Canada Line | Completed

[jsbertram]

The C-Line Waterfront platform is centered under Granville St., and the existing Sinclair Ctr. connection to the E-Line Waterfront platform is a block away almost under the eastern sidewalk & crosswalk of Howe St @ Cordova. If you stand at the TVMs there, looking east you see the stairs and corridor leading to the E-Line Waterfront platform; looking west you have the doors leading to the Waterfront Center & hotel; looking south is the corridor to Sinclair Ctr.; looking north is the stairs & escalators of the head-house in front of the PWC/EA tower.

It might be easier to connect to Sinclair Ctr. by using the Hastings mezzanine (the TVM area south of the C-Line Waterfront platform under Hastings St.) There is a Jujo Juice stand on the east side of the mezzanine (hidden behind the stairs & elevator). I would punch though the west wall of the mezzanine opposite the Jujo Juice stand, which would I believe would line up closely with the South East corner of the Sinclair Centre food fare - the eating area south of the Fish & Chips store.

The floor elevations of the food fare and the Hastings mezzanine are likely different, but that can be handled in the same way that the VCC mezzanine connects to the Vancouver Centre mall level (London Drugs lower level &tc.)

There is also the issue of the western Granville sidewalk north of Hastings that is primarily the causeway to Granville Square. Some fancy engineering & shoring would have to be done to build an all-new structure under the sidewalk between Sinclair Ctr and the Hastings mezzanine and under the east facade of the bell tower & the eastern stairway of Plaza Escada's entrance.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jlousa

Are we sure there isn't the potential for a connection with Sinclair centre? Where would it line up if there was? My understanding is there will be some money poured into Sinclair centre in the near future.

I think there is provision for a connection - not sure how though.
As has mentioned by jsbertram and mrjauk, maybe to the south end of the mezzanine or to the passage north of the tailtrack.

[Zassk]

^ That diagram isn't quite as-built, as you can see discrepancies in the CP station elevator/escalator configuration, but I guess it must be pretty close. Any idea what that east/west tunnel-like thing is, to the immediate right of the words "pedestrian link to CP station"?

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Zassk

^ That diagram isn't quite as-built, as you can see discrepancies in the CP station elevator/escalator configuration, but I guess it must be pretty close. Any idea what that east/west tunnel-like thing is, to the immediate right of the words "pedestrian link to CP station"?

My understanding is that is the 'waterfront bulkhead' which sort-of runs under the north-side Cordova sidewalk. If you look north down the C-Line tunnels at Waterfront, you'll see the bumper-block and end of tunnel appears to be right at (south of) the bulkhead.

I can't remember when it was put in, but it is the man-made separation between the natural escarpment south of Cordova and the harbour (and later in-fill land that was built up) north of Cordova. Looking at pictures of the original CPR station, you can see that Hastings was (and still is) on the top of the ridge that was being naturally eroded by the waterfront. Something had to be done to prevent those expensive mansions in this area of Hastings St. from sliding into the water! Cordova St. would be built over the bulkhead closer to water level.

In the earliest photos of the railway station, much of the railway tracks are built on piers across the waterfront, and there are 'wyes' out to each of the steamship docks.

[deasine]

Note, that long corridor to the main Waterfront Station, connecting the Canada Line with other modes of transport, is going to be plastered with advertisements... many. And that's the entire stretch. No one is going to complain it's boring anymore... =P

[GeeCee]

I think video screens would work well in that corridor.. especially in the first curved room.

[red-paladin]

Please tell me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it be pretty easy to connect the current west passage from the skytrain platform to Sinclair Centre to the south passage to the Canada line platform? If you look at the underside of the passageway from inside a skytrain, it's all above ground and there appears to be lots of room.

[TransitJack]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

My understanding is that is the 'waterfront bulkhead' which sort-of runs under the north-side Cordova sidewalk. If you look north down the C-Line tunnels at Waterfront, you'll see the bumper-block and end of tunnel appears to be right at (south of) the bulkhead.

I can't remember when it was put in, but it is the man-made separation between the natural escarpment south of Cordova and the harbour (and later in-fill land that was built up) north of Cordova. Looking at pictures of the original CPR station, you can see that Hastings was (and still is) on the top of the ridge that was being naturally eroded by the waterfront. Something had to be done to prevent those expensive mansions in this area of Hastings St. from sliding into the water! Cordova St. would be built over the bulkhead closer to water level.

In the earliest photos of the railway station, much of the railway tracks are built on piers across the waterfront, and there are 'wyes' out to each of the steamship docks.

Interesting bit of history, thanks for sharing.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by red-paladin

Please tell me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it be pretty easy to connect the current west passage from the skytrain platform to Sinclair Centre to the south passage to the Canada line platform? If you look at the underside of the passageway from inside a skytrain, it's all above ground and there appears to be lots of room.

a) "the current west passage from the skytrain platform to Sinclair Centre" is at Cordova and Howe

b) "the south passage to the Canada line platform" is at Hastings & Granville.

These two intersections are the SE and NW intersections of Sinclair Centre (respectively), so any such connector would pass through Sinclair Centre itself. Rather than dig a looooooong corridor diagonally under Sinclair Centre, why not just build a connector between the C-Line Hastings Mezzanine & the Sinclair Centre food court.

However, you would have the problem that when Sinclair Centre is closed, you would lose the easy connection between the E-Line and C-Line platforms.

