Heavy Rail, Commuter Rail, & Intercity Transportation

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Maybe we will one day get our high-speed rail connection to the US - thanks to China.

Or Russia, or some other hair brained scheme.

I'll file this under "believe it when I see it".

[trofirhen]

It might be a very good idea to start figuring and planning on some HSR, or commuter rail for the LowerMainland, like (depending on demand) upping the frequency of the WCE or planning commuter rail to Abbotsford, as examples.

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I'll file this under "believe it when I see it".

Surely, but technically it could be done. Unfortunately if it would happen, it would more than likely skip Vancouver ans Seattle and travel from Alaska towards Edmonton and Alberta before crossing the border into States. Going around the mountains would save this gigantic project hundreds of billions.

I guess that if this would be built, it would be for cargo. Container traffic may face problems when we run out of oil, so a rail connection would be required. For passenger traffic I can see such mega-railway viable only if we fail to come up with any good alternative for jet fuel. But seeing how well solar energy on small planes is progressing, I would imagine that passenger air traffic will be there also in the future.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by Vancity

they're all white people. LOL.

Substitute "white" with "asian" or "black" and the comment is suddenly racist.

[spm2013]

Originally Posted by Jebby

Substitute "white" with "asian" or "black" and the comment is suddenly racist.

They're all Asian people.

They're all black people.

Nope, not racist but nice try.

[SFUVancouver]

Plus, the people in the photo are all white people.

[Genauso]

This video looks like it will be appropriate
View from the BCER Interurban running from Marpole to Steveston
• Video Link

Has Surrey recently tried lobbying the Federal government to fund a Via Rail service? I know there's West Coast express and Go Train, but given there's virtually no presence for the crown corporation and they couldn't lose too much money compared to the PR value...

[spm2013]

Assuming it was city workers but it looks like they're dismantling the Granville Island streetcar station shelters.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

It might be a very good idea to start figuring and planning on some HSR, or commuter rail for the LowerMainland, like (depending on demand) upping the frequency of the WCE or planning commuter rail to Abbotsford, as examples.

Only HSR that would be viable would be to Seattle. Anywhere else would not generate enough revenue, or would be horrendously expensive.

WCE needs to expand. It has not expanded since its inception in 1995. GO and AMT have all expanded multiple times over.

They have existing rail in place that would service the ferries. They have existing rail that would service other communities in the GVA.

It is sad that a "green" city is not as green as other major cities in Canada.

[go_leafs_go02]

Wonder how feasible it would be to extend WCE south from Mission into Abbotsford and have it start there. Only issue is the Mission station is east of the junction, and would have to be relocated slightly west or maybe have half the trains short turn there.

However, the rain line from Mission to Abbotsford is under CP's jurisdiction, which also maintains and operates the current WCE line.

[casper]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

Wonder how feasible it would be to extend WCE south from Mission into Abbotsford and have it start there. Only issue is the Mission station is east of the junction, and would have to be relocated slightly west or maybe have half the trains short turn there.

However, the rain line from Mission to Abbotsford is under CP's jurisdiction, which also maintains and operates the current WCE line.

Why not just add another two trains and have some terminate in Mission and others in Abbotsford.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by casper

Why not just add another two trains and have some terminate in Mission and others in Abbotsford.

Makes sense to me.

[jlenko]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

However, the rain line from Mission to Abbotsford is under CP's jurisdiction, which also maintains and operates the current WCE line.

Isn't the WCE operated by Bombardier now?I thought CP was out of it, after E.H.H wanted nothing to do with passenger rail.

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by jlenko

Isn't the WCE operated by Bombardier now?I thought CP was out of it, after E.H.H wanted nothing to do with passenger rail.

I don't know who operates it, but I do know the WCE runs on CP trackage most, if not all of the way from Mission to Waterfront.

[casper]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

I don't know who operates it, but I do know the WCE runs on CP trackage most, if not all of the way from Mission to Waterfront.

I don't think it is a big issue. Take Via rail as an example, in most of the country they run on CN track. The fraser valley being he exception when coming into the city they in one track and going out they run on the other railways tracks.

