Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion II

[RedArbutus]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

So you can't reroute a BRT for a day?





https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/al...oss-for-burnaby-heights-advocate-8605366

These people are out to lunch. Boundary routing may have been suggested by city staff, but I'm willing to bet that Heights merchants are supporting it not because they genuinely think it'll be useful to (any) transit riders but because they're aware the optics aren't great if they don't have an alternative prepared when yelling about how bad the Hastings routing will be.

[jollyburger]

(deleted)

[Migrant_Coconut]

Parker Street: "Am I a freaking joke to you?!?"

[Vantage]

Caught a very quick glimpse of the Mark V at OMC3 last night. Video is my own.

• Video Link

URL if imbedded video isn't working: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHyruRC772U

[Lexus]

Originally Posted by Vantage

Caught a very quick glimpse of the Mark V at OMC3 last night. Video is my own.

• Video Link

URL if imbedded video isn't working: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHyruRC772U

Nice. How many sets Translink have received so far? Just that one? I thought they will deliver a set of 5 cars approximately each month. It seems that 49 more trains to arrive in 2025-2028. Rough math gives one train every month and a half.

[dpogue]

Originally Posted by Lexus

Nice. How many sets Translink have received so far? Just that one? I thought they will deliver a set of 5 cars approximately each month. It seems that 49 more trains to arrive in 2025-2028. Rough math gives one train every month and a half.

Just that one right now. They want extra time with the first train to do additional testing in case there are any changes needed for the rest of the sets, and to make sure everything is compatible to run the full testing and commissioning process.

I believe later this year is when we'll start seeing a train arriving every month.

[idunno]

Big $ announcement from the Province: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024MOTI...hases%20for%20much%2Dneeded%20expansion.

What I don't understand is where this fits into the Investment Plan. Is this funding on top of the funding that the Investment Plan was asking for via fare increases + property tax increase? Or was it always anticipated, and is built in with the other funding sources to fund the 2024 Investment Plan?

[mcj]

Seems like the Province is providing some funding to get the bus service component of the Access for Everyone plan going. There were some subtle shots at the feds during this announcement, since they ignored the call for the Permanent Transit Fund to be brought forward into this year's budget.

[cganuelas1995]

Earlier today there was a track intrusion, and then the person who intruded onto the track was struck by the train. Aren't the intrusion alarms supposed to stop the trains?

Also, we really need more switches throughout the system.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Earlier today there was a track intrusion, and then the person who intruded onto the track was struck by the train. Aren't the intrusion alarms supposed to stop the trains?

I don't know anything about the specifics of this case, but there's not much you can do about a person jumping right in front of a train.

Except platform screen doors of course. The sooner we standardize our trains (read: retire the remaining Mk.1s) and begin installing them in the highest traffic stations the better.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Earlier today there was a track intrusion, and then the person who intruded onto the track was struck by the train. Aren't the intrusion alarms supposed to stop the trains?

Also, we really need more switches throughout the system.

The system detects somebody walking on the tracks, and stops the trains. It can't do anything about somebody who jumps (or, in very rare cases, is pushed) in front of a train as it pulls into Metrotown station. The 'track intrusion' was later changed to 'medical emergency', but that doesn't seem to completely describe what happened.

I'm taking that from the Transit Police tweet "Hi everyone - Transit Police here. If you saw anything this morning, related to this incident, please reach out. Transit Police dispatch can be reached by phone at 604.515.8300 or by text at 87.77.77. We would like to know what you saw, and we can put you in resources that can help you process what you've seen if that's something you're struggling with."

Translink might add screen doors once trains are closer to one design, but if they do, they'll be very expensive and will reduce platform space in some locations.

[madog222]

A development permit has been submitted to build a new Oakridge Rectifier Station as part of redevelopment of the Oakridge Transit Centre site.  It will be relocated to the west side of the site just north of the gas station at the Oak & 41st intersection.

https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/949-w-41-ave

Originally Posted by chowhou

(read: retire the remaining Mk.1s)

And all Mark IIs…

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by madog222

And all Mark IIs…

Yeah that's true.

At the very least, once the MkIs are retired and the MkVs start to come online, the MkIIs can probably all be kept on either the Expo or Millennium Line with the MarkIIIs and MarkVs on the other. Then it might be viable.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Also, we really need more switches throughout the system.

I've mentioned that to TransLink a number of times. Retrofitting them in now prob isn't going to happen but at least they could learn from their mistake and make sure any new tracks have them at regular intervals. An incident at Metrotown (def not a first) shuts down the line from Joyce to Edmonds (unless we're lucky enough to get some single tracking of trains) - how does that make sense? It would be a lot less painful if the line was shut down from Patterson to Royal Oak.

[dpogue]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Also, we really need more switches throughout the system.

Track switches are not the only consideration, electrical power to the track is also important and is constrained by substation locations.

i.e., today Patterson station had to be closed due to the incident at Metrotown, because powering down the track at Metrotown also powers down the track at Patterson. The substation for Patterson is on the west side of the station.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by dpogue

Track switches are not the only consideration, electrical power to the track is also important and is constrained by substation locations.

i.e., today Patterson station had to be closed due to the incident at Metrotown, because powering down the track at Metrotown also powers down the track at Patterson. The substation for Patterson is on the west side of the station.

Can the track not be powered down in smaller segments?

[dpogue]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Can the track not be powered down in smaller segments?

Where there are track switches, there are usually electrical disconnect junctions, but not between all the stations.

They're in the process of constructing some additional substations to provide power for future growth, so that might give them some additional flexibility in the future, but I suspect that wouldn't have helped in this case.

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Earlier today there was a track intrusion, and then the person who intruded onto the track was struck by the train. Aren't the intrusion alarms supposed to stop the trains?

Also, we really need more switches throughout the system.

My limited information here, the intrusion system alerts OMC to incidents and can automatically lock-out the block and neighboring blocks switch to "Caution", which allows approaching trains to either slow down and stop in preceding blocks before they arrive in the "Do Not Enter" block, or E-brake (disable propulsion and drop the magnetic brake) if they are in the adjacent block and there is no time to normally decelerate but is pretty violent and often knocks people off their feet. This can also permit for train rerouting through a siding for example as to prevent a logjam and keep the rest of the line flowing if possible, but I've never seen that feature used. De-energizing the blocks must be performed manually (okay that might not be entirely true but I'm sure it's reserved for major situations such as fenceway trips or electrical fault conditions) but comes with a risk of any trains in the shutdown section disappearing from the VCC and requiring re-entry into the system. Policy requires that if someone decides to take a walk they have to de-energize it and everyone gets pissed.

In theory you can jump onto the reaction rail while in a station and not set the intrusion system off. The Millennium Line uses line-of-sight detection at the ends of the station and around the reaction rail. On the Expo Line the red grating detects weight. The reaction rail itself can't be weight monitored as acceleration or braking would trip it.

Because of this, back in the late 90's they reduced the speed a train enters a station to deter jumpers and give a train more time to stop if the system is automatically or manually tripped, so a station guideway intrusion normally switches camera views at OMC and they get tasked with weather or not it was a phantom alert (leaves, trash, snow and birds do this occasionally) or an actual incident.

[jollyburger]

Here's the Skytrain disruption report that has more details. I think they're upgrading the system as well?

https://www.translink.ca/-/media/transli...795_independent_review_booklet_final.pdf

[Mac Write]

From way back, they said that the Mark V trains would start arriving monthly starting in June 2024 with the test unit arriving in November 2023.