Calgary Public Transit II
 

LRT INFRASTRUCTURE


West LRT

Stations: 7 - 11th Street West, Sunalta, Shaganappi Point, Westbrook, 45th Street, Sirocco, 69th Street
Status: Under Construction
Completion: Opens December 10th, 2012


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/wlrtroutemap.jpg
http://www.westlrt.ca/files/WestLRT_Map.pdf


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/sirocco.jpg
Sirocco Station

http://www.westlrt.ca/files/Signal%20Hill%20Aerial%20and%20Elevations.pdf


• Video Link
http://www.westlrt.ca/contentabout/route_animation.cfm


For more information and discussion, visit the West LRT Thread


Northeast LRT Phase II Extension

Stations: 2 - Martindale and Saddletowne
Status: Under Construction
Completion: 2012


Martindale
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/martindale-1.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/martindale2.jpg

Saddletowne
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/saddletowne.jpg

www.gecarch.com


Northwest LRT Phase IV Extension

Stations: 1 - Tuscany

Status: Delayed start until 2012
Completion: 2014

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/XRT1.jpg
http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/tran...ge_tuscany/station_view_from_tuscany.pdf

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/XRT2.jpg
http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/tran...tuscany/station_view_from_ped_bridge.pdf

7th Avenue Refurbishment Project

Stations: Rebuilding and/or relocation of all platforms along 7th Avenue
Status: 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th Streets completed. City Hall and 11th Street Under Construction, Centre Street to be done
Completion: 2012


http://compscience.info/public/images/2010/gateway_stations-west.jpg
http://compscience.info/public/images/2010/gateway_stations-west.jpg


New LRVs

Model: SD160 Series 8
Number: 38 on order
Arrival Status: 11 units have arrived as of 01/12/11

Exterior:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/SD160nextgen1.jpg

New Seating Arrangement:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/SD160nextgenseat.jpg

Video:

• Video Link


BUS

New Buses


Model: Nova LFS 40102
Number: 49 on order
Arrival Status: 11 have arrived as of 01/12/11


SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS[/size][/b]


[size='3'][b]Systemwide 4-car LRV Capacity and Traction Power Upgrades

Stations: All but Shawnessy, Somerset, Dalhousie, McKnight, Crowfoot, 7th Avenue.
Status: Whitehorn Station completed, Southland Station next to undergo extension and reconstruction, all others to be done.
Completion: 2014


Advanced Passenger Information System

Description: Realtime vehicle arrival information for LRT and BRT lines using GPS/INS or similar and visual displays at stations
Status: In development
Completion: 2012


Electronic Fare Payment Systems

Description: Ability to pay fares on LRT and BRT (possibly more) using some form of Smartcard technology, machines that take plastic and/or bills
Status: In development, technology not officially chosen
Completion: 2012


Improved CCTV Security at LRT Stations

Description: New and more cameras with better resolution
Status: In development
Completion: 2014


More Information: May 2009 Transit Funding Press Release

Note: all maps below from http://www.calgarytransit.com/pdf/ct_lrt_network_plan.pdf


SOUTHEAST LRT

Stations: 18 - 14 at-grade, 4 underground downtown

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/officialselrt.jpg


NORTH CENTRAL LRT

Stations: 8

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/officialnclrt.jpg


8th AVENUE SUBWAY

Stations: Likely 3

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/official8ave.jpg


WEST LRT EXTENSION

Stations: 1 - Aspen Woods

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/officialwest.jpg


SOUTH LRT EXTENSION

Stations: 2 - Silverado, 212 Ave.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/officialsext.jpg


NORTHEAST LRT EXTENSION

Stations: 4 - 96 Ave., Country Hills, 128 Ave., Stoney

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/officialneext.jpg


SYSTEM


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/officialsystem.jpg





Official Links

Calgary Transit Website

City of Calgary Current LRT Construction Projects

West LRT Project

Calgary Transit Twitter

Calgary Transit LRT Network Plan

May 2009 Transit Funding Press Release


Other Links

Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board

CPTDB Wiki - Bus and LRV fleet inventory and information

LRT in Calgary - SkyscraperPage Forum contributer srperrycgy's website. Pictures, information, current maps, future maps and speculation

Bus Drawings - Transit operator and CPTDB contributer Peter McLaughlin's Bus Drawings website. Large stockpile of bus and LRV photos

Kevin's Bus and Rail - CPTDB contributer Kevin Lo's website. More bus and LRV pictures

Beltliner Blog- SkyscraperPage Forum contributer Beltliner's blog. Proposal for LRT and Streetcar infrastructure buildout and other speculation

GrowsmaRT.ca - Third party website advocating alternate alignment to North Central LRT route

Station Construction Information Graph - Courtesy Steve Perry


Other Threads

NCLRT Advocacy

Calgary Area Regional Transit

West LRT

Calgary Construction


Disclaimer: I do not work for Calgary Transit or the City of Calgary.

