Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion II

[madog222]

Concrete being poured at OMC4.

• Video Link

[jollyburger]

From the meeting last week

OMC1 Upgrades: New Guideway and Vehicle Maintenance Shops (VMS3)
In Q3, interior finishing work was performed, and existing running rail was being tied in with the new
guideway shop as the project nears substantial completion and move-in for the Guideway team. Work to
expand the Vehicle Cleaning Inspection Facility at OMC1 continued with slab and foundation concrete
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pours. This project is part of the Edmonds Maintenance Centre upgrades which supports the cleaning of
the longer Mark V trains.
Mark V Trains
Over the summer, the first Mark V train in Kingston completed its static testing phase. Static testing
checks for basic operation of all sub-systems at a car level. Individual systems across each separate car
are tested, such as the brakes, the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), the doors, and the Heating Ventilation Air
Conditioning (HVAC) units. Dynamic testing of the Train 1 has surpassed 50% completion. The second
train is currently in the final assembly stage before beginning a 20,000 km test. Car manufacturing and
assembling for Train 3 is now in progress at Alstom’s Quebec plant.
New Operations Control Centre (OCC2)
The contractor commenced exterior cladding work on the OCC2 project this quarter. In addition, there
has been much interior work performed including windows, plumbing, electrical, lighting, and ceiling
installations. The BCRTC team worked closely with TransLink and TI Corp to develop and enable a
schedule acceleration plan, and the project is on-target to be operational in time for the Broadway
Subway Project launch in 2026.
Broadway Subway Project (BSP)
BCRTC continues to support TI Corp’s project delivery team. Tunnel boring along the corridor continued
through the summer and one tunnel boring machine reached Oak Street/VGH station. It is anticipated
that boring towards the future South Granville Station will begin mid-Q4.
Construction of all 21 piers, main girders and deck panels connecting the 700 metres of elevated
guideway west of VCC-Clark Station connecting to the future Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station is
now complete. Concrete deck pouring on top of the elevated guideway started early August.
The project remains on schedule to open in 2026.

Construction has begun at the site of the future Marpole Transit Centre. Early preparatory work
included demolishing existing structures and moving utilities, among other items. Detailed
design reached the 60% milestone, and 100% detailed design is expected to finish in early 2024.
• Early construction works are planned to begin in Q4 2023 for both the Port Coquitlam
Transit Centre expansion/electrification project and phase one of the Burnaby Transit
Centre expansion project.

https://www.translink.ca/-/media/transli...cember/23-12-06-public-board-meeting.pdf

[Rico]

Originally Posted by Express691

Federal government announces funding for life expansion of trolley overhead

https://www.canada.ca/en/canada-infrastr...ley-bus-service-for-metro-vancouver.html

This is great news, the trolleys are under appreciated. To bad it did not include a few judicious extensions of wire.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

I'm a bit surprised that they didn't fully wrap the trains in protective film/plastic.

If they can't survive a few thousand km across Canada then they'll die pretty quickly in actual service where they'll be traveling far greater distances.

[simons]

https://www.translink.ca/resources/trans...brt_project_report_mayors_council_oct_23

Looks like Lougheed Highway and Marine Drive-22nd St Station were runners up for the first set of BRT routes

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

If they can't survive a few thousand km across Canada then they'll die pretty quickly in actual service where they'll be traveling far greater distances.

I mean how much would it cost them to wrap it? $1000?

[nname]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

If they can't survive a few thousand km across Canada then they'll die pretty quickly in actual service where they'll be traveling far greater distances.

I think transport by ocean and dealing with the salty sea water is a much harsher environment than land transport...

[jollyburger]

Seems like it's closer to $4-5K per car for shrink wrapping

https://www.zapshrinkwrap.com/project/alstom-transportation/

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by simons

https://www.translink.ca/resources/trans...brt_project_report_mayors_council_oct_23

Looks like Lougheed Highway and Marine Drive-22nd St Station were runners up for the first set of BRT routes

Interesting to see Langley to Haney Place get the go-ahead despite such poor scores. I doubt Translink would implement this corridor if politics weren't a consideration.

I think Hastings could have been tier one if Burnaby hadn't signaled an aversion to removing curbside parking spots.

[mcj]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Interesting to see Langley to Haney Place get the go-ahead despite such poor scores. I doubt Translink would implement this corridor if politics weren't a consideration.

I think Hastings could have been tier one if Burnaby hadn't signaled an aversion to removing curbside parking spots.

