Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[Mac Write]

a couple pages back it said OMC expansion for 2018.

[Mac Write]

Looking at google maps, they might be able to hang 2-4 storage tracks over the road at OMC1 if there is enough clearance. OMC3 to the east has little space for trains maybe 4 tracks.

We need a another major new OMC? Surrey anyone? With 86 (shouldn't that be 88 to make for 4-car trainsets). So where can we put a new OMC to handle at least 300 Mark III trains?

[Vantage]

Couldn't Translink buy the whole block between Falcon and Bond and expand OMC 3 to the north too?

[Mac Write]

Translink needs space for at least another 150+ Mark III 4-car trains, if they want to store all trains at the OMC's at night, and have storage space for UBC+Surrey line+Mark I replacements+expansion of the fleet over the next 15 years.

[Aroundtheworld]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

Looking at google maps, they might be able to hang 2-4 storage tracks over the road at OMC1 if there is enough clearance. OMC3 to the east has little space for trains maybe 4 tracks.

We need a another major new OMC? Surrey anyone? With 86 (shouldn't that be 88 to make for 4-car trainsets). So where can we put a new OMC to handle at least 300 Mark III trains?

My guess is when they expand the Expo Line to Langley they will build a new OMC somewhere in the rural area between Surrey and Langley.

[flipper316]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

Hyperbole. Of all the problems with at grade LRT I think this is the least significant. Of course accidents are possible, but just look at Toronto where the streetcars have 0 separation in most place and drivers are alot more aggressive, they keep things moving.

There was a story recently where a car drove right into the tunnel there.

[Reecemartin]

Originally Posted by flipper316

There was a story recently where a car drove right into the tunnel there.

Yes, but the other commenter suggested things like this would be happening every day. And Surreys system doesn't have any tunnels like at Qeens Quay in Toronto anyways.

[CanSpice]

Looks like TransLink is researching using tap-to-pay tech for transit fares. I just did a survey from TransLink Listens asking if I had a contactless Visa, Mastercard, or debit card, or if I had an iPhone or Android phone with NFC tech and if I'd use it to pay for transit.

[Orcair]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

Looks like TransLink is researching using tap-to-pay tech for transit fares. I just did a survey from TransLink Listens asking if I had a contactless Visa, Mastercard, or debit card, or if I had an iPhone or Android phone with NFC tech and if I'd use it to pay for transit.

I mean I like the idea, especially for tourists and infrequent travellers. But I wouldn't use it since the Compass Card is cheaper /trip...

[cganuelas1995]

I just did the survey. I was incredibly disgusted about the idea that someone thought it was a good idea to ask us if we wanted to be able to pay more for the convenience of paying via smartphone. An official app for TransLink that includes Compass that you just link your account to would be hella convenient.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

I just did the survey. I was incredibly disgusted about the idea that someone thought it was a good idea to ask us if we wanted to be able to pay more for the convenience of paying via smartphone. An official app for TransLink that includes Compass that you just link your account to would be hella convenient.

I said I would use it 100% on my credit card or phone if the price was the same as Compass Card, otherwise I'd use it 0%.

[nname]

I guess how the pricing was determined is:
- if they get the money first (passes, stored value, etc) - cheaper
- if you pay as you go (cash, credit card) - regular price

[WBC]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I said I would use it 100% on my credit card or phone is the price was the same as Compass Card, otherwise I'd use it 0%.

Same here. The only reason why would it be handy to have an option to use a credit card is if you lost or forgot your compass card.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

Translink needs space for at least another 150+ Mark III 4-car trains, if they want to store all trains at the OMC's at night, and have storage space for UBC+Surrey line+Mark I replacements+expansion of the fleet over the next 15 years.

150+ MkIII TRAINS?
srsly?

Someone needs remedial math.

The newest trains are comprised of 4 cars per train.
28 cars bought.
7 trains.

The phase 2 order arriving in a few years is also 28 MkIII cars in 4-cars trains = 7 trains



150 trains x 4 cars per train is 600 cars - more than double the current fleet (MkI through MkIII) of 286 cars.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by WBC

Same here. The only reason why would it be handy to have an option to use a credit card is if you lost or forgot your compass card.

