Canada Line | Completed

[amor de cosmos]

new series on the buzzer! things to do along the Canada Line:
1. daiso (japanese dept store)
2. beard papa's creampuffs
3. kube computers
4. arroy-d (thai restaurant)
5. yaletown restaurants on mainland

http://buzzer.translink.ca/index.php/2009/08/new-series-five-spots-to-visit-along-the-canada-line/

[CLC]

Originally Posted by mr.x

Definitely, net gain is most important.

But I was just giving my opinion on CLC's broad statement.

It is interesting to see if there will be net gain of riders coming from Delta. However there's a capacity limit, I have a feeling that ridership from Richmond and Vancouver residents alone is close to fill our 20 train-sets near capacity during rush hour.

Vancouver Sun has a new article on Canada Line ticket machine trouble
The article also quoted the ridership on past Saturday & Sunday , it is astonishing number again:80,000 more boardings on Saturday and 85,000 on Sunday
http://www.vancouversun.com/Commuters+ticket+ride+Vancouver+Canada+Line/1925623/story.html

[Waders]

A Vancouver Sun article about the TVMs :
http://www.vancouversun.com/Commuters+ticket+ride+Vancouver+Canada+Line/1925623/story.html

"... TransLink spokesman Drew Snider said the machines are “temperamental,” but insisted that they do work..."

temperamental?

[mr.x]

Still, the machines haven’t deterred passengers from using the Canada Line, with 80,000 more boardings on Saturday and 85,000 on Sunday, according to operator ProTrans BC.

the numbers are quite astonishing.


LOL:

Tell that to the people at Aberdeen Station, where one woman threw a tantrum after her card wouldn’t work in the machine. Another group of three people struggled for about five minutes before their tickets appeared.

Was it the same woman that threw a tantrum at HK aiport after she missed her flight?

TransLink spokesman Drew Snider said the machines are “temperamental,” but insisted that they do work.

...

Mahrokh Arefi, of TransLink, conceded the machines are still being tested and perhaps there needs to be more information about how to buy a ticket.

TransLink is working on what kind of instructional messages should be displayed on the machines to make them “more intuitive” to use, Arefi said. The information should be available within a week.

The machines were chosen because they’re compliant with chip-card systems. Similar machines will eventually replace those at the WestCoast Express station. Machines at Expo and Millennium SkyTrain stations are not equipped for chips.

“It’s a new system. With adequate information, it’s not going to be as much of a problem,” Arefi said.

...

But Canada Line attendant Hiro Tsujimoto said some of the machines weren’t working at all for credit cards, while one of the machines at Yaletown wouldn’t give any change. One man received just eight quarters from a $20 bill, he said.

I'm quite glad we're taking our time with our fare gates and smart cards.

[Waders]

Ridership number from Vancouver Sun http://www.vancouversun.com/Commuters+ticket+ride+Vancouver+Canada+Line/1925623/story.html

Hmm. When will people finish the touring of the line? I hope it is before Sept. 7,

[SpongeG]

I rode it again today - I got on at bridgeport at 5:10 pm ish - the station was pretty dead - there was only about 8 people who got on the waterfront bound train - 3 of them were my friends and I - there were plenty of seats on the train

while waiting - a train arrived at the station - one bound for brighouse - i would say a huge number 100+ got off the train and proceeded to leave the station - maybe cause the parking is free until sept 8? anyway the train that continued on looked like it had many seats

ok so we got on the train - it had come from brighouse... the next station a good number of people got off and maybe 1/2 a dozen got on - next station was crickets - dead no one on the platform - at oakridge i counted 4 waiting southbound on the platform with 2 minutes till the next train - our direction barely anyone got on

next station - crickets deads ville

broadway station - a good chunk of people got off - more got off than got on - south bound - the platform maybe had 12 people and train was maybe 1-2 minutes to arrive

next station again more people got off i don't think anyone got on - I counted 2 people on the platform southbound

next station we got off - a good number got off too - the train by now was all empty looking everyone who wanted a seat could have one

we walked around not too busy - went back down to head back south - there was probably 15 people maybe heading south - not many north

next station not many at all

many seats availble - no standing people and this is like 5:45 pm - rush hour! and the train was pretty empty - i took a pic

broadway - again hardly anyone got on more got off than got on i think

king ed was dead

oakridge - a huge amount of people got off the train - the train was now even emptier - barely anyone got on...

