The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by Laceoflight

Québec (the city) is so hopeless sometimes...
A simple tram line (or light rail) from the head of the bridges in Sainte-Foy, to D'Estimauville, would do wonders to the public transit there. The streets are wide enough. Sometimes, I just don't get it... I guess.

Quebec City is one of the most conservative city in the country. Anything transit is not well regarded. Nonetheless I don't believe in BRT and happy to see this project killed.

[GreaterMontréal]

Originally Posted by d_jeffrey

Quebec City is one of the most conservative city in the country. Anything transit is not well regarded. Nonetheless I don't believe in BRT and happy to see this project killed.

with that being said, Couillard and the Fed might give more money for the REM and the Blue Line ?

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by GreaterMontréal

with that being said, Couillard and the Fed might give more money for the REM and the Blue Line ?

There is a fixed amount for transit available for the whole province, I would rather see the Orange line go up to Bois-Franc for the REM than wait for any plan in QC city. Density is not there and will not be as per current plans. You can't have good rapid transit without density.

[J.OT13]

Confederation Line Update:

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Construction Update
Week of April 17

Progress continues at the Lyon Station east entrance as crews begin installing masonry at the integrated entrance. Crews mobilize to begin architectural works in Parliament Station cavern. At Tremblay Station, landscaping activities begin with the initial removal of the existing guard rail on the west ring road, and chipping of the parapet.

---

Progress of the Tunney's Pasture Station footings and formwork

West Stations

Tunney’s Pasture Station
Crews begin working on footings for the platform area this week, and continue forming the elevator pits and pouring slabs.

Bayview Station
Work progresses at the station and includes structural steel and parapet installation on the ancillary building, installing grade beams, pouring architectural columns and backfilling.

---

Progress of slab work and structural steel installation - Pimisi Station

Pimisi Station
Station construction is ongoing with slab on grade pours, structural steel installation, slab rough-ins, pulling wires in the communications rooms and formwork for the staircase.

---

Crews pour the track slab in Lyon Station cavern

Central Stations

Lyon Station cavern
Architectural work is ongoing in the cavern. Work includes installing blocks, conduits, laying out and installing tiles, and work on door frames. In addition, escalators, guard rails and panels on the platform walls are installed on the north side, and crews pour the track slab.

Lyon Station west entrance
Integrated entrance construction advances visibly. This week, grade level walls are cured and stripped, structural steel is installed on the roof, falsework occurs and backfilling takes place at the south walls. Crews drill anchors at the east vent shaft.

Lyon Station east entrance
This week, curbs and the accessibility ramp is poured and cured. Crews begin installing masonry at the retail concourse level and install elevators and escalators. At the HVAC shaft, crews cure, form and pour walls in sequence.

---

Progress of arch and wall concrete final lining work - Rideau Station cavern

Parliament Station cavern
Crews mobilize to begin architectural work in the cavern this week. Ongoing work includes arch and deck concrete final lining and conduit installation.

Parliament Station west entrance
Integrated entrance construction progresses with rock removals, hoe-ramming for the HVAC shaft and rock supports.

Parliament Station east entrance
This week, work advances on the upper pit walls and concourse slab with the installation of rebar, formwork and pours in sequence. Crews also waterproof and install rebar on the escalator slab.

Rideau Station cavern
Construction of the station cavern is ongoing with arch and wall final concrete pours, as well as work on the invert.

Rideau Station west entrance
Integrated entrance excavation is ongoing for the next weeks.

Rideau Station east entrance
Crews are working on the mud slab, waterproofing, forming the elevator shaft walls on the north side, in addition to the inside walls on the south side.

---

Progress of concrete work at uOttawa Station

East Portal
Crews continue constructing the ramp with work on whaler beams, drilling tiebacks, excavation on the north side, and forming and pouring walls and slabs.

uOttawa Station
Crews continue installing rebar and concrete work on the stairs, pouring platform trenches, concourse rough-ins, steel installation and electrical work.

---

Progress of construction at Hurdman Station

East Stations

Lees Station
Station progress is visible: crews continue shoring for the concourse slab and begin installing masonry on the ancillary building

Hurdman Station
Crews strip the station suspended slabs, and continue heat tracing on stairs and electrical work for the secondary buildings.

