Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[Metro-One]

So, just heard that between 2017 and 2020 Montreal plans to build the world's 3rd longest automated transit system!

That's right, 64 km of skytrain type rail!

Now lets get the Broadway extension 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 moving before they take our spot as #2!

Also, I do hope that this choice of theirs puts further pressure to have the Langley link built as an extension of the Expo Line and not surface LRT.

[mattropolis]

What is the bus service like in South Surrey to downtown. Thinking of moving there and want to get some information. I don't know anyone who lives there now.

- what are the chances of getting a seat on the 351, 354 in the morning and afternoon?
- add the trip times on TransLink site accurate?
- how bad is the tunnel?
- if you park at the south Surrey park and ride can you get a seat?

Looks like south surrey bus service is pretty sparse compared to Coquitlam.

[Orcair]

Originally Posted by mattropolis

What is the bus service like in South Surrey to downtown. Thinking of moving there and want to get some information. I don't know anyone who lives there now.

- what are the chances of getting a seat on the 351, 354 in the morning and afternoon?
- add the trip times on TransLink site accurate?
- how bad is the tunnel?
- if you park at the south Surrey park and ride can you get a seat?

Looks like south surrey bus service is pretty sparse compared to Coquitlam.

Usually, if you get on past WR Centre in peak times you are unlikely to get a seat. Also, unless you get on at a major stop (Crescent Beach, WR Centre, P&R, the bus tends to run over 5 minutes early or over 5 minutes late, so I tend to miss a lot of them However, they are usually early/late to make it to Bridgeport on time, which they almost always do.

The tunnel is usually good, although it really depends on the driver. Most of them speed along Hwy 99 in the bus lane, but it only goes so far. Of course sometimes, some idiot will park in the bus lane, around the bend, and almost cause a crash.

[Metro-One]

Here it is, 67 km of skytrain technology for 5.5 billion dollars:

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

More details

Originally Posted by nephersir7

It looks like it's going to use Skytrain-like rolling stock, with catenaries instead of third rail



http://cdpqinfra.com/sites/all/files/document/cdpqinfra_briefing_technique_anglais_2016-04-22.pdf

Amazing how Montreal will be building this and a mega bridge project larger than the GMT replacement at the same time! (among other highway and transit projects).

Notice also 13 parking facilities.

It seems that Montreal wants to get 🞵🞵🞵🞵 done instead of turning everything into cars vs. trasnit. They will do both!

[trofirhen]

Montreal's rrt project makes me green with envy.
Plus, they already have their beautiful Métro, plus and suburban rail.
Montreal is a "can do" city, and this will 'out-do' Toronto in a way that'll turn Toronto red. (White, even)!!
Too bad Vancouver hasn't got the royal jelly to stop quibbling and blithering over small stuff, and just get stuff - Big Stuff - done.
Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Amazing how Montreal will be building this and a mega bridge project larger than the GMT replacement at the same time! (among other highway and transit projects).

Notice also 13 parking facilities.

It seems that Montreal wants to get 🞵🞵🞵🞵 done instead of turning everything into cars vs. trasnit. They will do both!

Who is paying what portions of the $5.5B? We already know their bridge is 100% federal funded right? Not a level playing field unfortunately.

[Orcair]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Who is paying what portions of the $5.5B? We already know their bridge is 100% federal funded right? Not a level playing field unfortunately.

$3 billion from Québec's Pension Fund (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec)
$2.5 billion being split between Provincial and Federal Governments (as it stands now, anyway)

[xd_1771]

Interesting. If they go with Bombardier's Innovia rolling stock, there's no reason they can't use overhead catenary for power supply.

Last year in Japan a bunch of old Tokyo Metro Ginza Line cars were repurposed for a local railway in Kumamoto,
they had catenaries installed to replace the original third rail power with few modifications in order to support it.

Wouldn't be surprised if LIM propulsion tech gets thrown in as well, and/or switch made to third rail, to reduce tunnelling costs.

I'd like to think this'll have a huge implication for transit projects here in the metro and across the country.
Promoters of LRT like to latch on to the "other cities are building LRT too!" hype. Now we fans of driverless rail will have something to latch onto

[GreaterMontréal]

the LRT will use overhead catenaries, not third rail, from what I've seen.

[nname]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

So, just heard that between 2017 and 2020 Montreal plans to build the world's 3rd longest automated transit system!

That's right, 64 km of skytrain type rail!

Now lets get the Broadway extension 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 moving before they take our spot as #2!

Also, I do hope that this choice of theirs puts further pressure to have the Langley link built as an extension of the Expo Line and not surface LRT.

Forget #2, if we get moving now we can easily take back the #1 spot. In fact, if you count the monorail, we will be just 300m short of Dubai when Evergreen Line opens.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Waders

I still remember that strike 15 years ago. I didn't have a car so I walked 1.5 hours to/from work every day for almost 4 months. Luckily the strike happened in Spring/Summer.
If I remembered correctly, the strike ended after the "back-to-work" legislation was introduced by the provincial government.

One good thing the strike did to me was my improved heath due to the extra exercise.