Nevermind.

delete

Nevermind.

Hey Frinkprof, just wanna say thanks for setting up the new thread. Much appreciated.:cheers: :cheers:

Cool! Never seen that before... what exactly is it?

:previous:

Transit Teddy's "Ride". :cool:

I request more of these on actual bus routes!

Can it make it up the centre street bridge fully loaded ? or do the passengers get out and push? LOL

This was one of the last posts from the old thread by Mersar I wanted to comment on...

I've passed many a transit bus on the Trans Canada being delivered to their new home from wherever they're made. Mainly I'd see buses destined for BC Transit. They coast along at 110km/h just fine.

Question is can they do that while fully loaded.

And from what was later mentioned on cptdb, they are using the routing I mentioned (or something close) as it sounds like they are using normal buses and not coaches, and as such aren't allowed to have standee's while on the QE2 or something along those lines according to the provinces rules

Council approved the recommendation to look into the new SW BRT routing, so its been sent to the proper committee to be studied. Sounds like it will involve dedicated lanes in parts near downtown, proposed alignment doesn't sound like it will directly serve MRU, but rather downtown to Crowchild to Glenmore to 14th and end at Anderson

Nevermind.

Council moves ahead with southwest BRT
 

Calgary city council has agreed to take a closer look at a new bus rapid transit corridor to move commuters more quickly from the city’s southwest suburbs.

Ald. Brian Pincott Monday argued in favour of establishing dedicated bus lanes from Anderson Road along 14 Street S.W., Glenmore and Crowchild to the downtown. The trip would take about 45 minutes.

Council agreed and passed the matter to the city's transit committee Monday, moving the proposal one step closer to reality.

Under the plan, buses would have a new free-flow lane to the downtown created from existing meridians and shoulders.

There are three existing BRT lines running in other quadrants of the city during rush hour — buses that make few stops while shuttling commuters to and from the city's core.

But in the southwest, even in the middle of the day, the intersection of 14th Street S.W. and Anderson Road is clogged with traffic.

"When we take a look at southwest Calgary, particularly south of the reservoir, we have got a challenge there," said Pincott. "People … only have one way out. So this is looking for the solutions to get people moving out of southwest Calgary into the downtown."

Mayor Dave Bronconnier said BRT may prove to be the best option for the southwest.

"It's a combination of how do you shore up ridership, how do you provide a service that has a direct connection, and how do you do it on a cost effective basis? This is one such option," Bronconnier said.

City officials would like to build a Light Rapid Transit line down Crowchild to Glenmore to 14th Street S.W. and Anderson Road. But that would take too much time to solve the growing traffic congestion, and involve considerable cost.

Ald. Druh Farrell said she too likes the BRT option. "They can define the route. They can get people used to transit and often they are as efficient as the LRT system [and] far less expensive."

Pincott said a dedicated bus corridor and platforms is the way to go.

"Not only do we give people an effective alternative to driving their car downtown … but we also free up more road space for more vehicles."


Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/02/09/calgary-brt-southwest.html

Double articulated buses. I've been on them, they have lots of seats.

CT has posted a page for the Inner City Bus Review open houses they are holding this month. Some highlights:

-Route 9 only Bridgeland to downtown, west of downtown replaced by 419, however 419 will now run to Brentwood via Childrens Hospital, but no longer service the University bus terminal. 43/143 will be adjusted to cover 40th ave
-403/433 (Inner City Shuttles) removed, replaced by new Inglewood/Ramsay/Manchester/Mission route
-31/405/407 shortened to remove duplication with other routes
-449 removed

That's funky! You could make use these to shuttle up and down 17th ave in the summer, or have them do the old Beltline route.

:previous: You guys do realize that's a golf cart, right? Pretty sure they're not exactly "street legal". :P

Neither would this be:

Beer Bike

but it would make up for the lack of legality with an over abundance of awesome.

(I am still bad at posting photos and don't want to spend time trying to figure it out).

'Awesome' isn't a big enough word for what that is!

How about ... LEGEND ... wait for it... I hope you don't have lactose intolerance because the second part of the word is DAIRY! ... to steal from an awesome show :)

HAHAHA "Lets play... Have you met TED??" :cool:

Or, when I am sad, I just stop being sad and start being awesome.

Link: Interesting video with traffic policies in different cities.

Anyone know if those wooden street light poles on Memorial (West of 10th St) are permanent?

Nevermind.

Does that mean I can't have a BRT from my house at 12 Ave & 7 St direct non-stop to my work at 64 Ave & Metis Trail?

Old news for most of us on here, however this is the first time I've heard the 2012 completion date mentioned. I'm guessing it will be timed with the opening of the West LRT. Also mentioned in the story is that they've budgeted $7 million for phase 1 and will start approaching companies about things this year.

