Canada Line | Completed

[NucksFanInVan]

Ummm, no. Why would you think they would double-count Columbia to Waterfront? Numbers are typically expressed as length of two-way track.

[kylemacmac]

Buskers being kicked out of new Canada Line stations

By NEAL HALL , VANCOUVER SUN September 11, 2009 6:02 PM

VANCOUVER - Buskers are being kicked out of Canada Line stations because TransLink’s licenced-busker program doesn’t apply to the new rapid-transit line from downtown Vancouver to the airport.

“The TransLink licencing system doesn’t extend to the Canada Line right now,” TransLink spokesman Drew Snider explained Friday. He added the licences that allow buskers to perform at stations on the Expo and Millenium lines is under review.

“Olympic security hasn’t got anything to do with it,” Snider said.

He said there were two reasons for the review: TransLink was having difficulty attracting a good roster of performers and there may be an issue with SOCAN - the Society of Composers Authors and Music Publishers of Canada – demanding royalties for songs being performed in stations.

“Apparently there’s a precedent with the Toronto Transit Commission,” Snider said.

Snider was one of the judges at the August 2007 auditions that issued about 30 one-year licences to musicians and singers. He said he likes hearing music at SkyTrain stations.

“It adds such a nice character to the whole system,” he said.

While the exisiting one-year busker licences have expired, he said, licenced buskers will continue performing until TransLink completes its review and makes a decision on its future.

If the program continues, Snider said, “We would like to work with the Canada Line.”

One Metro Vancouver resident, Colin McLean, complained Friday that buskers are being told they can’t perform at Canada Line stations and are asked to leave.

“Some transit riders seemed rather irate that ProTrans employees were spending their time kicking out buskers when only one ticket machine at Vancouver Centre was working today,” he said in an e-mail to The Vancouver Sun.

The 19-kilometre Canada Line, which opened in August, is operated by InTransitBC, the company contracted to design, build, partially finance, operate and maintain the Canada Line for a 35-year period. InTransitBC is a joint venture company owned by SNC-Lavalin, the Investment Management Corporation of BC and Caisse de Depot et Placements de Quebec. It has contracted the day-to-day operations of the line to ProTrans BC.

[email protected]



What a waste of time and effort. How about this: a place where buskers are allowed to play at each station. First person to arrive get to play as long as they like. When they leave, the spot opens up. Licensing performers is pretty silly in the first place. And as for SOCAN demanding royalties? Those guys need to go stuff it. Everybody's getting music for free on the internet. Get over it.

[Metro-One]

While I think this is silly they did not sort this out before the line opened.

I fully support licensing these performers, simply because it draws a line between performing and pan-handling. I don't want some crack head in the station asking for change or someone with no talent trying to play a guitar.

[ravman]

OP-ED: Trains Impress, Stations Don’t
Posted September 8th, 2009
in Think City Minute

By James Fletcher

After two weeks of operation, the new Canada Line from Vancouver to Richmond will see an increase in the number of passengers this week as people return to regular school and work schedules.

It is also time to offer a review of the new rapid transit service, while recognizing that some of the bugs are still being worked out of the system.

Overall, the Canada Line provides fast, convenient service from Richmond and YVR airport into downtown Vancouver. The trains are more spacious, have wider aisles, designated bicycle areas, and more handgrips for standing passengers. The extra space will be most appreciated by parents with strollers and those travelling to and from the airport with large luggage. Technophiles will also be pleased to hear that their mobile phones work underground in all stations and trains.

Large electronic display boards and platform announcements tell passengers the destination for each train, and how long they will wait before it arrives. These features should be provided on the rest of the SkyTrain system.

While the design of the trains and platforms is very good, the design of the stations fails to live up to the same standard. Some problems, such as the insufficient number of ticket machines and the poorly designed signage that is difficult for many to read, are relatively easily fixed. Other design and architectural issues will likely be difficult and expensive to remedy.

