Been thinking about a future downtown relief line, and what could be possible. I present to the community, my vision for the western portion of a future "Hastings Line".
Coming east from Commercial Station at Commercial and Hastings (not pictured), the line will travel approximately 650 metres to Clark - Strathcona station serving the
new dense neighbourhood west of Clark Drive on the eastern boundary of the Strathcona neighbourhood. This portion is assumed to be tunneled under Hastings Street utilizing similar methods to the Broadway extension.
The line will travel approximately 1.1km from Clark - Strathcona to the Railtown - Jackson Ave station at Jackson Ave and Alexander Street. After Clark - Strathcona the line will curve into a cut and cover tunnel underneath the CN rail corridor, with double tracking of that portion of railway at the same time for the finished product. Once this portion meets the main rail lines just north of the powell street overpass, it will curve and stay in a short cut and cover trench until it meets Alexander Street, from there travelling under Alexander Street until the Railtown - Jackson Avenue station.
The line will then travel approximately 800 metres to Gastown - Carrall Street station, under Alexander Street until a transition just west of the existing Columbia Street station. This portion will require a realignment of the railyard, shifting the tracks north and removing a couple tracks for the station to fit between the Heritage buildings and the railyard. Gastown - Carrall Street station will be an at-grade station.
Approximately 600 metres from Gastown - Carrall Street station the line will connect with the Expo and Canada lines, the Seabus, and the West Coast Express at Waterfront station on a reconfigured Expo / Hastings line interchange.
From Waterfront, the line will follow the Expo Line's alignment under Cordova, on separate tracks to be build beside it before it meets the Thurlow entrance of the current Expo Line tunnels, at which point it will enter a new tunnel constructed underneath Thurlow street. Approximately 1.0 km from Waterfront the line will next stop at a station between Robson and Georgia streets on Thurlow. This station will be constructed to serve the easternmost part of the west end and provide access to the westernmost portion of the central business district for Hastings line commuters (and those connecting with the North Shore / Willingdon line).
From Robson - Georgia the line will travel approximately 650 metres to Davie Village station, which will serve the heart of Davie village and include a direct connection to
the redeveloped old St. Paul's hospital, set to be a major redevelopment from Concord Pacific including the future tallest building in Vancouver (in this fantasy world).
The line will then travel underneath the inlet to False Creek from Davie Village for approximately 1.4 km to Kitsilano - Senakw station at the intersection of Burrard Street and Cornwall Avenue. This station will serve the Senakw development, as well as the wider Kitsilano area with direct integration to the redeveloped Molson Brewery.
The terminus for this line will be at a redeveloped Arbutus station, having ample room from the bus loop, which was installed as part of the first portion of the Broadway/UBC Millennium line extensions, this redeveloped station will be approximately 1.0 km from Kitsilano - Senakw station. This will act as a much needed relief line to the northern portion of the Canada Line, which by this point will be one of the busiest sections of the Skytrain network.
Provisions for an extension south along the Arbutus rail ROW will also be made, allowing a connection in Kerrisdale with the 41st/49th avenue Skytrain upon completion.
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I think what you present is practical, and an all around good idea. Connecting a future Hasting Line underground under downtown, to Arbutus ans further connections south is very proactive.
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