Tremblay Station
This week, framing of walls and landscaping work continues, which includes the removal of the existing guard rail and chipping of the parapet. Taxi and pedestrian realignments will occur during this work. Framing of the soffit, wiring and rough-ins are ongoing.

---

Progress of glazing at Cyrville Station

St-Laurent Station
Construction continues with roofing on the plenum, masonry block and conduit installation, heat tracing and pulling wires. Crews also work on the HVAC shaft at the head house.

Cyrville Station
Glazing in the platform area and for the elevators is ongoing at the station. Crews work on the storm sewer, inspect electrical systems and mobilize to install precast concrete stairs.

Blair Station
Activities are ongoing at the station, including final electrical finishes, tiles and porcelain panel installation, glazing and work on the escalator cladding.

---

Ongoing train testing on eastbound track at Cyrville Station

Guideway and Trackwork

Guideway construction continues this week with concrete pours at the crossover tracks east of Tunney’s Pasture Station. Track teams install concrete ties and mobilize to begin pulling rail west of Pimisi Station to Bayview Station. In the tunnel, concrete slab work, pulling rails and installation of dowels advance west of Lyon Station. East of Parliament Station, work on starter walls is ongoing. Ballast installation takes place at Lees Station, crews pull rails on the Rideau River bridge and tamping occurs at Hurdman Station.

Train testing continues on eastbound track from Belfast Yard to Blair Station.

---

Tamping is ongoing on the elevated guideway at Hurdman Station

Upcoming Construction Activities

In the coming weeks, the following construction activities are scheduled to occur:

• Hoe ramming as part of work on the western section of the guideway.
• Blasting begins at the Lyon west vent shaft.
• Ongoing overnight work at the Rideau Station west and east entrances, and at the East Portal.
• Ongoing structural steel installation at uOttawa Station requiring overnight lane restrictions.
• Manhole work on guideway west of Lees Station requiring lane restrictions.
• Final work on the pedestrian tunnel at uOttawa Station.
• Fencing installation on guideway just west of Tremblay Station.
• Hydro connection work to Hurdman Station requiring lane restriction on Riverside Drive.
• Manhole work as part of guideway activities at intersection of Riverside Drive and Tremblay Road, requiring lane restrictions.
• Systems installation along the guideway, including Overhead Catenary System poles and wires.

http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/news/construction-update-120/

[caltrane74]

Ottawa building like crazy.

[SFUVancouver]

What is the funding split for the Confederation Line between Federal Government, Ontario Government, and City of Ottawa (and Gatineau?) Municipal Governments?

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

What is the funding split for the Confederation Line between Federal Government, Ontario Government, and City of Ottawa (and Gatineau?) Municipal Governments?

About 28% Feds
28% Ontario
44% Ottawa

The route does not serve the Quebec side.

This project was underfunded by the higher levels of government because of the 2006 cancellation.

[Aylmer]

LF beat me to it!

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

About 28% Feds
28% Ontario
44% Ottawa

The route does not serve the Quebec side.

This project was underfunded by the higher levels of government because of the 2006 cancellation.

It was underfunded because the City requested funding when they only had preliminary costing. They assumed it would cost 1.8 billion (for 600 million each level). When we had the final estimate in hand (2.1 billion), it was too late to request the balance.

Final cost quoted by the winning consortium was 2.2 billion. Roughly 100 million has been added on top of that with additions the City requested for the project during the construction phase.

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

About 28% Feds
28% Ontario
44% Ottawa

The route does not serve the Quebec side.

This project was underfunded by the higher levels of government because of the 2006 cancellation.

Interesting! Thank you.

With all the discussion in the BC election about changing the traditional third-third-third Fed-Province-Local funding model for rapid transit in Metro Vancouver to what is now basically 40%-40%-20%, respectively, I wasn't sure whether other cities/metros had similar ratio rules.

For what it's worth, the third-third-third ratio has been fluid and seldom achieved, but generally it's been the target cost sharing model. The Province has blocked the Metro Vancouver (Translink) funding options for so long that it isn't able to raise its 1/3rd share and the 20% in the new model is still going to be a challenge when the Province continues to play an obstructionist role.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

It was underfunded because the City requested funding when they only had preliminary costing. They assumed it would cost 1.8 billion (for 600 million each level). When we had the final estimate in hand (2.1 billion), it was too late to request the balance.