Why not use the pedestrian corridor the leads north of the C-Line platform into the CPR station? Where it makes it's first curve, create a new corridor that continues straight north passing outside the west wall of the CPR station and under the Granville Square parkade. Then it can connect with a short staircase onto the E-Line platform.

One of the problems with this is that it appears that the C-Line platform is about 6 feet higher than the E-Line platform, so this corridor would have to rise up & over the inbound track of the E-Line platform before reaching the new stairs & escalators on the E-Line platform.

The advantage would be a direct C-Line platform to E-Line platform connection that is still available outside business hours of the CPR station.

Hmmm .... Why not continue this corridor north to connect to new stairs & escalators on the Westcoast Express platform too.

If you are properly ticketed for Westcoast Express and Translink, there wouldn't be a need to go all the way up to the CPR Station main hall level unless you have to use the seabus, or you need to exit the station.

[red-paladin]

The reason I'm asking is cause I take the skytrain (expo line) to work and I see a lot of tourists and casual users in the Howe entrance that are looking for the Canada Line.
Also, you can go from that passage to Sinclair already, it's just not in the right place (as you've said). But I don't think they would have to dig a tunnel to make a passage between the Canada Line platform if they went through Sinclair Centre, as there is a lower level already. You can see from the expo line platform that there is already a lower level unused by the public, just like there was a lower level of CP Station that is where the C-line portal comes out. All they would have to do is renovate the Sinclair Centre buildings existing basement.

[BCPhil]

If you use the corridor to the Sinclair center, when you are right at the entrance to Sinclair center, you can see a parking lot right next to the building, under the road. The hall could be punched through there and take up that parking lot and join with the hall connecting the platforms to the CP station. And I think that would put it through right at the end of the tracks.

[jsbertram]

I hope this will get sorted out when the new soccer stadium is built north of the CPR station.

I wouldn't want to be there when 25,000 soccer fans are milling around the area after the game looking for 'The Skytrain' to get home.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

I hope this will get sorted out when the new soccer stadium is built north of the CPR station.

I wouldn't want to be there when 25,000 soccer fans are milling around the area after the game looking for 'The Skytrain' to get home.

I don't know if that will ever happen.

At this point I would rather see Expo line extended down Hastings and have them resurrect Empire Stadium at Hastings Park. I think that would breath new life into the entire city. Junior hockey, basketball, soccer, horse racing (and expanded casino?), and Playland all accessable by Skytrain: no-fun-couver no more.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

If you use the corridor to the Sinclair center, when you are right at the entrance to Sinclair center, you can see a parking lot right next to the building, under the road. The hall could be punched through there and take up that parking lot and join with the hall connecting the platforms to the CP station. And I think that would put it through right at the end of the tracks.

Practical idea, and fairly simple, too. Sounds like an option to go for. Push for it.

[jsbertram]

I'm not clear on why building a new block-long corridor under Cordova (which would run parallel to the E-Line platform) is better than a shorter connection that extends the existing C-Line pedestrian corridor north past the CPR station and intersects with the E-Line and Westcoast Express platforms.

"Are you looking for the C-Line? Buy your Translink ticket here (Howe / Cordova Mezzanine); go down to the E-Line platform & at the far end is the escalator up to the C-Line connector."

The end result is the same distance walking, but with somewhat easier construction and no loss of parking spaces.

[BCPhil]

That would probably involve a lot of digging, and going through the various underground facilities there.

From the Sinclair center connector through to Granville Street under Cordova, it's a very little used parking lot. It's next to where the ramp comes down from street level, so you wouldn't be losing that much parking space. And it would still allow you to have a sign that says "Canada Line this way". It would just so happen it would also be in the direction of Sinclair Center.

The benefit would also be that you could move the Canada Line Concourse so that you could walk from the CP Station house to Sinclair Center or Waterfront Center indoors, without going through the Expo Line platform.

[Zassk]

These are all nice ideas, but what's really needed in the short term are:

1) a very clear sign on the Expo platform pointing at the east elevators saying "Canada Line to Richmond and Airport"

2) a very clear sign on the Canada Line platform pointing to the north passage saying "to Expo and Millennium Lines"

3) repeat both signs around the junction with the Seabus bridge

[jsbertram]

Geeeeez. That's too easy. Haven't they already spent their budget on "Way Out" signage?

Someone should print something like this on letter-sized paper with a big pointy-hand and "This Way to Canada Line, Richmond and YVR Airport" or "This Way to Expo Line, Burnaby and Surrey" or "This Way to Millenium line, Burnaby and North Burnaby"

Tape them on the Waterfront platform walls and on the walls along the walking routes between the platforms to SHAME Translink into making better signage.

[SpongeG]

maybe translink assumes people aren't looking to transfer

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

Trivia time:

What C-Line stations have easy access to parkades?

The obvious ones are
a) Airport Station -the airport parkade
b) Bridgeport Station -the casino parkade

A future one is Oakridge station - whenever that station is connected to the mall.

I know of two others - but who else has found them?

Originally Posted by racc

Vancouver City Centre, Yaletown Roundhouse - The elevators also serve the parkades.

Sorry, I forgot about this.

Yep, these are only two I've found in Vancouver on the C-Line.

I can't remember if the E-Line or M-Line stations also have easy access to a parkade --All I can think of is the Park & Ride lot at Scott Rd.