A glaring example of poor design is the inexplicable failure to provide a direct underground connection from the Granville Station on the Expo Line to the City Centre Station on the Canada Line. Passengers are forced either to navigate a poorly marked and circuitous route through the Bay and Vancouver Centre Mall, or to go up to Granville Street and walk a block to the other station before descending to platform level.

The reach and accessibility of several stations could have been greatly improved by providing several access portals. Instead, passengers are often forced to cross wide avenues such as Pacific Boulevard, West Broadway, King Edward, 41st Avenue, Marine Drive, and No. 3 Road in Richmond. For elderly or disabled passengers, or those with small children, or simply those trying to catch a connecting bus across the street, it is an unnecessary inconvenience.

Although some of the larger and busier stations have included space for commercial tenants, it was disappointing to see that the Canada Line failed to include commercial space in more of its stations. The presence of lawful commercial businesses helps to make passengers feel safer using the system, especially at night, and discourages loitering, intimidation, vandalism and other criminal behaviour from taking hold.

The architecture of the stations also leaves much to be desired. Built of glass and concrete, the stations are utilitarian and functional, but fail to engage with their surroundings or provide a welcoming or hospitable public space.

Unlike many of the Millennium Line stations, none of these cookie-cutter stations are landmarks or places of interest. They are much closer to the tubular steel frame stations on the original Expo Line, and unfortunately, this represents a step backwards for Vancouver commuters.

The Canada Line stations are small grey concrete boxes with low ceilings, no ornamentation or public art, and the interiors feel very cold and sterile due to the blue, white, and grey tiles. They are uncomfortable and inhospitable places if you need to wait for a ride from a friend or a connecting bus. Some benches, public art, landscaping, and shelter from inclement weather would certainly help.

The Yaletown-Roundhouse station is a vivid example of broader architectural failings repeated along the length of the Canada Line. Situated in what was once a very attractive and welcoming little square at Mainland and Davie, the station snubs the red brick, black iron, and wood beams of Yaletown in favour of grey un-textured concrete and glass. No architectural concessions are made to the trains and loading docks of Yaletown’s railway past or even the adjacent Roundhouse Community Centre for which it is named.

The Canada Line is Vancouver’s shiny new train set, and we should celebrate this $1.9 billion investment in Vancouver’s future. But when you first set foot in its terminus at Waterfront Station, it is more than a little sobering to realize that the quality of the space and amenities provided by the CPR to the traveling public 99 years ago still exceeds what we are willing to provide today.

James Fletcher is the editor of the Think City Minute.
Station Architects
On September 10th, 2009 Lori K (not verified) says:
The architects for the Canada Line stations: http://www.joconl.com/article/20060814300 Most of these are architects that do good work in the city. Many of them also designed the Millennium Line stations, which most people agree create interesting, high-quality landmarks. An exception is the two stations just east of the YVR Terminal station. These two stations were built by the airport authority.

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Cutting Corners...
On September 10th, 2009 Hussein (not verified) says:

It is so rare to get the political will and funding for such a huge project. Unfortunate that so much had to be cut out, because it has resulted in a much reduced return on investment.

I was shocked to see the small size of the underground platforms. How are they going to handle the number of passengers needing to move in and out? People here are not used to being as cramped as the regular riders of the london underground... Good luck managing your luggage in these crowded stations!

In general, I would say that recent local development (private and public) has tended to be architecturally eye-pleasing. I have to agree that these are rather industrial and drab.

The lack of convenient access points to the underground is also surprising, but if the entrances were to be as bland as the existing ones, perhaps minimizing their exposure on the surface was okay.

We had an opportunity to use this shiny new development as a means to encourage more interest in public transit -- to showcase it as a comfortable and convenient alternative. In this regard, I think these stations do not live up to their potential value as assets, and could become liabilities as early as the Olympics.

