Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

this is mass transit, not the Rocky Mountaineer. its not about the views, its about moving as many people as fast as possible.

It may not be about the views, but they sure don't hurt. I doubt you'll find any regular transit users who say they prefer the tunnels over the elevated sections of the guideway. IMHO the views make transit a more palatable option for a lot of people. I know I sure enjoyed them back in the days that I commuted.

[TransitFreak]

Does anyone know how long the refurbishments of the MK Is will take? I noticed the external paint jobs have really picked up (outsourced I believe) but you can tell the ones that have been fully completed by the white inside partitions mostly. All I see are reds mostly. And also are they planning to have a mix of reconfigured seats and original seat configurations? Just wondering if they are intentionally mixing it up to provide a train set that has a flex space configuration in the middle of a 6 car train set as an example.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

It may not be about the views, but they sure don't hurt. I doubt you'll find any regular transit users who say they prefer the tunnels over the elevated sections of the guideway. IMHO the views make transit a more palatable option for a lot of people. I know I sure enjoyed them back in the days that I commuted.

I mean this more as a joke, but I have to wonder why Bombardier didn't make an all-glass version of a Skytrain carset for this purpose. It would fit in with the yaletown glass used all over the place.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

Mark I trains are heading for scrapping in 9-12 years.

That just isn't true.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Kisai

I mean this more as a joke, but I have to wonder why Bombardier didn't make an all-glass version of a Skytrain carset for this purpose. It would fit in with the yaletown glass used all over the place.

Ever been on the Seattle Monorail?


http://seattlebloggers.com/seattle-monorail-serving-seattle-since-1962/

[Alex Mackinnon]

One thing to consider is that a glass roof would have considerably more solar gain on hot summer days. Either the trains would end up significantly warmer or the AC would have to be up-sized.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Also because open glass is usually for the sightseers' benefit; most commuters don't particularly care about a slightly bigger view of what they see every day on the way to work/school/etc.

[Express691]

Just a cool photo I found of the Mark 3 on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BFFFqfziqM_/

[Skygazer]

I saw a Mark 3 train sitting at the train yards between Edmonds and 22nd Street a few days ago. The cars weren't connected in the middle yet (the openings looked like they were covered with plywood or something) but it was nice to see them sitting there, getting ready to go.

On another transit note, does anybody know what's happening with regards to the potential bus drivers strike? It's been a while since I've heard anything about it.

[xd_1771]

Originally Posted by Skygazer

I saw a Mark 3 train sitting at the train yards between Edmonds and 22nd Street a few days ago. The cars weren't connected in the middle yet (the openings looked like they were covered with plywood or something) but it was nice to see them sitting there, getting ready to go.

On another transit note, does anybody know what's happening with regards to the potential bus drivers strike? It's been a while since I've heard anything about it.

That's been there for at least a week.
First bargaining meeting is today so hold your breath

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by Express691

Just a cool photo I found of the Mark 3 on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BFFFqfziqM_/

I'm really quite surprised that they didn't shrink-wrap the trains. They're getting exposed to road grit and debris on their cross-country transit that they will never otherwise encounter in operation.

None the less, thanks for the photo! Nice to see our new trains are getting to see some fine scenery en route.

[ClaytonA]

http://www.translink.ca/-/media/Document...s/history/translink_history_nov_2008.pdf


November 2000;

Province quashes levy agreement
It was a sign of what was to come.
Premier Ujjal Dosanjh had already said he would not support any increase in taxes. On January 21, Mike Farnworth, the minister responsible for TransLink, declared the cabinet would not sign an order-in-council enabling it to collect the levy on TransLink’s behalf.

CEO Ken Dobell believed it was a violation of the original agreement with the province. “That really stung Ken and I badly,” said Larry Ward, then president of BC Rapid Transit Company, which operated SkyTrain. “Well, not just us, but everyone at TransLink, when it comes down to it.”

“It was devastating to lose the vehicle levy,” said Bob Paddon, vice-president of TransLink’s corporate and public affairs. “The unfortunate part is that by the time it was ripped away from us, we’d put in bus orders and upped service levels out on the street, and then we had to claw it right back. And that was very painful for people.”

Unable to implement the initiatives in the five-year plan, TransLink regrouped quickly. It had to trim its 2001 budget by $7 million, but cuts would have been far worse without a $36-million one-time surplus it was able to tap into. Still, every bus route was closely examined, and those with the lowest ridership numbers became candidates for elimination.

[ClaytonA]

In 2001, a brief period of quiet followed the vehicle levy issue.
However, it was only a matter of months before TransLink was thrust into the spotlight again, for an entirely different controversy—a strike by Coast Mountain Bus Company drivers and mechanics.

...While 675,000 bus riders were forced to find alternative transportation, a saving grace was that SkyTrain and West Coast Express were still allowed to run, thanks to a Labour Relations Board ruling that limited picketing by striking security guards.

... And it wasn’t just transit users who were unhappy—members of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association saw business drop by an average of 39 per cent. ...

Big impact to the economy.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Skygazer

I saw a Mark 3 train sitting at the train yards between Edmonds and 22nd Street a few days ago. The cars weren't connected in the middle yet (the openings looked like they were covered with plywood or something) but it was nice to see them sitting there, getting ready to go.

On another transit note, does anybody know what's happening with regards to the potential bus drivers strike? It's been a while since I've heard anything about it.

Speaking of the MkIII arrivals, when will they start revenue service?

The first set has been on-site for a few months now ....

[Sheba]

West Coast Express delayed after hitting bear

A West Coast Express train was stalled for about 35 minutes Tuesday morning after it struck a bear in Maple Ridge.

Train number four struck the bear on the tracks at about 7:10 AM P.T. east of Port Haney in the Albion area.

All West Coast Express trains are now moving, with some delays.

"It's something that doesn't happen frequently, fortunately. Occasionally of course, animals do make their way down on to the tracks, but it's very unusual for a train to actually strike an animal," said Translink spokesperson Anne Drennan.

A spokesperson for the B.C. Conservation Service confirmed the bear has died.

[aberdeen5698]

So I'm going to be taking the bus over to West Vancouver for the first time in a few decades and I have a dumb question: are all the West Van buses fully integrated into the Compass system? So if I start a trip in Vancouver I can complete it on a West Van bus as part of the same Compass trip?

It seems to me that this must be true, but I'm having a hard time finding something on the Internet that specifically confirms this - probably because the systems have been integrated for such a long time that it's just assumed. But the fact that they're still separately operated makes me paranoid enough to ask the question...

[nname]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

So if I start a trip in Vancouver I can complete it on a West Van bus as part of the same Compass trip?

Yes

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by nname

Yes

Great, thanks!

[Monolith]

Metro Vancouver mayors present transit funding plan to province
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-co...ansit-funding-plan-to-province-1.3582238

I hope we get some movement on this!

[nname]

2015 Boardings:

Conventional Bus: 235,615,200 ** (+3.0%)
Community Shuttle: 5,366,400 (-4.7%)
SeaBus: 6,091,800 (+2.1%)
Expo/Millennium Line: 77,592,600 (+0.1%)
Canada Line: 40,972,300 ** (+1.8%)
West Coast Express: 2,648,800 (+0.9%)

Overall: 362,920,800 ** (+2.1%)

** = highest ridership ever recorded for the mode

Seems like a huge boost in ridership for Q4, as the Q3 data still showed negative growth or flat for pretty much all modes.