotterdam/Den Haag/etc is an example of a larger city built in this pattern. Toronto, Montreal, Paris, and New York are more metro-cities. |
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There is also the aspect that Surrey will always be next to Vancouver, so you won't ever have a true "spoke" system - you'll always have to deal with the dual aspect created by the syphoning-off of commuters to Vancouver, which suggests that Fever's dual regional commuter rail and LRT networks would work best. BTW - the integration of WCE at Braid and Commercial would be awseome. I don't think a connection at Brentwood is feasible given the distance - I think either Sperling or Rupert or Renfrew (probably too close to Commercial though) would work best as those stations are on top of or practically on top of the BNSF tracks. You'd also probably retain a transfer point at Coquitlam Centre. |
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Surrey is working hard to shed that 'low-class suburb' tag that it's borne for decades. Growing like Calgary really won't help that. If it really wants to be taken as seriously as Vancouver, then it's going to have to become a true urban/metro area. |
I haven't been to Calgary in years - so I can't really comment on it.
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If there is a WCE station at Commercial, we need a major overhaul of the area. There needs to be at least a second platform at Broadway station. It would be nice to have a WCE station there, but the area as it's designed for now cannot handle the amount of people commuting around.
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The transfer at Coquitlam Centre is tricky (which means expensive) but necessary. Here's what I'm thinking: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...e5c6081691486f |
Don't touch my WCE!!!
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[edit]And you doesn't seems to consider the platform length. WCE would require about 150m of platform for its 8-car train. I measured the platform length, and 185m seems to be the standard for WCE. |
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The turning radius on Quebec/Terminal is 80-90 m, a little less than the turning radius for the Evergreen line at Coquitlam Centre as I've drawn it here at 100 m. It's right by a station so trains will go slow there anyway. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.019312&z=16 edit: the WCE platform could fit a little further east as shown here http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.019312&z=16 |
All the platforms currently hold 7 car trains... two of the trains run in 9 car formats with 4 of the doors roped up. And keep in mind the track runs both freight and WCE trains so the platforms have to be low and away from the trains already. It's a commuter rail, not an urban metro.
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Right. It's a pretty typical commuter rail line. I see increasing the level of service on this line and others as a way of connecting regional centres that are beyond the reach of our metro-like skytrain system. I see interurban/regional rail as a faster, cheaper alternative to skytrain, but it will need to have dedicated track for it to be a reasonable alternative to skytrain. While there are some places where extensive changes would be needed, like adding an elevated guideway and station at Coquitlam Centre, it would still work out to be much less expensive than building skytrain.
For the most part, I've chosen existing rights-of-way that are wide, flat, and straight. Most have freight traffic, especially between Braid and Maple Ridge but also between Willingdon and Braid, and these sections are generally wide enough for parallel tracks to be added. I don't think it would be possible to add dedicated track along Burrard inlet, and removing this 6-hour/day annoyance from our port facilities is probably a good enough reason in itself. The only loser is Port Moody, and it gets skytrain. There are many more winners. The distance between stations isn't changing, except where the route changes. The trip time between Mission and Waterfront would be about the same as it is today, and it would be faster if it were electrified. I put the whole system up http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.019312&z=16 |
Those Google Maps freeze up my computer, so I can't view the maps. But got a glimpse before it froze.
Why the need for a curve at Coquitlam Centre? Why not just reverse the train? The train has to slow down and stop for the the station anyways, just place the station to the west of the track switch and change the direction of the switch when the train is in the station and reverse out and into Vancouver - they travel in reverse half the time as it is. |
I think the West Coast Express will be hard pressed to find any more track time whether it's via the CP tracks or BNSF tracks, and unless Translink can justify building new rail over just leasing track time for $5 million (I'm guessing) or so a year. The Coquitlam-Marine Dr line was to use leased track time. I would rather WCE come up with a plan to introduce commuter rail to Abbotsford and to Ladner/South Surrey/White Rock before improving what already works quite well.
Regardless if they do secure track through Central Valley, I would prefer that they keep the 5 trains each way through Port Moody and run 30 minute service all day through Central Valley (so in the rush hour most stations except Port Moody and Mission would see 15 minute service, (I heard that any increase in train service frequency would not go all the way to Mission, but that would only make sense if they plan to build a 2nd storage and maintenace yard in Maple Ridge). Port Moody Staton is too well used to see it go away completely. |
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http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?hl=en&...35962&t=h&z=10
the link doesn't change but i'll post it again anyway |
interesting
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I've separated it into two maps now, one for the interurban and one for the light rail and skytrain. Let me know if you're still having problems (I'm having problems, too, with it caching, me deleting, then it restoring, or something like that)
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.019312&z=16 |
Thanks - loads better - but I wouldn't use my crappy computer at the office as a guide.
Here's a nice Global Air Photo showing the interurban ROW through Surrey: http://www.globalairphotos.com/image...yh2008_891.jpg |
I just thought of something... the auto industry is asking for $25 billion dollars from the Federal Government. At the same time we're pushing to revive Interurban Lines that GM effectively murdered across the country around 50-60 years ago. I think $25 billion can revive a good chunk of rail lines across the country.
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