next station was dead

marine drive - again a lot got off - i don't think any got on

bridgeport - almost everyone got off - save for a dozen or so people in our car - huge choice of seats - one old man who could barely speak english and one young guy does this go to richmond centre so I said to the young guy no get off and catch the next one... some girl told the old guy to get off

next station a few people got on - why? whats there?

next station i think was empty

YVR was pretty empty and if i could maybe 20 people in the area - a lot stayed on the train it seemed - we got off walked around the airport a while

it was now 6:15 pm ish - the sign said waterfront 9 mins bridgeport 16 mins waterfront 21 minutes - ugh but there wasn't many people

by the time the train arrived and emptied - not many at all - the people got on - there were still a lot of seating choices but no one really had to stand at all - but it was decently filled but not crushed with people as in some of the pics in here from sunday

i don't know if this will be more typical - but it was very dead considering we were using it between 5:15 pm and 6:30 pm

even when we got off at bridgeport to go back to the car the station was pretty controlled no massive crowds - a good number of people because i think they got dumped off their train as it must have headed into the yard

anyway i suggest people check it out this week - it was pretty dead i thought anyway

[David]

Am I the only one who is completely sick of hearing about Hong Kong and Japan in every single SSP: Local Vancouver thread that I read? Isn't that against some kind of the forum's guidelines?

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by David

Am I the only one who is completely sick of hearing about Hong Kong and Japan in every single SSP: Local Vancouver thread that I read? Isn't that against some kind of the forum's guidelines?

Hong Kong and Japan are always mentioned here because they are some of the best examples in the world to follow and be inspired by, if not the best.

It's certainly not against forum guidelines. If we were talking about HK and Japan just for the sake of talking about HK and Japan, that would be another case.

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I rode it again today - I got on at bridgeport at 5:10 pm ish - the station was pretty dead - there was only about 8 people who got on the waterfront bound train - 3 of them were my friends and I - there were plenty of seats on the train

while waiting - a train arrived at the station - one bound for brighouse - i would say a huge number 100+ got off the train and proceeded to leave the station - maybe cause the parking is free until sept 8? anyway the train that continued on looked like it had many seats

ok so we got on the train - it had come from brighouse... the next station a good number of people got off and maybe 1/2 a dozen got on - next station was crickets - dead no one on the platform - at oakridge i counted 4 waiting southbound on the platform with 2 minutes till the next train - our direction barely anyone got on

next station - crickets deads ville

broadway station - a good chunk of people got off - more got off than got on - south bound - the platform maybe had 12 people and train was maybe 1-2 minutes to arrive

next station again more people got off i don't think anyone got on - I counted 2 people on the platform southbound

next station we got off - a good number got off too - the train by now was all empty looking everyone who wanted a seat could have one

we walked around not too busy - went back down to head back south - there was probably 15 people maybe heading south - not many north

next station not many at all

many seats availble - no standing people and this is like 5:45 pm - rush hour! and the train was pretty empty - i took a pic

broadway - again hardly anyone got on more got off than got on i think

king ed was dead

oakridge - a huge amount of people got off the train - the train was now even emptier - barely anyone got on...

next station was dead

marine drive - again a lot got off - i don't think any got on

bridgeport - almost everyone got off - save for a dozen or so people in our car - huge choice of seats - one old man who could barely speak english and one young guy does this go to richmond centre so I said to the young guy no get off and catch the next one... some girl told the old guy to get off

next station a few people got on - why? whats there?

