Canada Line | Completed

[mr.x]

updates by Tafryn:
http://canadalinephotos.blogspot.com/


2008-08-26 - Broadway/City Hall Station









































2008-08-27 - Waterfront Station

[argon007]

wow. that is so fast as usual.

[officedweller]

From the Richmond News:

Train progress on track

Alan Campbell, Richmond News
Published: Friday, September 05, 2008

If you think you saw something large and shiny crawling along the Canada Line in Richmond this last week, you'd be right.

The operators of the new line, InTransitBC, have started testing Canada Line trains.

Last week, the Canada Line's now-trademark silver cars appeared on the No. 3 Road section, between the Bridgeport and Lansdowne stations.

Richmond is the first place on the Canada Line to get a close look at the trains being tested.

But the trains will not be bulleting down No. 3 at speed, and unlike its automated Skytrain cousin, there will be a driver in the front seat during the 'gauge tests.'

"People will start to see more and more of the trains over the next few weeks," said Steve Crombie, InTransitBC's vice president of public affairs.

"And they will probably notice a driver in the train. This will not be permanent, though, just for testing period which should last a few months at least.

"When we get to the end of the testing period the trains will be run in auto mode."

Another aspect of the testing, however, will be less visible and much more audible for members of the public.

And it has a name right out of a horror flick - wheel squeal.

"It will be the wheels grinding along the track. We do this deliberately to test where it's noisiest and then eliminate it," Crombie said.

"It's the speeding up quickly and slowing down quickly that causes it and going around bends.

"But it's not going to be a permanent fixture, just during the testing periods."

Over the next few months, cameras will be attached to four points on the trains so that measurements can be taken.

Things like proximity of the train to platforms and structures will be recorded on the cameras, before the information is downloaded and processed.

"We have to make sure the trains and rails are set up so there's adequate clearance between the train and structures," Crombie said.

"After the data is processed, the trains or the actual rail can be adjusted if there's a problem."

Once the trains are tested again at higher speeds and in auto mode, they will be certified and "pretty much good to go," Crombie added.

Although November 2009 is the completion date, Crombie said, all things going well, the project could be ready for use before that date.

"We're a little ahead of schedule. We always need to be cautious but we're hopeful of finishing early," he said.

"By November this year we will have trains going across the North Arm Bridge and into Vancouver.

"That's when we'll be encountering underground stations. If there's going to be problems, that's where it will be."

© Richmond News 2008

and the Richmond Review:

New Canada Line trains were seen running along the tracks in Richmond Thursday afternoon.
Mark Patrick

Canada Line testing begins on No. 3 Road

By Matthew Hoekstra - Richmond Review

Published: September 04, 2008 3:00 PM
Updated: September 04, 2008 3:13 PM Canada Line trains are now being tested on the No. 3 Road guideway.

According to InTransitBC, tracks are now energized and trains are running between Bridgeport Station and Richmond-Brighouse Station for the test.

The Canada Line is expected to open in November 2009, connecting city centre commuters with downtown Vancouver and the airport.

[officedweller]

2 more of those lamppost foundations have been poured on Vancouver City Centre Station - so there are now 6 relatively evenly spaced along the top of the station. The plans for the block show a lot more lamposts than just 6 - but the plans do show posts next to the street that are probably for trolley wires - so that must be what they are for.

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/currentplanning/granvilleredesign/08jan23display/display17.pdf

One is in use already at Waterfront Station in this Tafryn shot:

[deasine]

Good news! thanks! from flickr:

[officedweller]

Sweet!!
Interesting size comparison between train and articulated bus in one of the shots.

[The_Henry_Man]

^Wow, looking at the third picture, the 98 B-Line articulated bus is greatly dwarfed by the train. Looks like each Rotem train will provide at least the capacity of 3 B-Line buses.

[mr.x]

^ the picture is deceiving.