Final cost quoted by the winning consortium was 2.2 billion. Roughly 100 million has been added on top of that with additions the City requested for the project during the construction phase.

That is not my memory of what happened. The estimate of $2.1B was already known when the province announced the $600M contribution. There was comments at the time of the $100M shortfall and there was a feeling that the Liberal government was shortchanging the city because of the previous cancellation. Remember that the previous plan was going to serve Premier McGuinty's riding and the Provincial Liberals fully endorsed the original plan and were luke warm about the cost of the downtown tunnel.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

Interesting! Thank you.

With all the discussion in the BC election about changing the traditional third-third-third Fed-Province-Local funding model for rapid transit in Metro Vancouver to what is now basically 40%-40%-20%, respectively, I wasn't sure whether other cities/metros had similar ratio rules.

For what it's worth, the third-third-third ratio has been fluid and seldom achieved, but generally it's been the target cost sharing model. The Province has blocked the Metro Vancouver (Translink) funding options for so long that it isn't able to raise its 1/3rd share and the 20% in the new model is still going to be a challenge when the Province continues to play an obstructionist role.

Well, the feds have stepped up their max contribution to 50% in general, but that is mostly an impact in increasing flexibility to get projects started faster, and for smaller munis and provinces where the increase in fed money would not have been able to be matched nearly as easily.

So if enables the initial 3 year block, the state of good repair and small projects money from the public transit fund to move faster and actually be spent in the 3 years hopefully.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

That is not my memory of what happened. The estimate of $2.1B was already known when the province announced the $600M contribution. There was comments at the time of the $100M shortfall and there was a feeling that the Liberal government was shortchanging the city because of the previous cancellation. Remember that the previous plan was going to serve Premier McGuinty's riding and the Provincial Liberals fully endorsed the original plan and were luke warm about the cost of the downtown tunnel.

City estimated 1.4 billion, then 1.8 billion when they requested funding. Estimates went up to 2.1 billion after the initial ask and before the Feds and Province made their 600 million contribution each. They both gave the City what it had asked, based on an under estimation.

http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/premier-commits-600m-for-ottawa-s-transit-plan-1.466044

http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/feds-commit-600m-to-build-ottawa-s-light-rail-plan-1.520394

Better one here;

Better estimates: The federal and provincial governments each approved a $600-million contribution based on an initial cost estimate that did not include construction inflation, financing and transaction costs, the report says. In the future, estimates should be based on more detailed plans and include $200 million for financing and transaction costs. Upper levels of government should also be urged to provide some contingency in case the total cost changes once advanced designs are completed.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/report-offers-lessons-learned-from-lrt-project

[MalcolmTucker]

While upper levels of government should account for some of those costs, cities seem to treat contingency as money to be used to fund scope creep sometimes, and then get into the project and still need contingency!

There really isn't an optimal way to do it.

[GeneralLea]

This intersection was alright/meh before, but this construction work makes this intersection 12x worse than it was before......just 5 more years :/
Anyways, work on the southeast corner (former long time McD's) and the north-west corner.
[IMG]Bay by Joshua Kennington Photographics, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]View by Joshua Kennington Photographics, on Flickr[/IMG]

[Innsertnamehere]

Great to see all this construction. Hopefully over the next few years we can see construction start on a few more rapid transit lines. I'd love it if come 2020 we could have the Broadway Subway, Green Line LRT, Southwest LRT, DRL, Scarborough Subway, and Montreal's REM all under construction. Would be a new era for Transit construction!

VIA's corridor improvements would be the crowning jewel as well, connecting all these new investments.

[ClaytonA]

https://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news...ar-expansion-of-belfast-light-rail-yard/

... At its full build-out, the heavy maintenance and storage yard will have room for 66 trains, up from 44. When the Stage 2 LRT line fully opens in 2023, there will be 72 vehicles, but these will be divvied up along the system.
The Belfast expansion will include:

• additional track and switches,

• a train-launching platform,

• additional overhead wiring,

• an overhead walkway for workers,

• an extended control room,
• a 315-square-metre expansion of a train storage shed to the west,

• additional 270-square-metre maintenance bays to the north, and

• a temporary train storage that will be used until a new maintenance facility can be built in the city’s west end.

