Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion II

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

At which point the budget goes up, which TransLink, the province and the general public are so far unwilling to do.

Site C, TMX, and the Surrey Skytrain would like a word.

The Arbutus extension running 2+ years late and somehow on budget would be a miracle.

[chowhou]

Saw this today, pretty disappointing promise from the NDP. Basically, "We will ensure the R2 is expanded to Metrotown".

BC NDP promises to connect two major shopping malls through Bus Rapid Transit route

With the BC election just two and a half weeks away, the BC NDP is ramping up promises on transit services to connect two major shopping centres and address congestion frustrations on the North Shore if re-elected.

The announcement was made Tuesday morning, with North Vancouver-Lonsdale BC NDP candidate Bowinn Ma among those saying this will connect West Vancouver and Burnaby in new ways through a BRT line — a Bus Rapid Transit route that will be entirely separated from traffic, unlike a RapidBus line.

“A new rapid transit line between Park Royal and Metrotown means that people will have more choices about how they get on, off, and around the North Shore,” Ma said. “This new high-efficiency service will help get people where they’re going, faster, and sooner as we also drive forward with work on longer-term expansion, like fixed light rail or Skytrain.”

The BRT promises to provides high-frequency, high-capacity service, making for a fast and efficient journey and the party is promising work to begin as early as next year.

The financial cost was not detailed in a release on Tuesday, but the party assured that the route would come alongside other stakeholders, including TransLink, local governments and First Nations, and in the short term they would also ensure that the R2 is extended to provide all-day service from Phibbs Exchange to Metrotown. Plus, they also move forward on “future expansion of rapid transit to either light rail or Skytrain, in consultation with the Mayors’ Council and communities.”

“People in West Vancouver are frustrated by congestion,” continued Sara Eftekhar, BC NDP candidate in West Vancouver-Capilano. “So we’re taking action to relieve that congestion. This new service will help people spend less time on the road and more time with their families.”

Connecting these areas has already been outlined as a key priority for Bus Rapid Transit projects slated to be introduced to Metro Vancouver in the coming years if approvals and funding is acquired. According to TransLink’s website, the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation already identified the Meotrtown-North Shore as among its three priority routes, the others are King George Boulevard and Langley–Haney Place.

In a 2023 funding request submission to the federal government, early estimates suggest the first three BRT routes could cost between $250 million and $300 million for a combined total approaching $1 billion.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-n...west-vancouver

[BaddieB]

Originally Posted by WBC

What about the fact that 19km long Canada Line took under 4 years and 6km extension of Broadway subway will now take close to 7 years. Empire State Building took 1 year and 45 days for comparison...

Must be all that productivity that modern technology brought... sigh...

Wrong. The Canada Line was done quick because of extreme value engineering. Cut and cover, stations half the size, no connections at Granville, etc. Now in my opinion I like the Canada Line for this, it's just very politically unpopular to inconvenience cars in any way.

Not to mention the pandemic which messed things up at the beginning.

[Migrant_Coconut]

It's common in this province to promise the thing you said you were going to do but never got around to.

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Site C, TMX, and the Surrey Skytrain would like a word.

Don't forget the Massey replacement. But I'm talking about Broadway, which so far has not jumped to $4+ billion.

What I wouldn't give for BC to have one of Ontario's infinite blank cheques - if TransLink had the nerve to spend $11B on one subway and then $16B just to finish it, we'd have to wait until 2050 for the next one.

[officedweller]

Just be glad it's not as slow as Toronto.
14 years and running for the Crosstown LRT to open.

For their Ontario Line, the downtown stations are insanely deep.

https://stevemunro.ca/2021/10/14/ont...ion-follow-up/

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

It's common in this province to promise the thing you said you were going to do but never got around to.

Yea, even the Burrard Station upgrading works promising a second egress/access got watered down to just escalator replacement, and even just weeks after completion, they look scratched up and old/unmaintained.

[jollyburger]

(wrong thread)

[hollywoodnorth]

Announced today by the BC Conservatives ...... Extending SkyTrain to Newton!!!

https://www.conservativebc.ca/get_bc...infrastructure

Taking Transit Seriously - Extending SkyTrain to Newton

Rustad also addressed the public transit crisis in BC, where service gaps, unreliable routes, and safety concerns have left commuters stranded and vulnerable. He called out the NDP for neglecting transit development while demand soared.

“A growing population needs a growing transit network. We will extend SkyTrain to Newton in Surrey, fund key projects in the Transport 2050 plan, and ensure reliable and safe transit for all British Columbians,” said Rustad.

Conservatives will also prioritize regional transit, including Fraser Valley regional rail and expanded transit service in the Sea-to-Sky corridor, as well as enhanced safety measures on public transit.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

Announced today by the BC Conservatives ...... Extending SkyTrain to Newton!!!

Yeah, get in there now and install switches east of King George Station branching south.

[Migrant_Coconut]

While I'm happy to see the Cons finally embracing SkyTrain, turning Newton and Langley into branch lines seems like a fairly shortsighted idea - Richmond and YVR have been regretting that choice for over a decade.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

While I'm happy to see the Cons finally embracing SkyTrain, turning Newton and Langley into branch lines seems like a fairly shortsighted idea - Richmond and YVR have been regretting that choice for over a decade.

I think there would be more capacity on the Expo Line branches than the Canada Line, and when Surrey Centre grows as a destination, they could short-turn trains and do a Langley to Newton routing.
They could also install even more spare switches to allow for a separate Guildford-Newton routing in future.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Methinks that given the last ten years worth of shutdowns, we want less switches and simpler networks. A separate Newton-Guildford line is futureproof, if politically and financially inconvenient.

[NetMapel]

I’d probably opt for a separate circular line in Surrey. Guilford down along 152nd and turn west to Newton and Scottsdale. Then north like the existing R6 bus route to 104th. Then head east to surrey central and connect up Guilford again. I don’t think we want more split lines and confusion from that.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

While I'm happy to see the Cons finally embracing SkyTrain, turning Newton and Langley into branch lines seems like a fairly shortsighted idea - Richmond and YVR have been regretting that choice for over a decade.

It's not so bad if the track layout allows either the Newton or Langley branches to act as their own independent sub-routes. They can still have connecting track, but if turning a Newton line train around doesn't require intruding into the Langley tracks, for example, then it means you don't have to halve the frequencies on the branch lines like you do for Richmond and the airport.

That means an expanded station with more platforms, so it's not likely to happen, but IMHO it's the "right" way to do it.