next station i think was empty

YVR was pretty empty and if i could maybe 20 people in the area - a lot stayed on the train it seemed - we got off walked around the airport a while

it was now 6:15 pm ish - the sign said waterfront 9 mins bridgeport 16 mins waterfront 21 minutes - ugh but there wasn't many people

by the time the train arrived and emptied - not many at all - the people got on - there were still a lot of seating choices but no one really had to stand at all - but it was decently filled but not crushed with people as in some of the pics in here from sunday

i don't know if this will be more typical - but it was very dead considering we were using it between 5:15 pm and 6:30 pm

even when we got off at bridgeport to go back to the car the station was pretty controlled no massive crowds - a good number of people because i think they got dumped off their train as it must have headed into the yard

anyway i suggest people check it out this week - it was pretty dead i thought anyway

My first trip on the Canada Line last Wednesday was quite similar to the experience you had today. I rode the train between 5.00-6.30pm as well...from Broadway to Waterfront, then Waterfront to Richmond, then back to Brighouse to transfer to YVR, and then finally returning to Broadway to take the 99.

I believe it will be the norm, though keep in mind that there are still 80,000 boardings during weekdays.

[Gordon]

The last 2 weeks of August are still prime holiday time, traffic is generally lighter at this time of year. September 8the should be an interesting day.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Waders

A Vancouver Sun article about the TVMs :
http://www.vancouversun.com/Commuters+ticket+ride+Vancouver+Canada+Line/1925623/story.html

"... TransLink spokesman Drew Snider said the machines are “temperamental,” but insisted that they do work..."

temperamental?

See the videos at the same link? Click the videos tab.

Vancouver Sun Reporter Kelly Sinoski puts debit card in - but obviously with magnetic stripe on the wrong side (or does Scotiabank for some bizarre reason have its magnetic stripe along the bottom of the card?) - gets invalid reading.
Tries again (after spinning the card around) and it works - after showing the world her PIN number...
Was that a "set-up" for sensationalization of the problem??


http://www.vancouversun.com/Commuters+ticket+ride+Vancouver+Canada+Line/1925623/story.html

[CLC]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

anyway i suggest people check it out this week - it was pretty dead i thought anyway

It is good thing that people are not using the system at the same time. My rides on Friday near noon time and then 4-5pm were quite busy, failed to get a seat when boarded on Aberdeen (northbound) and no seat boarded on Yaletown (southbound) , though when some person got off train later I managed to get my seat

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by David

Am I the only one who is completely sick of hearing about Hong Kong and Japan in every single SSP: Local Vancouver thread that I read? Isn't that against some kind of the forum's guidelines?

I totally agree and its with everything, restaurants, highways, transit, retail, airports. maybe its because there are a lot of ppl on here that are from there. I know following threads of other cities they arent so asian obsessed.

[SpongeG]

well they do call it hongcover outside of vancouver

[lightrail]

It is a rapid transit system and in some ways, better placed than Expo or Millennium. Unlike those lines, Canada Line links two major centres with almost equal travel in both directions. The trains will be busy in both directions most times of the day, not only inbound to Vancouver in the AM or outbound in the PM.

It's not uncommon for metros to have all seats taken or even standing room only. I was in Santiago, Chile in 2008 and the red line (Line 1) trains would be full to standing room on leaving the terminus station and stayed full throughout the trip. These are six-car walk-through trains running on a headway of every 2 minutes.

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

I totally agree and its with everything, restaurants, highways, transit, retail, airports. maybe its because there are a lot of ppl on here that are from there. I know following threads of other cities they arent so asian obsessed.

The site is called Skyscraperpage.com. Hong Kong is probably the most beautiful skyscraper city in the world.

Deal with it.

As for Japan, the cities of Tokyo and Osaka represent the global gold standard for mega-city public transportation networks.

Would you prefer the forumers here aspire to Cleveland?

