Millennium Line - Evergreen Extension | Completed

[officedweller]

Agreed wrt ease of connections for the bottom diagram, but remember that with the top option, the up and down transfer is easily avoided by the passenger getting on the right train at the station of origin (or transferring to the proper train at any other station).

[DKaz]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Agreed wrt ease of connections for the bottom diagram, but remember that with the top option, the up and down transfer is easily avoided by the passenger getting on the right train at the station of origin (or transferring to the proper train at any other station).

When you're going from Coquitlam to Surrey/New West or vice versa, you have no choice but to transfer.

[metroXpress]

For the bottom option, they would have to build new tracks/guideways on the other side of the new/3rd platform.

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

I don't think it should be a shuttle. People going from Surrey to SFU are going to have to make 2 transfers on the Skytrain alone. It's not really the number of transfers, but the number of stairs you have to go up and down that's a pain. I think even if it were 1/4 trains on the Expo Line were Millennium line trains it would still work.

Not only that, but I find that sometimes it really impacts the service at Columbia with trains going down the track backwards and turning around when they run the shuttle service now on days when things aren't working right. It really affects the headways on the Expo Line. I think everything would just flow smoother if the trains didn't have to stop and turn around at Columbia and Lougheed.

Thats why the setup should be like this where you just cross the platform to continue in the right direction (literally only walk like 5-10m) and to head the other direction you can either get off and use the stairs(which you would have to do anyways) or wait on the train to reverse and again just hop of and cross the platform. Another option can be to just have one track like at YVR or Richmond in the same configuration so the train can just open all doors and people can exit straight on to the Expo west or east platform. And obviously if the you want the train to continue and merge with the Expo line than thats easy to do, maybe during no peak hours when you dont need to maximize frequency along the Surrey stretch. Or you can reverse the train on to the Expo west platform and continue to Surrey. imo this setup is just perfect in every way.

You can obviously have the same setup at Lougheed, with some pricy modifications. You would need to have a switch on the Lougheed highway side and a fly over for the COQ bound trains and you done, the New West trains can than use the two center tracks and work either as a shuttle service, or continue down the Millenium line, or merge with Evergreen line and go to Coquitlam(although to do this and maintain max frequency you would need to have a third track head west away from the platforms and then have switches to switch to the COQ bound track or have the COQ trains switch to the New West bound track.
Remeber like this you dont have to ever go up or down and y stairs if you just wait on the train to switch and reverse.
At Lougheed they should of done the same thing. You would need the

*keep in mind I forgot to add the switches on my little diagram, so imagine another set of switches from the center tracks to the outer tracks so the train can reverse straight on to the outer track without having to forward on to it, stop, wait for the switch to turn and change direction.
**actually I have a better idea with the similiar concept but I dont have time to draw up the diagram, so later.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by DKaz

When you're going from Coquitlam to Surrey/New West or vice versa, you have no choice but to transfer.

Got it - the New West to Coquitlam still requires the up and down - - was just thinking of it the other direction (which is the cross platform transfer).

[STEELWHEELS]

DKaz's diagram - bottom option - is excellent. It could be done, at but
it would be expensive. I thought having a power rail right under the
platform edge would be a safety issue, but they do have a double
platform at the Scarborough RT Kennedy Station - see the Youtube
video to see the double door option in action...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e32VtnL7B_w&feature=related

[metroXpress]

^ nice video clip

I think it will work well. Only one thing...people boarding the SkyTrain at Lougheed station would have a hard time deciding which platform to wait for VCC bound trains??


A sign like this in the ticketing concourse would be confusing:

<-- Columbia (M-Line)
Coquitlam--> (E-Line)
<--VCC-Clark --> (M/E Lines) [both plaforms]

[deasine]

I wouldn't see it as a problem actually. BART for a few stations have different lines on different platforms but all going into the same area. As long as there is enough signage (AHEM TRANSLINK), it's fine.

[Stingray2004]

Looks like the Evergreen Line might be subject to some inter-jurisdictional politics due to Translink's never-ending funding shortfalls.

Hopefully it will be resolved as so much funding has already been committed toward the Evergreen Line.

TransLink: Funding Shortfall Could Scrap Evergreen Line

TransLink needs extra $450 million per year to afford new line

Jim Goddard BURNABY (NEWS1130) | Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 2:52 pm

BURNABY (NEWS1130) - A massive funding shortfall looming for TransLink may push the Evergreen Line to the back burner again, as TransLink warns that unless it can find an extra $450 million a year, the long promised Tri-Cities transit line will remain just a promise.

TransLink says it needs more money to build it, and run it after it's built. TransLink's Ken Hardie says even if the transit authority exhausts all of its current funding sources (property taxes, gas taxes, fares and even a vehicle levy), it will still be hundreds of millions short of what is needed.

