Also, the studies on this* concluded that once you factor in legroom, the space advantage of side-facing seats is kind of minimal... and it seems like kind of a moot point when less than a tenth of all C-Line passengers are coming and going to YVR.
*Brought up in a similar argument on this forum ten years ago. Please don't ask me to find it.
The unions and CMBC have reached a new (third for those not keeping track) tentative agreement, membership votes on ratification tomorrow. If they vote to reject the agreement they go to a full strike ceasing all bus and Seabus service starting Tuesday.
...the Expo Line has always had longitudinal seating no? Not sure why they made that decision for the Canada Line.
The side-facing seats between the doors on the original Expo line cars where there because they needed room for electronics components housed in the space below them. I strongly suspect that if that space hadn't been needed then they would have used conventional (for the time) lateral seating.
If/when the Canada Line adds a C car to the middle of the trainset, that should be longitudinal seating. Canada Line cars also have those "bike" spaces that are good for standing with big bags too.
Pretty sure Metrotown is further from downtown Vancouver than Richmond, let alone Surrey, and especially let alone Langley, and the Expo Line has always had longitudinal seating no? Not sure why they made that decision for the Canada Line.
I mean... it's an easy decision.
People PREFER sitting forwards on ANY length trip.
initial thoughts on the Canada Line by many was that it would be underutilized... so they didn't "need capacity"
Longitudinal seating is the only way to go for a metro line because there are two benefits: capacity and better passenger flow. Wider aisle means more space and better movement, which means people get on and off the train faster. The MkII stock with the narrow aisle due to the lateral seats has poor efficiency in this regard.
Just look at asia. They have minimal seating but lots of handle bars for standees to maximize capacity. You'd only see lateral seating for regional or first class services.
Came across this video on YouTube from 6 months ago showing a backlog of trains due to a problem train.
Pretty close spacing with the moving block system.
If you go to the 6:50 mark, the train that's chasing catches up.
Bonus - there's a MKI, MKIII and MKII in the video.
A view inside of OCC2 that is nearing completion. As part of the final steps in commissioning trains will run in the early morning hours outside of revenue service controlled from OCC2 (with OMC1 still controlling revenue service) for the next five months.
Came across this video on YouTube from 6 months ao showing a backlog of trains due to a problem train.
Pretty close spacing with the moving block system.
If you go to the 6:50 mark, the train that's chasing catches up.
Good demonstration of the maximum possible frequency: it takes 60 seconds between the time that train the video is taken from arrives at the Edmonds station and the time that the next train arrives. There's no physical way to run them any close than that, and even that interval would be disrupted by any delay in getting the doors closed on any train. That's why the maximum frequency is said to be 90 seconds.
There are now 14 Mark 5 trainsets at our Edmonds yard in Burnaby with Operations utilizing 11 trains for revenue
service, while the other 3 are in various stages of testing and commissioning. We anticipate adding a new train to our
fleet every 4-6 weeks as we continue to replace the aging Mark 1 fleet that is over 40 years old.
Quote:
This project provides additional maintenance and storage space for our new Mark 5 trains. Maintenance Shop 3 (MS3)
continues to lead progress, with its structure now clearly visible and taking shape as the future maintenance hub for
the Guideway team. Foundations for other key facilities, including the Power Propulsion Substation, Vehicle
Maintenance Shop 4, and Vehicle Cleaning & Inspection Facility. A major highlight for the OMC4 yard is the arrival of
the large girders that will be installed over the adjacent railway tracks to connect the yard to the broader rail network.
Quote:
• The Burrard Chinook SeaBus sailed to Victoria’s Point Hope
Maritime Shipyard in February 2026 for a five-year
inspection mandated by Transport Canada and to have its
engines upgraded to enhance operational efficiency,
environmental performance, and service reliability.
• Following the work, due to several issues during sea trials,
the vessel was removed from service. SeaBus worked with
the project’s vendors to remedy the issues. The vessel went
back into service on September 8, 2026
Quote:
• 40-foot compressed natural gas (CNG) buses: The final batch of 30 vehicles have begun production
at the Nova Bus factory and are expected for delivery in Vancouver between Q3 and Q4 2026.
• Community Shuttles: There are four separate deliveries currently in progress with a total of 102
vehicles. CMBC has taken delivery of the first seven and they are currently in revenue service at
Hamilton Transit Centre. The remaining vehicles are scheduled for delivery over the course of
2026/2027.
• HandyDART vehicles: A total of 102 HandyDART vehicles will be delivered by the end of 2026. This
order includes our first three battery-electric HandyDART vehicles and the required charging
infrastructure. As of July 2026, 14 out of the 102
vehicles have been delivered and are in service
(including the new battery-electric vehicles).
• Electric trolley pilot buses: The 40-foot pilot electric
trolleybus arrived in Vancouver in June and is
undergoing all required field testing prior to
acceptance of the vehicle. The bus is expected to
enter revenue service in late September. The 60-foot
pilot bus is scheduled for delivery in Q4 2026 and it
will undergo similar testing before entering service.
Took the R2 bus previous weekend from Lonsdale to BCIT for the first time on Sunday. Pretty impressive I have to say - took 32 minutes mid day Sunday with the bus being maybe having 1/3 of the seats full. The stations with real time signage are a nice touch. The sneaky bus only access from Phibbs exchange onto the bridge onramp is very clever. I guess preview of a the future SkyTrain line one day.
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