[Waders]

Originally Posted by officedweller

See the videos at the same link? Click the videos tab.

Vancouver Sun Reporter Kelly Sinoski puts debit card in - but obviously with magnetic stripe on the wrong side (or does Scotiabank for some bizarre reason have its magnetic stripe along the bottom of the card?) - gets invalid reading.
Tries again (after spinning the card around) and it works - after showing the world her PIN number...
Was that a "set-up" for sensationalization of the problem??


http://www.vancouversun.com/Commuters+ticket+ride+Vancouver+Canada+Line/1925623/story.html

Yikes! I use monthly pass so I never know using debit card at TVMs is so cumbersome. I can't wait for smart card to be implemented in Skytrain. Some 'Touch and Go' smart card tecnology only need less than 2 seconds to record the trip.

[ozonemania]

Rode the Canada Line first time today, starting at Waterfront end to YVR, and then doubling back to see Richmond. It took me about 5 hours. Yes, I got off at every station to look around and do a bit of touring in some cases.

I had a similar experience as the posters above. It wasn't really that busy, although most of the time I did not have a seat. I mean if I walked up and down the train I might have found one but I was content standing. I was surprised not to see more traffic during the rush hour period, however. Northbound was very quiet. Southbound seemed to be busier but not sardine-packed by any means. I have to admit I was a little let down that I didn't these crowds that everyone has been talking about. No gong show today. Maybe a little castanets show.

My impressions of the line... station platforms are very small, but probably adequate for Vancouver today. Can't say that will be the case in the future.

This is the first time in this town that I have felt like I was riding a real subway. The stops are close together and add intra-urban transport options, rather than just a system for mid- to long-distance commuters. My hope is that once Vancouverites get a taste of the convenience and the benefits of such a network, that demands for other lines through downtown or along the Broadway corridor will just make that much more sense.

On the other hand, some of the stations seemed to stop in the middle of mostly nothing. Quite the contrast. In walking around outside these stations I tried to visualize the development that could develop around these. It's a neat idea if it comes to fruition. I mean, it will definitely have a big impact on the urban fabric within the City of Vancouver outside of the downtown peninsula. Because as it is, Vancouver City is basically a city core plus all suburbs of relatively homogenous (and very low) density.

I noticed alot of attention to detail in the stations themselves. Some of them are quite subtle like finishing elements, materials, accessibility and expansion details. Makes me think the architects put alot of care into these stations. At the same time they are all still very much blank canvases, so it will be interesting to see them as they get finished up and mature.

Signage everywhere is generally very poor. Especially at the airport. I know you guys already said this, over and over, but to see it yourself is something else. I'm not saying the level of signage existant is unacceptable. Clearly all metros have problems communicating how to navigate their systems for dummies, so it isn't an easy thing to get right. I hate to mention HKs MTR, but they really are a standard Vancouver should look at. While it is a much larger system. There is really remarkable similarities between Vancouver and Hong Kong's systems topologically. (And to comment on the complaints on always mentioning HK and Japan... these metros are really that good. Perhaps you'd like to do some research into what New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or London have, to balance things out?)

Speaking of which, I am going to be in Seattle in a week or so and I am stoked. As some of you may know, Seattle has recently opened a new metro line as well, and I am very keen to try it out. I don't know much about it, but Seattle being a similarly sized city (actually bigger!), it should be exciting. Well, from what I understand it hasn't quite reached the airport yet, but still I will be giving it a try. Does it have a larger capacity and ridership? Was it well recieved when it opened? I need to do some more reading up on this.

I guess this is going further off topic but I will be taking the Amtrak to Seattle since they increased frequency. Never done it before. I hope this is the start of greater interconnectedness from Vancouver down to Seattle and Portland thereby solidifying a Cascadia super region.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by ozonemania

Rode the Canada Line first time today, starting at Waterfront end to YVR, and then doubling back to see Richmond. It took me about 5 hours. Yes, I got off at every station to look around and do a bit of touring in some cases.