The project, which will begin this spring and largely be completed in winter 2018, has a fixed price of $492 million, which includes 38 trains. About $100 million of that price tag will cover the facility expansion and the replacement of an earthen berm with a noise wall. ... As well, the berm, made up of about 25,000 cubic metres of dirt, will start to come down in mid- to late April to free up space for the new and expanded buildings. ...

“What we didn’t know back in 2009 or 2010 was how soon that expansion was going to happen,” said Swail, referring to a 2009-10 Confederation Line environmental assessment that included a potential Belfast expansion.

But it wasn’t until the city’s 2013-approved transportation master plan that the idea for Stage 2 of LRT was put forward, the director said.

That the expansion was included in the environmental report also came as a surprise to residents.

...

Swail said in order for Rideau Transit Group to deliver the next crop of light-rail trains on time and for a good price, the Belfast yard needs more room sooner rather than later.

“That way they can keep assembling more vehicles,” he said.

...

“We’re very conscious of that,” he said. “This is a shock. Two weeks ago most people here didn’t realize that we’re going to be expanding a facility quicker, faster.”

Really smart to include the facility's expansion in the original EA. Is Ottawa the first to actually spend some of the forthcoming but not confirmed federal dollars? Special situation since they already have a contractor working and given the P3's structure they have to re-use them.

There's renderings linked at the link above on scribd. Interesting configuration of new buildings; I suppose they have reasons for not putting the new maintenance shed beside the existing and not expanding the storage shed towards the top and the left at the same time.

[ClaytonA]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

Interesting! Thank you.

With all the discussion in the BC election about changing the traditional third-third-third Fed-Province-Local funding model for rapid transit in Metro Vancouver to what is now basically 40%-40%-20%, respectively, I wasn't sure whether other cities/metros had similar ratio rules.

For what it's worth, the third-third-third ratio has been fluid and seldom achieved, but generally it's been the target cost sharing model. ...

FWIW, the province paid for the entire Expo and Millenium lines, not 30-30-30. It was only with the recently deposed federal Conservative government that wanted to impose 30-30-30 funding. Didn't exist before then; it was part of the Conservative's way of shrinking government spending by requiring others to pay more. Calgary and Edmonton's LRT's have pretty much been entirely paid for by provincial and federal transfers (excepting a few of YYC's expansions in the past 10 years too). The cities really need more funding tools (like gas taxes, vehicle registration fees) or the willingness to use parking surcharges/fees in addition to property taxes. Not optimistic about funding.

[ClaytonA]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Great to see all this construction. Hopefully over the next few years we can see construction start on a few more rapid transit lines. I'd love it if come 2020 we could have the Broadway Subway, Green Line LRT, Southwest LRT, DRL, Scarborough Subway, and Montreal's REM all under construction. Would be a new era for Transit construction!

VIA's corridor improvements would be the crowning jewel as well, connecting all these new investments.

I'd speculate the order of completion is now:
-GTA Finch West LRT
-GTA Eglington Crosstown
-Montreal REM
-GTA Hurontario LRT
-Ottawa Stage 2
-GTA RER/Smart-track/whatever the next politco will re-name it
-Vancouver Broadway Subway/Surrey LRT
-Calgary Green Line (1st phase)
-Scarborough Subway
-Hamilton LRT
-Kitchener Ion Phase 2
-Edmonton SW LRT
-Toronto Downtown Relief Line (if we're including this we should include the Victoria, BC LRT project shouldn't we...hmm maybe even one in Kelowna instead of another bridge across the lake-LOL)

I'd also speculate that the bottom 7 have a 65% or greater chance of not having started major construction (i.e. more than utlity relocates) before the next federal election.

[someone123]

There is a new "integrated mobility plan" being developed for the Halifax area and it includes some maps of what the future transit system there might look like. This is a bit of a different approach than the city has followed in the past; it used to be common for regional council to commission one-off studies of specific transit improvements. It is much better to get an overall sense of regional needs and the trade-offs between the different options. This plan mostly focuses on the urban core and inner suburban areas where transit can be viable, whereas in the past the city would often get completely lost in the weeds talking about services for rural areas.

Halifax in a few years will most likely end up with commuter rail and some improved bus corridors that will arguably count as BRT (there are 2 BRT routes already). There might also be a new ferry route.


http://shapeyourcityhalifax.ca/integratedmobility