[trofirhen]

Given this, there seems flexibility to develop the WCE. Although perhaps
for the moment, this is satisafactory, as metro grows, other commuter rail lines may open.

But for the current WCE, having Mission-Vancouver, and a longer Abbotsford-Vancouver IMO would be an expedient way to go, given our geography. The line such as suggested would seemingly well serve the commuter distribution. I hope equally that the frequency is increased with a possible mid-day train and an evening train.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Only HSR that would be viable would be to Seattle. Anywhere else would not generate enough revenue, or would be horrendously expensive.

WCE needs to expand. It has not expanded since its inception in 1995. GO and AMT have all expanded multiple times over.

They have existing rail in place that would service the ferries. They have existing rail that would service other communities in the GVA.

It is sad that a "green" city is not as green as other major cities in Canada.

It depends on what you call HSR. Yes, it might not be affordable to build true HSR anywhere other than Seattle bound, but relatively high speed rail to other locations would benefit this province. If travel times to Hope on a train were comparable to driving it could open up the entire Fraser Valley to Vancouver much like GO and Via open up the entire Golden Horseshoe to Toronto. And while GO has 7 lines, you could hit most of the Valley with just 1.

And frequent (like every few hours) trains out to Hope could open up the rest of the province to more travel. Instead of getting on a crowded bus Downtown, you could ride the train to Hope, where Greyhound would have their terminal and buses would depart from there for the rest of the province saving the traveler an hour of time and simplifying Greyhounds operation in the process. The most direct bus to Hope takes 1:45, with most being 2:45.

If you spend the money and build fast rail all the way to Kamloops, then this province would get a little bit smaller feeling.

Originally Posted by jlenko

Isn't the WCE operated by Bombardier now?I thought CP was out of it, after E.H.H wanted nothing to do with passenger rail.

It is, just this week they took over I think. But before them it was VIA rail, not CP who ran and maintained the trains.

It will be interesting to see if this changes anything. As important as VIA rail is to the country, to me it feels like VIA is looking for any excuse to not exist (at least outside southern Ontario). Maybe Bombardier will have some ideas to help improve service that VIA would have kept to themselves.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

..........
It is, just this week they took over I think. But before them it was VIA rail, not CP who ran and maintained the trains.

It will be interesting to see if this changes anything. As important as VIA rail is to the country, to me it feels like VIA is looking for any excuse to not exist (at least outside southern Ontario). Maybe Bombardier will have some ideas to help improve service that VIA would have kept to themselves.

I think this is quite likely, not only because Bombardier is not "Southern Ontario" -centred in its thinking, but also because
providing good service is good PR for the company. This is worth taking into consideration, IMO, because although in the case of WCE, they are managemement, and also the passenger car manufacturers, that they manufacture often-inventive commuter rail, (even used here in Paris, on a lot of trains out of Gare St. Lazare) including the engines.
(WCE engines being G.E.) ... and that although there is competition out there, (such as Alstom, its TGV and so on) the snazziest trains usually come from the Bombardier factory.
They have every reason to show their product at its best, and that is what may most benefit Valley commuters, be it a Mission or Abbotsford train.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

If travel times to Hope on a train were comparable to driving it could open up the entire Fraser Valley to Vancouver much like GO and Via open up the entire Golden Horseshoe to Toronto.

The Golden Horseshoe was opened up by roads and freeways, GO came along after that. Of course it's helped the densification of the area, but GO would never have gone there in the first place unless there was a critical mass of riders to use it.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

It depends on what you call HSR. Yes, it might not be affordable to build true HSR anywhere other than Seattle bound, but relatively high speed rail to other locations would benefit this province. If travel times to Hope on a train were comparable to driving it could open up the entire Fraser Valley to Vancouver much like GO and Via open up the entire Golden Horseshoe to Toronto. And while GO has 7 lines, you could hit most of the Valley with just 1.

There just isn't any economic reason to extend a high-speed (or even low-speed) line out to Hope, which has a population of 6,000.