It scores poorly on ridership potential, access to jobs, and operational readiness. With the other criteria it has high scores. All the selected options have a similar operational readiness score. Ridership potential and access to jobs should change with time as this intersects the heart of the 6th and 8th largest municipalities by population in Metro Vancouver, both of which are growing substantially faster than average.

I could see this being more successful than the other two routes in a decade's time (with the exception of the Brentwood to Metrotown section of the North Shore route).

[bardak]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Interesting to see Langley to Haney Place get the go-ahead despite such poor scores. I doubt Translink would implement this corridor if politics weren't a consideration.

I think Hastings could have been tier one if Burnaby hadn't signaled an aversion to removing curbside parking spots.

I think it was a very political pick in multiple ways. First it helps give more coverage of "rapid transit" across the region. Second I believe that Translink want these BRT to be seen as good project with proper infrastructure (Proper bus lanes for the entire length), affordable budgets, and quick to implement. So the municipalities that are willing to play ball have been put to the front. I think these three BRTs are supposed to be used as examples for future projects. It will be easier to sell a BRT with full bus lanes on 41st or from richmond to metrotown if others have shown success.

In an alternate reality I could see them going with Vancouver and Richmond first with comprises on bus lanes and everyone complaining that we spent a ton of money only for the BRTs getting slowed down in traffic

[madog222]

Cars for the first Mark V Skytrain have arrived at OMC2 in Burnaby.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by madog222

Cars for the first Mark V Skytrain have arrived at OMC2 in Burnaby.

anyone know how they get those trains off the trucks? i assume they have some shed the trailer gets backed into with some overhead crane. always been curious how it works.

[madog222]

Mobile cranes.

https://cptdb.ca/topic/19461-2021-2030-s...om-mark-v/?do=findComment&comment=984328

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by madog222

Mobile cranes.

https://cptdb.ca/topic/19461-2021-2030-s...om-mark-v/?do=findComment&comment=984328

well thats disappointing.

[Sheba]

I'm surprised no one has posted this - TransLink shifts buses from fossil fuels to 100 per cent renewable diesel

TransLink is introducing renewable diesel into its bus fleet as a transition fuel while we electrify. Renewable diesel comes from organic waste, which includes used cooking oil and waste animal fats, as well as plant-based sources like vegetable oils.

As a low-carbon fuel, renewable diesel offers about an 80 per cent greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction compared to fossil fuel diesel across the whole life cycle — from production to tailpipe.

...

Thanks to our SkyTrain network and fleet of about 275 trolley-electric and five battery-electric buses, around 55 per cent of passenger kilometres travelled are zero-emission. With this foundation in place, we’re electrifying as fast as we can, including by building our first all-electric transit centre in Marpole in Vancouver. By 2030, we’re planning on having 460 battery-electric buses in service.

But electrifying transit takes time given the considerable amount of infrastructure and operational changes required.

With our first climate target (cutting GHGs 45 per cent by 2030) only a few short years away, renewable diesel allows us to cut emissions from our diesel bus fleet immediately. That’s because renewable diesel is a drop-in fuel that doesn’t require changes to buses or facilities.

...

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Sheba

I'm surprised no one has posted this - TransLink shifts buses from fossil fuels to 100 per cent renewable diesel

i want to know how much this will cost TransLink to do. does it cost 20% more? 50%? if its anything more than 0%, its a pointless waste of money better spent on real transit priorities.

[xd_1771]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Interesting to see Langley to Haney Place get the go-ahead despite such poor scores. I doubt Translink would implement this corridor if politics weren't a consideration.

Since the goal is to have the BRTs operational by 2027, I wonder if that ridership score is based on opening day projection with the SLS still under construction for another year or so. SLS completion and opening should move the needle on ridership quite significantly. It's interesting that the map hints two termini options (at Willowbrook and Langley City Centre stations), or perhaps even a branching to enable both termini?

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

i want to know how much this will cost TransLink to do. does it cost 20% more? 50%? if its anything more than 0%, its a pointless waste of money better spent on real transit priorities.

Translink considers lower emissions one of their "real priorities". What would you want to do with the extra money?

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

i want to know how much this will cost TransLink to do. does it cost 20% more? 50%? if its anything more than 0%, its a pointless waste of money better spent on real transit priorities.

I don't know what the absolute dollar figure is, but the June 2023 Mayors Council meeting had a presentation from TransLink staff where they said renewable diesel has a 2-7% cost premium per litre. But it apparently also comes with reduced maintenance, so maybe it's a wash?

TransLink does have a requirement to reduce its emissions, and renewable diesel gets them a big chunk of the way there. 65-85% reduction in GHG emissions is nothing to sneeze at.