Surrey Langley Skytrain - Expo Line Extension | U/C

[Glow Fun City]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

To be fair, "short walk" at that point is two blocks. That stop isn't really "at" the station, and there are other stops (on other routes) closer to it. I completely understand why it's not included in the announcement.

Pender and Granville is half a block from Waterfront Canada Line entrance… the R5 does say “transfer to Canada Line” on the stop announcement, but doesn’t mention the station name.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Glow Fun City

Pender and Granville is half a block from Waterfront Canada Line entrance… the R5 does say “transfer to Canada Line” on the stop announcement, but doesn’t mention the station name.

Ah, you're right of course. I was thinking of the actual station building on Cordova, but there is another entrance into the south end of the Canada Line platform on Granville.

[mike_]

Originally Posted by mike_

Some signs of life from the Clayton Clipper today. The first segment for the next span arrived on site, and crews were starting to move one of the cross beams when I walked by around 3:30 PM.My theory is that this cross beam needs to be relocated ahead of the forward footing, which is now sitting where the temporary orange support used to be. At this point I suspect getting the beam moved may be the main goal for today, with the actual gantry move likely following tomorrow.

Still no move to the next bent as of 7:45 AM Friday, but there's finally some real progress. My theory about the support braces looked like it was going to be right at first, since crews moved one of the wider braces into the foremost position. Then they surprised me by lowering it onto a flatbed, driving it roughly 100 feet to the next bent, and lifting it onto the Con-Force spans with a large five-axle crane.

That support structure is now sitting on the spans ahead of the gantry, so it looks like the Clayton Clipper just needs to advance onto it. There are workers all over the gantry today, and the warning chime has been sounding regularly whenever something moves. It hasn't made the jump yet, but it finally feels imminent.

[jollyburger]

Sept 28 video of the guideway

• Video Link

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by Glow Fun City

Pender and Granville is half a block from Waterfront Canada Line entrance… the R5 does say “transfer to Canada Line” on the stop announcement, but doesn’t mention the station name.

Yeah and also they should at the very least give us back the westbound stop for the 5 that was on Pender and Granville, I hate having to walk to Howe on my way home. Optimally I would like the stop to be at the Rexall but that's just a fantasy, a transit fantasy!

[dharper]

I think someone sure screwed up the scheduling for the beam placement beside the OMC5 at Fry's Corner. You would think that they would all be in place as the Clayton Clipper arrived. The Clayton Clipper was delayed a few months back, hasn't moved in weeks, and is still sitting idle waiting for beam placement.

[xd_1771]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Yeah and also they should at the very least give us back the westbound stop for the 5 that was on Pender and Granville, I hate having to walk to Howe on my way home. Optimally I would like the stop to be at the Rexall but that's just a fantasy, a transit fantasy!

Although off-topic to this thread I want to comment on this in particular as I'm glad I'm not the only one to be frustrated about this change.

Back when TransLink first proposed the relocation of this stop as part of the bus stop balancing consultation (which I think was for route #22), I actually got a number of people out at Movement and other orgs to submit feedback to TransLink opposing this change. We pointed out various things including that the new stop location does not have any rain shelter (whereas a location far-side in front of Rexall closer to the Canada Line entrance would), and that the extra distance to the boarding point would almost certainly cause injuries (since a lot of people will now be running the extra block to not miss their connection to the westbound #5 if it happens to be around).

I distinctly recall that the final consultation report showed that these concerns outweighed any support for moving the stop 1 block over to Howe, it was something like a 60/40 ratio against moving the stop, with feedback specifically written about the extra stop distance/people running to the stop from the Canada Line entrance. The report even specifically recommended (in writing) that TL choose a mid-block location OR just locate the stop at far-side Granville with the Rexall awnings providing shelter.

But TransLink didn't listen to their own report, and they still moved the #5 stop all the way to its farthest possible location on the block - nearside Howe, with zero rain sheltering.

This iteration of TL does well on a lot of things but some of the departments definitely need some work...

[adrianroam95]

Passing by today, Fleetwood Flyer has finished its journey to 152 St (all spans completed). Surrey Sprinter and Langley Launcher are working their way through GT and Willowbrook Stations respectively, and Clayton Clipper has advanced 1 span to the second crosshead by OMC 5.

The main question now is whether all precast concrete spans next to OMC 5 have to be installed first before Clayton Clipper continues onward...

[Lexus]

Originally Posted by adrianroam95

Passing by today, Fleetwood Flyer has finished its journey to 152 St (all spans completed). Surrey Sprinter and Langley Launcher are working their way through GT and Willowbrook Stations respectively, and Clayton Clipper has advanced 1 span to the second crosshead by OMC 5.

The main question now is whether all precast concrete spans next to OMC 5 have to be installed first before Clayton Clipper continues onward...

I was suspicious about Clayton Clipper being on hold in my last video from 3 weeks ago. That could be 3 month delays ish. Having said that - they aiming to have gantries completing guideway assembly by spring - in that case - they still have time.