[deasine]

Well he's right about the capacity of the 3 B-Line buses... wait an articulated bus can hold about 114 or something like that... 3 x 114 = 342. A train can hold 400 people (though of course it will be a little lower since that's theoretical capacity)

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by deasine

Well he's right about the capacity of the 3 B-Line buses... wait an articulated bus can hold about 114 or something like that... 3 x 114 = 342. A train can hold 400 people (though of course it will be a little lower since that's theoretical capacity)

Since SkyTrain doesn't use crush capacity, i don't think it's a fair comparison for the Canada Line (400 is crush load). An articulated bus can hold 110 passengers, and yet not even that is the crush load capacity....that's the normal load.

I'll stick with the original 334 persons capacity figure they released.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

Since SkyTrain doesn't use crush capacity, i don't think it's a fair comparison for the Canada Line (400 is crush load). An articulated bus can hold 110 passengers, and yet not even that is the crush load capacity....that's the normal load.

I'll stick with the original 334 persons capacity figure they released.

Yeah I can't see 400 people either... 334 is much more realistic. So 1 Canada Line Train = 3 B-Line Buses.

Like we all said earlier, I'm very concerned with the underground downtown stations. Small platforms (length and width wise) is just a recipe for disaster. Too bad they didn't have a stacked tunnel (like the SkyTrain in downtown) instead... though that would've been more expensive.

[nname]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

Since SkyTrain doesn't use crush capacity, i don't think it's a fair comparison for the Canada Line (400 is crush load). An articulated bus can hold 110 passengers, and yet not even that is the crush load capacity....that's the normal load.

I'll stick with the original 334 persons capacity figure they released.

I'm pretty sure the max cap stated on the bus are the crush load capacity. I'm not sure about the articulated bus, but I had been on a 40ft bus that carries 73 people before (max cap is 77 on those), and it was filled all the way from the back of the bus to the front door, with people sitting on other's leg, and on top of those empty space above the front wheel, etc. The last few people who got on never got their ticket/upass checked because they can't even reach the machine. I'm not sure if it is even possible to fit more than 77 people (unless they hire a packer on SFU)..

PS. The capacity for an articulated bus is somewhere between 113 and 121 I think.. they're different in each bus for some odd reason...

[deasine]

The newer ones should have a larger capacity since there is more room for standing, especially in the articulated joint and in the back.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by deasine

The newer ones should have a larger capacity since there is more room for standing, especially in the articulated joint and in the back.

TOO MANY STICKIES!


I've gotta say that I really like the Nova Bus models, they're quite sturdy, comfortable (the rear seating is actually a pretty good layout), and they're certainly not falling apart with screws coming out from all the vibrations. The New Flyer diesels are a disgrace....six months and you already have a ton of rattling. But their trolleys are alright.


As for the Canada Line vehicle, we'll just have to see.....3 articulates being equal to one train is quite accurate.

[mr.x]

Property values along Canada Line may spike, report says
Company cites 628-per-cent price increase of land along Expo Line in decade after Expo 86



KERRY GOLD
From Friday's Globe and Mail

August 29, 2008 at 5:43 AM EDT

VANCOUVER — Big parts of Vancouver are grousing about the Canada Line, and much of the Lower Mainland is fretting about real estate prices - except for those with property along the Canada Line.

Construction of the new light-transit line could give a big boost to the value of real estate along its flanks, says a report by Landcor Data Corp., which tracks residential developments in B.C.

The company looked at what has happened to real estate values along the Expo Line built for Expo 86. It found that vacant land prices around Expo Line stations rose 628 per cent in the decade that followed Expo 86, compared with housing prices overall, which rose 352 per cent.

With the exception of a few stations such as Broadway, the Expo Line has mostly boosted residential construction, says the report, which compares construction growth in the decade before Expo to the decade after Expo, when the line was in place.

The key is density, said Landcor president Rudy Nielsen, whose real estate data company compiled the report over a two-month period. He concluded that city planning should locate SkyTrain stations near vacant commercial properties that can be rezoned for condo development.

With gas prices soaring and Vancouver's limited vacant land, condo development around SkyTrain lines is key to shaping the Lower Mainland, Mr. Nielsen said.

If the past is any indicator, it's hopeful news for the Canada Line corridor being built through downtown and out to central Richmond and the Vancouver International Airport - at least for investors of residential towers to be constructed near the stations.

"The winners circle will include new construction and price increases along the transit corridor," the report concludes.