Full Story Here:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/City+considers+smart+card+system+transit/2583053/story.html

Good. Now if the city were really on the ball, they would've co-ordinated this with the ParkPlus system so you could use the card to pay for parking and transit, especially since you're paying at the Park 'n Rides. The next step would've been to allow vendors to tie into the system and allow small transaction payments (the city could charge a bit for this and make a bit of coin back from rolling out the system).

Too much to ask for to have departments communicate and co-operate with each other in this city.

The new 8th street station (click on image for larger)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2690/4369669480_2ef1dcc0d2_b.jpg

Interesting bit from that Herald article:

They don't seem to account for tickets in here, but still...

You'd think "overwhelmingly" would prompt CT for a bit more convenience. I've been asking for an annual pass for years now. Or hell, even have pass-dispensing machines at LRT stations as a start. It's amazing how quickly some retail sites sell out of passes.

What I'm really dreading is that they go completely stupid, and make pass holders obtain a ticket at a station. If everyone is using the same smartcard, how do ticket checkers know if you have a monthly pass or not? All depends on what type of system they go with, but from some other examples I've seen, I could easily see this. Nothing like inconveniencing the overwhelming majority of your customers just to try to attract a few more. :rolleyes:

Nevermind.

The XRT project blog has a new update. Looks like the Tuscany P&R has been reconfigured.

http://thexrt.blogspot.com/

Nevermind.

^ That is the old one...

This is the new one.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6aZeImeUCqk/S3...00-h/Tuscany+Park+and+Ride+(low+res).jpg

That's my point though - how do the transit cops know if a passholder is valid or not? Unless they carry portable card readers, the only possible way I can see is if they make everyone get a ticket at the station before boarding.

I'm just imagining them going through a car with 100+ people, scanning everyone's smartcard. It'd take half the trip.

I really wish they'd put a scale on those pics, plus actually indicate where the station is going to be. It looks like a heck of a walk from the bus loop to the actual train platform. It's probably just the scale of the diagram but to my eyes, those "accessible" parking spots look to be a really long jaunt. They should be right next to the bridge if at all possible.

The problem appears to be the slope on the site. The parking area can't have too much of a slope on it, which means that people have to up stairs, but being accessible means having a ramp as well. The slope of the site probably means a long ramp is required.

I saw officers doing just that in London, walking through the cars checking people's Oyster cards with scanners. Mind you that's secondary as they already have gates everywhere, but it can be done.

I would think this is exactly what would be done. They'd carry a portable scanner and ask people to swipe their card. I don't think it would take that much extra time to have people scan their cards.

In fact, it can save time as the Transit Officers just tap the card and wait for the beep instead of actually reading the ticket. As you can just tap your wallet or purse on the reader, the only time they actually need to physically see the card is when it is an ID card.

However, having portable scanners make so much sense that you could see CT somehow not going with them. Freeweed has planted the seed of doubt in my head.

Methinks you give this enforcement too much credit. All I've ever seen is the enforcement officers quickly walking down the aisle, looking to see if people have something vaguely resembling a pass or ticket. It takes about the same time as a person does to just walk down the train car.

Not exactly a huge deal really, as enforcement is so sporadic that it won't be too noticeable by me. I'm actually a bit more annoyed that now I'll have to remember to get a receipt for every "pass" that I buy, for income tax purposes. A receipt that will inevitably come off a thermal printer, and of course fade in a year. And of course I'll have to have 12 of them, because an annual pass would be evil.

In any event, this is a good thing for tourism. I don't know how I would have managed if I had to constantly carry change in all the various places I've traveled.

eesh. I carry my CNIB card for transit fare. I hope this means the card will no longer be accepted because it doesn't have a bar code ..

Nevermind.

^ In current form, there would be way too high a value in counterfeiting, even if there was a photo on it to help deter. If the smart card system ends up working off a central database it would be pretty easy to do, likely working with a automatic account withdraw, since very few people are wiling to drop 1000+ at once for a transit pass.

I think the one concern that I can see them using as to why they don't is the issue of people paying for a yearly pass then wanting a pro-rated refund for whats left of it if they no longer need it 6 months down the road. Even if they explicitly stated its non-refundable then people would raise a noise about it I'd bet, and if they did allow for that then there would be increased costs on the administration side of offering it to process those cases (granted probably not many, but its possible. I know the U of C offers pro-rated refunds on the multi-month parking permits for Macmahon, and theres been a few instances of people taking advantage of that I've heard of)

Strange C-Train horn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA3aMvXdoz8

I've noticed that a lot too lately. It's like a metal on metal clang kind of horn instead of the normal one.

Yep. They've been replacing the horns on some of the SD160's with what has been described as an "electronic clanger". Only ones I see mentioned on cptdb was 2228 and 2245, but that was last fall.