Hardie says without a new source of $450 million a year to expand, TransLink will concentrate instead on keeping existing transit rolling and on current problem areas. "We have people standing by the road right now watching full buses go by and we really need to look after them before we go out and spend large amounts of money on new infrastructure."

Hardie says the TransLink board is currently crunching numbers so it can make recommendations to area mayors on how the funding shortfall might be addressed. The mayors will have until the end of October to decide whether to approve a plan with supplemental funding, or stick with a 10-year base plan that reflects current revenue with no new funding sources.

The no new money plan would eventually trim transit service by 40 per cent.

http://www.news1130.com/more.jsp?content=20090715_174446_8924

[metroXpress]

^ If this line won't be finished by 2014 We will probably have to wait till the 2050's to see the Broadway/Surrey extensions

[mr.x]

The train that never sees the light at the end of the tunnel...


Sad. I have a feeling that the mayors' council won't approve Translink's funding recommendations, considering they're bound to get a ear full from property tax hikes or even a car levy.

[GeeCee]

No Murray-Clarke connector OR Evergreen Line? Wow. What the hell, Translink?

[Gordon]

The Mayors have all come out in favor of more transit . The $450 million dollars is the top end of what Translink says it needs. Hopefullly this group of Mayors will not fall prey to the pettie ploitical partisanship that almost sunk the Canada Line. even $300 million \year would be great. That would allow a far amount of expansion.

[deasine]

I think the "threat" or implied threat is just from TransLink so that they can get more funding. I really doubt it won't continue since the project is in the hands of the Provincial Government already going through Environmental Assessments and Detailed Designs.

[Spork]

Originally Posted by Gordon

The Mayors have all come out in favor of more transit . The $450 million dollars is the top end of what Translink says it needs. Hopefullly this group of Mayors will not fall prey to the pettie ploitical partisanship that almost sunk the Canada Line. even $300 million \year would be great. That would allow a far amount of expansion.

I seem to recall in their recent questionnaire that Translink indicated that $450 million was to keep the status quo (e.g. all current announcements and current operational levels of service).

[jlousa]

No the $450Million additional funding was the heavy expansion solution.

[Gordon]

Translink seems to have changed the goal posts somewhat it's now $260 million\ yr to maintain the status quo up from $150million & the 450 million = 400 new buses & funding for Evergreen line & no mention of other rapid transit. We don't know what the exact proposals thta the board is bringing to the Mayors Council.

[Kwik-E-Mart]

Originally Posted by deasine

I think the "threat" or implied threat is just from TransLink so that they can get more funding. I really doubt it won't continue since the project is in the hands of the Provincial Government already going through Environmental Assessments and Detailed Designs.

*DING DING DING* You have just said what I wanted to say.

[randito]

TransLink to yank Evergreen Line funding

The start of the much-delayed Evergreen rapid transit line, could be delayed once again, because TransLink says it's running out of money.

Spokesman Ken Hardie said TransLink is now facing a $450 million annual deficit with no solution in sight, and it won't have the money to build the 11-kilometre rapid transit line linking Lougheed Town Centre in Burnaby to the Coquitlam Town Centre.

"We do not have the money to build the Evergreen Line," said Hardie on Wednesday. "And in fact, unless we find new revenue, starting probably in 2010, 2011, we are going to have to start cutting transit service."

The regional transit authority had committed to pay $400 million of the line's $1.4 billion estimated price tag, with the federal and provincial government also chipping in to cover the cost.

TransLink is expected to make a final decision on the fate of the line by October, but Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart says the line must go ahead.

"Well, we can't hope to keep transit going unless we continue to expand the rapid transit, the rail transit portion of it, and this is the only place that's next," he said.

New taxes needed: mayor

The mayor would like the provincial government, which controls TransLink, to give the transit authority more options for generating revenue.

"Perhaps a fuel tax, perhaps there's a carbon tax, perhaps there is some way to work this out to allow us the tools or find the existing tools and give us the cash," said Stewart.

Previously, TransLink has considered several new taxes on Metro Vancouver residents to raise revenue, including parking taxes and vehicle levies, but all have met a great deal of public resistance.

Plans for the Evergreen Line have been awaiting funding since it was first announced about 20 years ago. Construction was finally expected to start in 2010 after the federal government committed $350 million to the project in February.

The province had also committed $400 million, but even with TransLink's previous $400 million commitment, the project was still almost $173 million short of its expected cost of $1.4 billion.

That gap that was supposed to be made up by project partners, includi

from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/07/16/bc-translink-evergreen-line-funding.html

[racc]

TransLink is controlled by the province. The province needs to stop playing games and provide the funding or give TransLink the revenue sources needed to complete the Evergreen Line and transit expansion throughout the region.

The games the province is playing are getting really tiresome.