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The stations
On September 9th, 2009 Anita Romaniuk (not verified) says:
I agree with both the comments about multiple access points and the lack of commercial space in more of the stations. I live near the Cambie & King Ed Station (on the NW corner), and I see people come out of the station, then have to cross King Ed southward and then Cambie eastward to get to the bus stop to go east along King Ed. I'm sure some of these people watch the King Ed bus go by as they wait to cross the street! Also, Cambie is wide and with King Ed having construction between Cambie & Knight at the current time, cars are constantly turning right from King Ed onto Cambie to get to either 33rd or 41st, and I've seen a few pedestrians have to jump back on the curb to avoid a turning car. The lot where the station is now at King Ed & Cambie used to have a strip mall with a convenience store, a Japanese restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant, plus one or two other businesses that varied over the years. Now there is nothing. This lot was zoned commercial to start with - why didn't they put commercial space there above the station and help revive that corner?

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translink
On September 9th, 2009 penny (not verified) says:
think these people who run this line need to take it for a couple of weeks and see how people who use to ride the bus in and could sit and read their morning paper if they so wished were squeezed together like sardines in a can or as one put it like a box of crayons,now this mind you is only the beginning wait till thousand and thousand of people are here for the olympics using it to get around or coming and going to the airport,tell me what happens to the locals that need to ride to get to work.

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Canada line Stations and other uninteresting architecture
On September 9th, 2009 P. H. Finch (not verified) says:
What is it about Vancouver that we can't seem to manage to have really great architecture to complement the stunning setting? The Canada Line presented some wonderful opportunities, but we were served up with the same old boring glass and concrete. Why are there no architects with imagination in this city? The Millenium line has design variety, but one gets the impression that those who designed the stations were saying "Look how clever I am!" A sort of permanent grafitti, if you will. If we are going to pay for generations to build this stuff, we should at least get something we can look at for generations. When the Expo Line stations were built, I wondered how long it would be before they looked dated on that under-designed system. I predict the Canada Line Stations will follow suit, as hackneyed as all the green/grey glass apartment towers with a curved or bulging wall and teeny balconies.... While I'm at it, is it just me, or does anybody else get the impression that some one's four-year old designed the colour scheme for the Canada Line cars?

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Why Canada Line is under budget and ahead of schedule
On September 9th, 2009 Michael (not verified) says:
- Use a near-standardized design and materials for all stations, ignoring local character (an immediate regret, to be softened by a rotating art program). - Shorten the station platforms from four car-lengths to two (a VERY expensive future regret). - Use cut-and-cover construction instead of tunnel boring (I happen to agree with that one, despite the pain it brought some businesses on Cambie). - Cut back on street furniture such as adequate numbers of bike racks. The Saturday before the long weekend I took an afternoon train from Brighouse to City Centre. By the second stop, the train was packed. This was before the change of bus lines to feed the Canada Line. Should the Canada Line prove to be that much a success, TransLink will have to rethink its feeder system. That would be good news for those at the fringes of Metro who are losing their direct buses to Vancouver, but would negate the promised improved service for central Metro residents. Michael

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inadequate & uninspiring
On September 9th, 2009 Chad (not verified) says:
I completely agree with Daniel Quinn's point that the capacity levels are inadequate. When will this city start planning for 50 - 75 years in the future? And when will the best practices of other transport systems be incorporated into our system? The big trains are great, but I thought that wider platforms and multiple entries would just be standard features. I was told once by someone in the Vancouver city planner that many of these decisions are still made by people in the engineering department who are stuck on the 1950s idea that city should be built for cars. When will the citizens of this city start demanding public works be something they can take pride in rather than always complain about cost? The design and architecture of the stations should be inspiring - we have enough grey bland environments already.

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You missed a pretty important part
On September 9th, 2009 Daniel Quinn (not verified) says:

While you went on at length here to talk about the disappointing use of concrete and glass, you missed a pretty important criticism of the entire line: the size of the stations is laughably inadequate.

As the system is currently designed, the stations are incapable of accommodating anything more than two (joined) cars at a time. This isn't building for the future, it is, true to Vancouver's transit history, building for right now.

Give it 5years and that whole line will be rammed with people with no way to alleviate the load.

