SkyTrain Station Renovations

[Meraki]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Wow, that's it? Doesn't BC count as "west"?

They do when "west" is defined as everything west of Ontario, which this seems to be the case.

In that context most closures are in the west. In finer detail it's mostly AB/SK/MB.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Meraki

In that context most closures are in the west. In finer detail it's mostly AB/SK/MB.

I define AB/SK/MB as "east"

[MIPS]

Another little peculiar thing about the Renovations. Even after completely rebuilding the east end they've left this small meter and a half strip of the original granite and yellow line which has been there since the station was the pre-build.

[Spikester]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Wow, that's it? Doesn't BC count as "west"?

Consider the source. They probably count Guelph and Hamilton as "west".

[Xrayal]

Main street tile count by mullux, on Flickr

My rough count. But it looks like they can extend the platform if they wanted to in the future by 5.5 meters. No?

[AMTDGT]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

I define AB/SK/MB as "east"

A number of years ago I was at some meetings in Ontario. An Ontario government minister was in attendance at the social at the end of the day. I told the minister I was a western separatist. He said is was too. He considered western Canada to include Ontario. I attempted to discourage him from that train of thought.

This morning the "report on everything as long as it isn't news" show on TV was actually saying the lower mainland was going have Empire store closures there by causing hard ship for "the elderly, the handy capped, the unemployed and people who can't get out to hockey games" (Jim Robson quote almost).
No mention that the only BC closure is Fort St John. Guess our neighbour with the walker won't be able to Ft St John for their groceries anymore and will have to start going to the Urban Fare half a block down the street.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by NewfBC

There's one store closing in BC.. Fort St. John.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on...e-closing-across-canada/article19355206/

Ron.

Perhaps that means Safeway is (was) quite popular across the province?
(except Fort St. John)

Don't be lulled into thinking this is the last of 'service optimization' changes by Sobeys since the Safeway takeover.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by MIPS

Another little peculiar thing about the Renovations. Even after completely rebuilding the east end they've left this small meter and a half strip of the original granite and yellow line which has been there since the station was the pre-build.

[IMG]>>snip<<[/IMG]

I didn't think the reno budget was so tight.

... or perhaps the order of new tiles was mis-counted when making the conversion from English (Feet) to Metric (Metres).

No prob; it'll be fixed in the next reno (around 2045)

[NewfBC]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

Perhaps that means Safeway is (was) quite popular across the province?
(except Fort St. John)

Don't be lulled into thinking this is the last of 'service optimization' changes by Sobeys since the Safeway takeover.

Well.. the store that's closing in Fort St. John is a Sobeys store.

Ron.

[Rico]

Originally Posted by Xrayal

My rough count. But it looks like they can extend the platform if they wanted to in the future by 5.5 meters. No?

The 5 car Mark II configuration is 84.5m, I believe that was supposed to work on the current 80m platforms with 'overhang' but passanger flow would be better with at least 84.5m platforms.....and now is certainly the best time to extend the platforms....so I am guessing the plan is for future expansion.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by MIPS

Another little peculiar thing about the Renovations. Even after completely rebuilding the east end they've left this small meter and a half strip of the original granite and yellow line which has been there since the station was the pre-build.

It's likely that the granite is much thicker than the new tiles, and removing the granite would require the pouring
of a concrete base to bring it up to the level of the base under the new tiles.
I assume this edge was previously inaccessible, since it doesn't have the bumpy yellow tiles.
The solution I see is to extend the bumpy yellow tiles across the granite, which they haven't done yet.
You can see they are just laid on top of the granite.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

Perhaps that means Safeway is (was) quite popular across the province?
(except Fort St. John)

Don't be lulled into thinking this is the last of 'service optimization' changes by Sobeys since the Safeway takeover.

Safeway is often the only grocery store, or only one of two grocery stores in most towns outside the lower mainland in BC. As long as there is no Walmart in the area, Safeway won't be underperforming. (There's also no Walmart in Vancouver, there is a Costco however, at Stadium.)

Compare to the Metrotown mall and there is a Safeway, Real Canadian SuperStore, Real Canadian Superstore Wholesale club, London Drugs, Shoppers, Buy-low Foods, T&T, IGA, Save On(gone till station square reopens), and Target... all within walking distance of each other (and only the Shoppers is open 24 hours) That is before you count the small non-chain grocery stores.

I don't think Sobeys has any reason to close any Vancouver locations. It's not like the population is going down any time soon. There are people, including myself who will go to any less busy store, just to avoid the half hour check-out lines at Real Canadian Superstore. Safeway tends to be appropriately staffed and is much nicer to go shop at.

[SpongeG]

sobeys in fort st john is kitty corner to the safeway store there basically, the walmart is a block away and expanding to accomodate more groceries and there is still much loyalty to the old overwaitea now branded price smart foods uptown and i think there is an iga somewhere there as well

as far as i knew it was the only branded sobeys store in bc wasn't it? it seems they are closing sobey branded stores and not touching any of the safeway branded ones from what i have read/heard of

anyway sorry to get off topic. the station keeps looking better

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

as far as i knew it was the only branded sobeys store in bc wasn't it?

Sobeys is also in Invermere and Golden.

[SpongeG]

ah, interesting all 3 places are pretty much alberta

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by officedweller

It's likely that the granite is much thicker than the new tiles, and removing the granite would require the pouring
of a concrete base to bring it up to the level of the base under the new tiles.
I assume this edge was previously inaccessible, since it doesn't have the bumpy yellow tiles.
The solution I see is to extend the bumpy yellow tiles across the granite, which they haven't done yet.
You can see they are just laid on top of the granite.

It was accessible before the renovations. They just decided for one reason or another that it wasn't worth it to do the full length of the platform. Granville and Burrard are the same, but with the slightly newer 1986 yellow tiles.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by MIPS

It was accessible before the renovations. They just decided for one reason or another that it wasn't worth it to do the full length of the platform. Granville and Burrard are the same, but with the slightly newer 1986 yellow tiles.

I like to think that they're leaving a little bit of the original material in place as an ode to it being the very first Skytrain station, part of the demonstration track that opened a couple of years before the rest of the line was completed.

[officedweller]

Hmm - that's a bit strange from a safety perspective.

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

I like to think that they're leaving a little bit of the original material in place as an ode to it being the very first Skytrain station, part of the demonstration track that opened a couple of years before the rest of the line was completed.

That was my idea as well. Historically Main Street has a lot of history not only to rapid transit in Vancouver but to ALRT technology in general.

[red-paladin]

I think the reason those platform ends were left with the original tiles was that those stations were a little longer than the standard ones and this was not taken into consideration when buying tiles.
I'm not sure why they didn't replace the left over old tiles at Main when doing this reno, as it really is a bit of a safety issue. I hope no blind person walks off the edge there.