The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[VIce]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I agree, considering the population back then, Calgary made the right call leaving the downtown tunnel for a later date, but I think that later date might be a bit overdue.

It is. The Red and Blue lines interline at 7th avenue. During rush hour there is congestion at the switching at both ends, and the rest is signalling limited (120 second combined headway) - not at all helped by the fact that this is the only section of the system that occasionally yields to crossing traffic.

Thus, the South leg of the red line is at capacity - cars are loaded beyond nameplate capacity, and are at their signalling limited headway. rains are being extended to 100m (or like, 90-something), but that capacity will be eaten up quickly. The only option for increasing Red line capacity to the south is by separating the Red and Blue lines.

[Coldrsx]

SE-LRT refersher, start 2015/16, opens 2020.

SE-LRT images from Edmonton


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935364.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935448.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935447.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935446.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935445.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935444.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935420.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935363.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935365.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935366.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935367.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935368.jpg?size=620x400s)


(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/cms/binary/8935369.jpg?size=620x400s)

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/Photos+Southeast+taking+shape/8935382/story.html

[caltrane74]

From the Metrolinx Homepage.... UPX Construction Update from Union Station

[Daveography]

Edmonton's new MacEwan LRT station (which will also serve the new Arena), just about ready to go:


MacEwan Station by Daveography.ca, on Flickr

[LeftCoaster]

Not sure if anyone in the Canada section would care, but have been working on this for quite some time now, so I'm posting it anyway.

This is what I think is a realistic vision for Vancouver's skytrain system in 2040 (or before depending on investment levels). All lines are grade seperated skytrain or similar tech with the exception of the Surrey LRT which would run at grade and be similar to Portland or Calgary's systems.


Larger Version

Rough buildout would be:

2016 - Evergreen to Coquitlam
2020 - E/M Line to UBC
2023 - Expo Line Extension
2027 - Hastings Line
2030 - Surrey LRT
2033 - Millennium Line
2038 - Canada Line Extension
2040 - Crosstown Line

This buildout would represent a similar rapid transit capital expenditure per year as Vancouver has currently been seeing, which I feel is pretty conservative since the region will be growing denser and transit will be growing as a mode share.

I have not included express bus, westcoast express or any streetcar programs since I didn't want to clutter the map, however they would naturally compliment the system.

Enjoy

[Chadillaccc]

It will be pretty damn sweet to be able to take the Skytrain straight to the beaches on Point Grey!

No Canada Line extension under Burrard Inlet to North Van and up Lonsdale? Dang.

[milomilo]

Great map and not unrealistic either, producing a very extensive system.

May I ask what software you used to generate it?

[LeftCoaster]

Thanks for the comments. The program is a really bare bones web based program:
http://beno.org.uk/metromapcreator/#

It has almost no features and is really finicky, but works well enough to make a simple map like this. Would love to see others take a crack at their cities!

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

No Canada Line extension under Burrard Inlet to North Van and up Lonsdale? Dang.

It was discussed a while back in the vancouver local, apparently Burrard Inlet is so deep it's almost physically impossible. Seabus will have to do for now.

[eemy]

Aren't there tunnel designs that float and are suspended from the bottom of the waterbody? Maybe something like that would work in Vancouver.

[caltrane74]

Metrolinx had some spare time like Leftcoaster.. they are dreaming. And put it in their advertising campaign across the city.



From the Metrolinx Homepage

The High Resolution Is Here:

http://bit.ly/1p3ydZ6

[MonkeyRonin]

Or...a bridge. The Crosstown Line could be extended from Willingdon up to North & West Vancouver. It'd only need a ~500 m bridge there. Or a spur from the Hastings Line crossing over further to the west.

I wonder if it'd also be possible to build a lower deck on the Lion's Gate Bridge and run trains to the North Shore through there instead.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Metrolinx had some spare time like Leftcoaster.. they are dreaming. And put it in their advertising campaign across the city.



From the Metrolinx Homepage

The High Resolution Is Here:

http://bit.ly/1p3ydZ6

That's pretty cool - it's actually quite rare to see these sort of grand visions from transit bodies.

Leftcoaster Thanks! I'd actually already seen that and had a brief play, but yours looked way better than my results so I assumed you must have had something more advanced .

[milomilo]

Sorry double post please delete!

[ozonemania]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Or...a bridge. The Crosstown Line could be extended from Willingdon up to North & West Vancouver. It'd only need a ~500 m bridge there. Or a spur from the Hastings Line crossing over further to the west.

I wonder if it'd also be possible to build a lower deck on the Lion's Gate Bridge and run trains to the North Shore through there instead.

It's possible that Lions Gate could be repurposed for transit/RRT as it nears the end of its current lifespan. That is decades out I'm sure, but by that time a 3rd crossing and a tunnel/bridge across the Burrard Inlet might be justified. Especially if North Van keeps upping their densities. It's doubtful the Lions Gate's supports, as it is, would be able to handle a second deck or higher capacities than it is now.

[ssiguy]

The Lion's gate's days are numbered as it will close to traffic around 2030.

The Lion's Gate was built with private money and given a 100 year lease to have the causeway thru Stanley park. Much to the dislike of Victoria, the Parks Board has said that there will be no extensions and even Victoria and City Hall cannot override them...............the causeway will be gone. The Parks Board has said that they may keep it open for buses, bikes, and pedestrians but that's it. They are very legitimately saying that the City and province have had 100 years to get a replacement and it's not their responsibility to have to bail them out due to their lack of forethought.

Whatever they do it is going to cost a small fortune. A main Street extension via a tunnel to North Vancouver has been suggested by North Vancouver doesn't want it because they rightfully say that there would be no where for all the traffic to go once it gets there as the roads are already clogged and the TCH is 2km away thru a very densely populated area.

North Vancouver has said it would consider a widening or even twinning of the iron Workers from 6 to maybe 10 lanes but only if a SkyTrain connection is made to North Vancouver Quay to rid the city of the Seabus. Of course the problem with that is that it would be very out of the way for West Vancouver and would leave only one bridge to the North Shore and the routes to it both from the North Shore and downtown Vancouver would be horribly backed up.

It would also mean that any accident on the bridge would leave the entire North Shore and routes to Squamish, Sunshine Coast, Whistler, and ferries to Nanaimo completely cut off.

No matter what they do it is going to be a horrid political battle all because Vancouver and Victoria have ignored the problem for so long and incredibly bad transportation planning.

[logan5]

Main St. to Fell Ave. where the auto mall is. Lots of room. Lots of street connections, and it splits the difference between North and West Vancouver.

[Chadillaccc]

Agreed with Logan. If all other options are shit, choose the lesser evil... which happens to be the most effective one too!

[Innsertnamehere]

The province announced all day GO service to Kitchener today, with a phase 1 of 2 additional trains opening in 2016, and all day service starting at an unspecified date (presumably when the portion of the line through Brampton gets it, which is supposed to be late 2010's or early 2020's). I presume it will be paid for by expanding the transit taxes to KWC.

[caltrane74]

This is a good start. Minor improvements like this may end up going a long way when service and traffic on the lines picks up.

[WhipperSnapper]

Train service? That's a heavy freight corridor. Go would have to build their own lines.