* reply

Canada Line
On September 9th, 2009 chris (not verified) says:
Yes the Canada Line Stations are bleak but they are meant to be so that you will hurry out of the stations and into the glittering shopping malls that are connect by the Line. The exceptions are the cassino at Bridgeport, the parking lot at Templeton Station, and the golf course at 49th Avenue. The true cost of this project is greater than $1.9 billion, because you forgot to add in the cost of borrowing which will add another $1.0 billion. To put it into academic terms this project is not economical. What is most important is that the stations are built for a maximum of 4 car trains which means that the stations are not flexable should the system be a success and need to be expanded. The system uses a whole new technology than the Expo Line and the Millenium Line thus making these latter lines an orphan technology, just like an 8 track cassette recorder. chris

http://www.thinkcity.ca/node/178 via http://www.francesbula.com/uncategorized/canada-lines-station-layouts-design-suck/

[CLC]

A commuter's story (of former #496 rider)
http://www2.canada.com/richmondnews/news...?id=2799a563-c4fb-40d3-a63c-336361b69096

[deasine]

Echoing back to what I've mentioned a few posts before this, the main problem I see is that the Canada Line Richmond Portion does not provide enough frequency to serve the many Richmond bus routes. Increasing the frequency of buses to the Richmond Stns is only one part of the equation. Since changing the frequency of the Canada Line might be a little problematic, TransLink can always reintroduce express bus routes from Richmond to Vancouver, primarily the 491.

I can't find the photo right now (I believe Office Dweller would have access to it), but Metro Vancouver and TransLink has pointed out that One Road will eventually need some sort of "rapid"transit to service the corridor. And while the conceptual plan states service running from Steveston to Richmond/Brighouse via One Road. An express bus service from Steveston North on No. 1 Road, East on Granville Ave., North on No. 3 Rd, West on Westminster, onto Gilbert Bridge to Russ Baker Way, then to Granville all the way into downtown. It serves the need for frequent express bus service to Richmond, giving passengers a one-seat ride into Vancouver, and improving transit service for the residents of Sea Island, who suffered a huge cut. Since the bus does not stop anywhere close to Templeton Stn, the airport addfare, thus, does not apply.

[SpongeG]

well stations are just there to use not to hang out in really don't care about aesthetics

they are fine as is

i for one have never seen that portion of yaletown/davie street has busy with people as i have since the line opened

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by ravman

http://www.thinkcity.ca/node/178 via http://www.francesbula.com/uncategorized/canada-lines-station-layouts-design-suck/

I couldn't agree more with most of those comments.

[Metro-One]

Sorry mr.X, but many of these comments are the same misinformed garbage we have been dealing with for a long time, example....

Evil Eye // Sep 10, 2009 at 9:40 am

As the cost of the RAV/Canada line subway escalated, the scope of the project was reduced.

Subways cost a lot of money to build and this was conveniently forgotten by Gordo, Falcon, and Dobel, the main driving force behind the RAV/Canada line project.

Vast economies had to be made to keep the metro under $3 billion, including:

1) The switch from SkyTrain to a conventional metro. This saved the cost of over 40 km. of reaction rail needed for the LIM motors. It also means cheaper maintenance costs as there is no reaction rail to maintain.

2) The switch from bored tunnel to cut-and-cover construction, save about $100 million, but Susan Heyes successful lawsuit and the 100’s of others that will follow will greatly reduce this cost saving.

3) The Stations in the subways were reduce to accommodate 3 car trains and just barely accommodate them. This means that as built, RAV has less potential capacity as if modern LRT were to have been built at-grade (LRT can and does carry daily over 20,000 pphpd on many LRT operations around the world.

At best RAV/Canada Line, as built, can carry only 15,000 pphpd tops!

The stations were economized to such a point that they may deter more customers than the metro will attract!

As built, the RAV/Canada line is the only metro in the world that has less capacity than modern LRT! To increase capacity, one must increase station size and to do that would cost over $1 billion and do the cuts and cover thing all over again!