Yup I remember that! Worst experience for work, ever. I had to walk 8 blocks downtown to the skytrain, took it to Joyce and then carpooled with someone working in the same industrial park in Surrey. On the days he was off, I had to walk 1 hour to work from the King George Skytrain station. Good thing was that it made me realize that I could walk anywhere, no sweat! I'm so glad I work downtown now, so strike won't be an issue, but I really do feel bad for the transit commuters.

[Vin]

Transit Heat Map of Metro Van:

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2016/04/public-transit-heat-map-vancouver/

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Vin

Yup I remember that! Worst experience for work, ever. I had to walk 8 blocks downtown to the skytrain, took it to Joyce and then carpooled with someone working in the same industrial park in Surrey. On the days he was off, I had to walk 1 hour to work from the King George Skytrain station. Good thing was that it made me realize that I could walk anywhere, no sweat! I'm so glad I work downtown now, so strike won't be an issue, but I really do feel bad for the transit commuters.

Yeah, I'm looking at a 2 hour bike ride from Ladner to UBC if this happens...reallyyy hoping they can figure an agreement out.

[mattropolis]

Originally Posted by Orcair

Usually, if you get on past WR Centre in peak times you are unlikely to get a seat. Also, unless you get on at a major stop (Crescent Beach, WR Centre, P&R, the bus tends to run over 5 minutes early or over 5 minutes late, so I tend to miss a lot of them However, they are usually early/late to make it to Bridgeport on time, which they almost always do.

Thanks Orcair! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to my questions. Sounds like I'll likely be standing for the majority or all of my trip. Something to think about for sure.

I was looking at the Transit Network Review - South of Fraser report.
http://www.translink.ca/en/Plans-and-Pro...etwork/Transit-Network-Consultation.aspx
It looks like they may alter the 351, 352, and 354 routes, but not sure if that would improve overcrowding.

[dandor31]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

Yeah, I'm looking at a 2 hour bike ride from Ladner to UBC if this happens...reallyyy hoping they can figure an agreement out.

I wouldn't be surprised if it were longer! Don't forget you can't bike through the Massey Tunnel... This fact has be the bane of biking onto the Tsawwassen ferry for many Vancouverites.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

Yeah, I'm looking at a 2 hour bike ride from Ladner to UBC if this happens...reallyyy hoping they can figure an agreement out.

Geez! How can you get across at the Massey tunnels?

[officedweller]

The cool thing about the Montreal proposal is that the Caisse is a shareholder in Canada Line's operating entity, InTransitBC
(together with BCIMC and SNC-Lavalin)
- so it must be happy with how that project is running to propose this one.

So this is sort of a "Canada Line II" for them.

The other interesting question is whether much of the line would be elevated, given the wintery climate (it says ground, underground and overground).

Also nice to see a branched system.

From the map, interesting to see the difference in station spacing versus the Metro.
But that could be a function of current population densities.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by dandor31

I wouldn't be surprised if it were longer! Don't forget you can't bike through the Massey Tunnel... This fact has be the bane of biking onto the Tsawwassen ferry for many Vancouverites.

There's a shuttle specifically for cycling commuters that travels between the two entrances to the tunnel, that is operated by the provincial government, not TransLink. I live very close to the tunnel on the Delta side, so I'd get to that stop in 15 minutes, get off on the other side at Rice Mill Road, and then it's a 1h45 ride to UBC. I've done it for fun before, but it's not something I'm interested in doing at 6am with a backpack full of books.

[xd_1771]

Originally Posted by Vin

Transit Heat Map of Metro Van:

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2016/04/public-transit-heat-map-vancouver/

This transit heat map is really great, particularly it really underscores the success of the Expo Line in getting people to adopt transit as their main mode of commute. This is phenomenal evidence to the idea that building out SkyTrain in our region has combatted sprawl.

The comparison between Toronto is particularly interesting... Toronto's map shows that transit usage is relatively higher throughout a much larger spread of the city, with the mid-town areas hitting 50% or greater and so this would appear to be much better than Vancouver. But my guess as to why Vancouver's mode shares in the city appear to be lower is because we're something of a more compact city with superior bike & pedestrian infrastructure - you can pretty much tell why downtown, of all places, exhibits lower transit usage than places on the Expo Line.

I'd like to see another version of these maps that pits total sustainable mode-share (so transit, cycling and walking) against automobile mode-share.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by xd_1771

This transit heat map is really great, particularly it really underscores the success of the Expo Line in getting people to adopt transit as their main mode of commute. This is phenomenal evidence to the idea that building out SkyTrain in our region has combatted sprawl.

The comparison between Toronto is particularly interesting... Toronto's map shows that transit usage is relatively higher throughout a much larger spread of the city, with the mid-town areas hitting 50% or greater and so this would appear to be much better than Vancouver. But my guess as to why Vancouver's mode shares in the city appear to be lower is because we're something of a more compact city with superior bike & pedestrian infrastructure - you can pretty much tell why downtown, of all places, exhibits lower transit usage than places on the Expo Line.

I'd like to see another version of these maps that pits total sustainable mode-share (so transit, cycling and walking) against automobile mode-share.

Well, Toronto also has an extensive streetcar network in the areas of heavy use. Like in the SW part of the City, there are streetcar lines on College, Dundas, King, and Queen. And it's pretty high because further north you have the St Claire Streetcar that carries 33,000 people a day on just 7km of track. The 504 King carries 40,000 riders a day just between Bathurst and John streets.