Mr. Nielsen pointed to the new Richmond stations that have rezoned land for residential towers.

"That's what you call successful planning," he said. "The key thing we found from this thing is that if market conditions are favourable and you have supportive land-use planning and decisions made by council and planners, then you see successful stations."

"If you don't have proper planning and market conditions, then you see problems."

Construction is also under way for Cross Roads retail-condominium development adjacent to the Canada Line station at Cambie and Broadway.

But Susan Heyes, who owns a clothing store at Cambie and 16th, doesn't see the benefit of a new SkyTrain station.

Construction of the Canada Line along the Cambie corridor has so far been the ruin of more than 100 businesses, according to Ms. Heyes, who is also a Cambie Village Business Association board member.

"I don't think anything can make up for the hell we've been through," Ms. Heyes said. "I lost $700,000 in revenue. ... My customer count has dropped by about 60 per cent. ... I have mortgaged my house twice.

"I would have to work for the next 10 years to get back to where I was three years ago, before this started."

Ms. Heyes's leased store space is in a one-level building, and she fears that future redevelopment will only wipe out properties such as hers because of increases in property values.

"A lot of those low-level rise buildings will be demolished. Property values have increased so much that they are not sustained by a low-level retail business with a retail shop in it.

"The people who are going to benefit are investors in real estate along Cambie Street and the real estate arm of TransLink and their private partners."

Mr. Nielsen's report looked at properties built within a 500-metre radius of SkyTrain stations. It did not include downtown stations Waterfront, Burrard, Granville or Stadium, because factors other than SkyTrain would drive real estate development in that area.

It discovered that market conditions also play a role, and they were optimal for new construction when the Expo Line finished construction.


The biggest success stories were in the suburbs, particularly in New Westminster and Burnaby. Residential growth around Burnaby's Edmonds, Metrotown and Patterson stations accounted for 25.2 per cent of total Burnaby building activity during 1986 to 1996. Edmonds and Royal Oak stations continued to dominate building activity through to 2007.

In New Westminster, Columbia and New Westminster stations accounted for one-third of the city's total new residential construction for the same period.

Areas with single-family dwellings do not benefit from SkyTrain. The land doesn't allow for density, and if too close, the SkyTrain would have a negative impact on property value, Mr. Nielsen said.

"As long as you can't hear or see that train, then you're fine."

And the Broadway station area actually suffered a decline in activity after the line was built.

"It could be due to crime," Mr. Nielsen said. "I think it's crime, and not the right planning in place."

Special to The Globe and Mail

[deasine]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

TOO MANY STICKIES!

Shoot sorry I didn't realize I had a few random ones checked -__-"

Originally Posted by mr.x2

I've gotta say that I really like the Nova Bus models, they're quite sturdy, comfortable (the rear seating is actually a pretty good layout), and they're certainly not falling apart with screws coming out from all the vibrations. The New Flyer diesels are a disgrace....six months and you already have a ton of rattling. But their trolleys are alright.

It seems like the trolleys have gotten a little better. A member of SSC reminded me that the old trolleys had their fair share of problems back when they were introduced to service. But yeah the diesels as well as the hybrids are really bad.

Out of curiosity, why does TransLink put the hybrids in suburbs and long haul routes. To make use of hybrid technology, shouldn't they have the hybrids in Vancouver where there is multiple stops needed?

[twoNeurons]

But the areas around Edmonds and Metrotown were veritable wastelands when it came to residential density. Cambie is fairly dense as it is.

[zivan56]

I don't exactly see how the Nova buses have a good rear seating layout. I literally have to put my leg near someones crotch in order to sit normally...
The New Flyer diesels are a disgrace; Translink should send them back one by one before they slowly shake apart.

[deasine]

Don't know if anyone put this up yet... I swear Mr.X did before but I'm not sure if it's a different set of pictures... BLEH TOO BAD! =)










Notice the solar powered trash can from olympic village?
The lights are so close together... from the perspective of the picture it looked a little scary...

[dreambrother808]

^^

pretty nice stuff. i like all of the black. personally, i think the inlays in the sidewalk that denote "movies" and "restaurants" are cheesy though, just as the similar steaming coffee cup ones on the drive are.