Oh yes, the real cost of RAV is nearing $2.8 billion but we will not know the real amount because it is a P-3 (piss-poor-project) and the true financial accounts are kept from the public.

This sort of thing has made TransLink and Vancouver international laughingstocks in the transit world!

Much that is said in that comment and many others is far to generalized, biased and simply incorrect.

[mr.x]

^ not the ones in the link, just the ones Ravman posted regarding aesthetics and of course capacity.

[Metro-One]

Ok, that makes more sense (I was thinking how could Mr.X agree with all this, he is smarter than that! hehe).

[mr.x]

^ that comment you posted, by 'Evil Eye', sounds awfully like Malcolm Johnson.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

And its 70km, not 100km of rail (and it is not 70 km until next year).

In the story in the link I commented on, the 2 planned lines (that they are looking for P3 partners on) that aren't started yet, but announced as "going to happen" there are almost 100km of new track, and the cost quoted in the story for the future lines is what I was talking about.

[DKaz]

I wish zweisystem could stick with one username. Evil Eye puh-lease.

[CLC]

Cambie merchants still waiting for Canada Line business boom

Most haven’t noticed an increase in customers
Dave White VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) | Saturday, September 12th, 2009 1:00 pm

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - It's been nearly a month since the Canada Line opened, connecting downtown with Richmond and YVR.

But Cambie Street business owners are still evaluating just what the line will mean for their businesses after enduring years of construction.

Leonard Schein with the Cambie Street Business Association says so far there hasn't been a major spike in business. “We were looking forward to it, but the city is still doing some work and school is just back, and we'll see over time how that does happen."

Karyee Yip, who owns Honey Gifts on Cambie, isn't expecting a boost because a station was never built in the Cambie Village. 'It’s kind of disappointing that we lost a lot of business to build this line but we're not really reaping a lot of benefits once the line is built."

Yip says her business is more likely to be successful with a solid customer base and community advertising.

btw, there were reports weeks ago about Richmond Centre, Aberdeen Centre , Yaoham Centre claimed about 15-30% increase in "mall shopper traffic".

[WBC]

Originally Posted by CLC

Cambie merchants still waiting for Canada Line business boom



btw, there were reports weeks ago about Richmond Centre, Aberdeen Centre , Yaoham Centre claimed about 15-30% increase in "mall shopper traffic".

Honestly, who goes shopping in the Cambie Village other then the locals? Why would you go there?

[djh]

Does anybody know why the LCD screens on all of the platforms have shown nothing but a Windows error screen/window since the line opened? Looks embarrassing. What are they supposed to be showing?

[DKaz]

Subliminally encouraging people to buy Macs.

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by DKaz

Subliminally encouraging people to buy Macs.

[Guy labeled SkyTrain] Hi, I'm a Mac.

[Guy labeled Canada Line] And I'm a PC. I'm new and I go to the airport.


[SkyTrain] Well that's great. I'm really happy that Vancouver now has a rapid transit link to the airport.

[Canada Line] About time, eh? I also go to Richmond.


[SkyTrain] Neat. I'm sure people will be thrilled to be able to catch a late train home from downtown to Richmond without having to wait more than a couple of minutes.

[Canada Line] Well, actually people may have to wait up to 20 minutes for a train.


[SkyTain] Oh. Well at least at rush hour and on really busy days like the fireworks you will be able to run four car trains to move people out as quickly as possible. I find that really helps.

[Canada Line] Actually my stations can only hold a two-car train.


[SkyTrain] Really? But surely you can expand them. Mine only started at 80 metres in length but can be expanded to 100 metres without too much difficulty.

[Canada Line] My stations can expand from 40 meters-


[SkyTrain does a spit-take] 40 metres?!

[Canada Line] Yes, 40 metres. And they can be expanded to 50 meters so we can use two and a half-car trains! Plus they have juice stands. Or at least they will...


[SkyTrain] You're adorable.

[mr.x]

^ LMAO, i love you SFU Vancouver.