I had a similar experience as the posters above. It wasn't really that busy, although most of the time I did not have a seat. I mean if I walked up and down the train I might have found one but I was content standing. I was surprised not to see more traffic during the rush hour period, however. Northbound was very quiet. Southbound seemed to be busier but not sardine-packed by any means. I have to admit I was a little let down that I didn't these crowds that everyone has been talking about. No gong show today. Maybe a little castanets show.

My impressions of the line... station platforms are very small, but probably adequate for Vancouver today. Can't say that will be the case in the future.

This is the first time in this town that I have felt like I was riding a real subway. The stops are close together and add intra-urban transport options, rather than just a system for mid- to long-distance commuters. My hope is that once Vancouverites get a taste of the convenience and the benefits of such a network, that demands for other lines through downtown or along the Broadway corridor will just make that much more sense.

On the other hand, some of the stations seemed to stop in the middle of mostly nothing. Quite the contrast. In walking around outside these stations I tried to visualize the development that could develop around these. It's a neat idea if it comes to fruition. I mean, it will definitely have a big impact on the urban fabric within the City of Vancouver outside of the downtown peninsula. Because as it is, Vancouver City is basically a city core plus all suburbs of relatively homogenous (and very low) density.

I noticed alot of attention to detail in the stations themselves. Some of them are quite subtle like finishing elements, materials, accessibility and expansion details. Makes me think the architects put alot of care into these stations. At the same time they are all still very much blank canvases, so it will be interesting to see them as they get finished up and mature.

Signage everywhere is generally very poor. Especially at the airport. I know you guys already said this, over and over, but to see it yourself is something else. I'm not saying the level of signage existant is unacceptable. Clearly all metros have problems communicating how to navigate their systems for dummies, so it isn't an easy thing to get right. I hate to mention HKs MTR, but they really are a standard Vancouver should look at. While it is a much larger system. There is really remarkable similarities between Vancouver and Hong Kong's systems topologically. (And to comment on the complaints on always mentioning HK and Japan... these metros are really that good. Perhaps you'd like to do some research into what New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or London have, to balance things out?)

Well said!

I believe they will be adding in public art later on.

...As some of you may know, Seattle has recently opened a new metro line as well, and I am very keen to try it out...Does it have a larger capacity and ridership? Was it well recieved when it opened? I need to do some more reading up on this.

I wish we had their capacity for the Canada Line....or lets just say something like 80-metre platform lengths for ours.

They had 40,000 riders on opening day, but since then ridership has been very poor at just 12,000/day....obviously, we have many bus routes that bea that figure.

[Metro-One]

I wouldn't call Seattle's line a metro by any means. Simply because it has street level portions in traffic! To me, a metro has to be completely grade separated from traffic (such as our skytrain network).

Also I do believe Vancouver proper is now larger than Seattle Proper. And while Metro-Seattle has a larger population then Metro-Vancouver, Seattle's Metro area includes regions far away from Seattle that we would not count as part of the metro in Canada. Essentially, it would be akin to Vancouver including Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Hope, Squamish and maybe even Greater Victoria and Nanaimo in the Metro-Vancouver area.

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

I wouldn't call Seattle's line a metro by any means. Simply because it has street level portions in traffic! To me, a metro has to be completely grade separated from traffic (such as our skytrain network).

Also I do believe Vancouver proper is now larger than Seattle Proper. And while Metro-Seattle has a larger population then Metro-Vancouver, Seattle's Metro area includes regions far away from Seattle that we would not count as part of the metro in Canada. Essentially, it would be akin to Vancouver including Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Hope, Squamish and maybe even Greater Victoria and Nanaimo in the Metro-Vancouver area.

ya Vancover's metro if it was a US City would include Abby, Chilliwack, Bellingham, Squamish, Mission, Harrison, etc.

EASILY giving it another .5 million + people