Or are a tourist, or just got off the ferry.

The major stumbling block with right now is cash fares don't transfer to the Skytrain. This solves that.

As for fare price differential, the Compass card is already cheaper than the cash fare. If anything letting NFC cards, Apple Pay, etc would just slow things down if everyone has to fumble with an app or their wallet. Which people do anyway looking for their card in their purse/bag.

After a while, it will just make it more seamless.

What they should do is make a mutual support of Compass with the Orca card in Seattle and whatever Portland uses so that people don't have to buy cards to use each others transit systems when they come off the train. Getting BC Transit/Victoria and Nanaimo to use Compass too (or some NFC-compaitble variation) would also go a long way to making things so much less of a pain in the — to use.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

Yes, but the other commenter suggested things like this would be happening every day. And Surreys system doesn't have any tunnels like at Qeens Quay in Toronto anyways.

The focus of that when I brought it up was how one screw-up causes a cascade of failures, conveniently after someone tried to defend how reliable it was.

While Surrey might not have any tunnels, 104 is not exactly wide, and all it will take is one accident to completely throw the "L" line out of commission.

The Skytrain can route around even some major outages like switch problems and power failures, but it keeps going. Unless Surrey is going to have a cross over switch beside every station, I don't see Surrey's system being anything but another "Don't visit Surrey" excuse, since it will not be reliable.

No in most cases people will be going out of their way to not use the LRT because it adds too much to their commute. People will just park at/near a Skytrain station as per usual. The people who will be forced to use the LRT will be those who lose the bus routes that it replaces.

[idunno]

You say that "Surrey will not have any tunnels," but who knows? We haven't seen the whole design yet.

Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised with a couple of over/underpasses for the LRT after all.

[ilikeredheads]

Originally Posted by idunno

You say that "Surrey will not have any tunnels," but who knows? We haven't seen the whole design yet.

Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised with a couple of over/underpasses for the LRT after all.

You'd have to be pretty naive to believe that. Surrey wants their streetcar run down the middle of the streets, so any overpass/underpass is not happening because there's no room for them. It would also drive cost up which goes against their pitch that "LRT" is "cheaper" than skytrain.

[Reecemartin]

Originally Posted by Kisai

The focus of that when I brought it up was how one screw-up causes a cascade of failures, conveniently after someone tried to defend how reliable it was.

While Surrey might not have any tunnels, 104 is not exactly wide, and all it will take is one accident to completely throw the "L" line out of commission.

The Skytrain can route around even some major outages like switch problems and power failures, but it keeps going. Unless Surrey is going to have a cross over switch beside every station, I don't see Surrey's system being anything but another "Don't visit Surrey" excuse, since it will not be reliable.

No in most cases people will be going out of their way to not use the LRT because it adds too much to their commute. People will just park at/near a Skytrain station as per usual. The people who will be forced to use the LRT will be those who lose the bus routes that it replaces.

As mentioned most other systems run fine, in the case if an emergency the only difference is the speed of response which we would hope is fast regardless of the mode. While there might be some argument that people will drive because it may be faster that kind of denies the fact that significant segments exist who don't ride transit for its speed, consider that especially south of the Fraser transit is already going to take longer than driving.

Alot of people ride transit for

Lower cost
Ability to relax sleep or read on the commute
Pure convenience of not having to depend on a car or park ie being able to walk directly into the mall rather than having park

Even if the LRT is slower these points all stand, even if the speed of transit is slower, their are many reasons why people ride transit, and many fields in which cars and transit compete speed is not the only one.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

I just did the survey. I was incredibly disgusted about the idea that someone thought it was a good idea to ask us if we wanted to be able to pay more for the convenience of paying via smartphone. An official app for TransLink that includes Compass that you just link your account to would be hella convenient.

The cost of writing, testing and supporting that app is probably what's prompted them to ask the question. The money has to come from somewhere. Although I'd be pretty surprised if very many people said they'd be willing to pay more.