[GMasterAres]

Originally Posted by adrianroam95

Passing by today, Fleetwood Flyer has finished its journey to 152 St (all spans completed). Surrey Sprinter and Langley Launcher are working their way through GT and Willowbrook Stations respectively, and Clayton Clipper has advanced 1 span to the second crosshead by OMC 5.

The main question now is whether all precast concrete spans next to OMC 5 have to be installed first before Clayton Clipper continues onward...

Naw the main question was which gantry would win the race, and sounds like Fleetwood Flyer won. We're also fairly confident on which will end up last...

[jollyburger]

I mean one launched three months ahead of the other one..

[jollyburger]

Also from that Facebook three weeks ago:

yup my partner and I installed it on Wed night. 230,000lbs girder. Tandom pick. Neat job. We still need to install the deck slabs. Position and level them. Then they get poured in once they are in final position.

https://www.facebook.com/SurreyLangleySk...stall-segments-to-bu/122190627500773720/

[twoNeurons]

Question for those in the know. Are there any provisions for any "future stations" along the Surrey/Langley extension. Looking at the stations, I can't help but think a station at 156th is missing and maybe even 148th at some point in the future. I know that more stations makes rapid transit "less" rapid, but I'm just curious if thought was put in to future stations along the line.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

Question for those in the know. Are there any provisions for any "future stations" along the Surrey/Langley extension. Looking at the stations, I can't help but think a station at 156th is missing and maybe even 148th at some point in the future. I know that more stations makes rapid transit "less" rapid, but I'm just curious if thought was put in to future stations along the line.

I don't think so.

I just wish they'd put in switches east of King George Station for a branch south to Newton via the hydro RoW east of the hospital then over to KGB.
It would also be nice if there was the ability to have a branch line to Cloverdale through the new OMC.
Cloverdale is one of Surrey "Regional Town Centres".

[dharper]

They could add a switch later like at the OMC4. Weekend job.

[logicbomb]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I don't think so.

I just wish they'd put in switches east of King George Station for a branch south to Newton via the hydro RoW east of the hosital then over to KGB.
It would also be nice if there was the ability to have a branch line to Cloverdale through the new OMC.
Cloverdale is one of Surrey "Regional Town Centres".

Very early preliminary talks included a new transit hub at 176 ST with a park-and ride and bus exchange that would have eventually seen a rapid bus service connecting Anniedale-Tynehead to Cloverdale. The Anniedale-Tynehead development never took off and there were concerns with the ALR/costs so the idea was scrapped rather quickly.

Kind of a missed opportunity with the looming 72nd avenue extension.

[mcj]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

Very early preliminary talks included a new transit hub at 176 ST with a park-and ride and bus exchange that would have eventually seen a rapid bus service connecting Anniedale-Tynehead to Cloverdale. The Anniedale-Tynehead development never took off and there were concerns with the ALR/costs so the idea was scrapped rather quickly.

Kind of a missed opportunity with the looming 72nd avenue extension.

Bakerview-166th Street Station will serve that purpose just as well, if not better for Tynehead, and could also see 72nd ave buses terminating there.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by dharper

They could add a switch later like at the OMC4. Weekend job.

Also like the switches to the Sapperton/Braid connector that were added to the Expo line just northeast of Columbia station.

[xd_1771]

Originally Posted by dharper

They could add a switch later like at the OMC4. Weekend job.

I think this will be the case if future expansion to the south is done as an Expo Line branch. I know people find it peculiar that the SLS project did not build a switch for a branch, but I think this is because the positioning of such a switch would had to have been on top of the existing tail tracks (i.e. not construct-able as part of the new guideway to the east). Ideally the tail tracks would have been ripped out now/reconstructed for a switch, but since it's still part of the tail track that's still used in service for Expo Line train storage, I figure TL would not have okayed taking it out of service for that (esp. as OMC4 isn't built yet so the system doesn't really have flexibility to lose train storage now).

At any rate something will likely have to be done about Columbia beforehand or in tandem (I would prefer separation of the Production Way branch onto new tracks and platform).


But, there's also the question of whether the line could just be done as a separate system or with interfacing but not through-running onto the Expo Line. There is a space reservation to the south of King George Station that was meant to host the LRT Fraser Highway line, and this could now be used for an elevated station for the KGB line with a cross platform transfer to one direction of the Expo Line.

[xd_1771]

Originally Posted by officedweller

It would also be nice if there was the ability to have a branch line to Cloverdale through the new OMC.

This is one interesting idea I hadn't thought of until now!

I feel like it would work as a shuttle train running from either Bakerview-166th or Hillcrest-184th. Tracks around the OMC would feed onto a single track guideway on the side of Highway 15 to cut on costs. It's only 1.75km from 72 Ave to the fairgrounds park at Bill Reid Ampitheatre/64 Ave, and at that point the guideway would not really be passing through farmland as Highway 15 gets built up pretty quickly to the south.

Have an island platform with passing loop at 64th and then follow the bypass to a station at Highway 15. Either terminate there or go east for one more station at KPU Tech and the new Cloverdale hospital.