Millennium Line - Broadway Extension: Planning & Pre-Construction

[officedweller]

Could also be planning for 2 separate passes with a smaller boring machine, like Canada Line under False Creek and downtown.

[nickbeaulieu]

has there been any information about when they plan to break ground?

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by Waders

Source

2025? 5 to 6 years contruction time seems to be really long!

I think a TBM can go through about 15m of soil per day in good conditions.


8000 meters divided by 15m/day = 533 days

If we take 260 working days in a year, that's 2 years of digging. But that doesn't include all the delays inherent in a project of this magnitude, plus staging, plus maintenance days for the machines, plus non-digging days when the TBM goes through a station box...

So realistically it's probably close to 3 years of just boring.

Then add to that finishing out tunnels, laying track, installing signalling equipment, testing, etc. That's easily another year.

Not to mention all the work needed before the machines actually start boring, which is about another year.

So realistically, you're looking at minimum 5 years for a project like this.

[twoNeurons]

It'd be nice if they could phase in the first part just to Cambie and then finish the rest in phase II, but I know that won't happen.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[Colin4567]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

For the Eglinton Crosstown in Toronto they met 2 pairs of TBMs in the middle, not saying that will happen here but, it is possible and it could cut the time in half. Just thinking out loud.

And that project is 10 years for completion in total - hopefully not a model for Vancouver (although the Arbutus Extension is shorter)

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Could also be planning for 2 separate passes with a smaller boring machine, like Canada Line under False Creek and downtown.

they can have two TBMs running at the same time from the launch box- one boring the EB tunnel, the other boring the WB tunnel.


don't underestimate the incentive & competition of one TBM crew wanting to be better and safer and faster than the other - bragging rights and early completion $$$ bonus too.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

The Scope of the Eglinton Crosstown is significantly larger than maybe any transit project in Canada's History. It will have 3 interchanges with the existing Subway. (Where they have to rebuild the subway platforms as well all while keeping it in service) it also has 3 separate underground sections (2 at Eastern Stations and the Long Subway Portion at the West) and an elevated section. Not to mention it involves rebuilding several existing stations at the 3 GO interchanges but, also building entirely new GO stations at some locations. Not to mention the stations are larger than anything we have in Vancouver.

10 years is very reasonable.

Good that Toronto is finally getting the large piece of added trasit infrastructure it needs, especially considering how large a city it is.

Back to Vancouver, if they could agree to build to Arbutus in x number of years, but perhaps being able to open a Cambie /Canada Line, (of course), but maybe even to Granville?
..... before the teminus as Arbutus is in. - Just connecting to the Canada Line as a symbolic first phase in the interim of finshing to Arbutus, would be a cardinal step.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

Back to Vancouver, if they could agree to build to Arbutus in x number of years, but perhaps being able to open a Cambie /Canada Line, (of course), but maybe even to Granville?
..... before the teminus as Arbutus is in. - Just connecting to the Canada Line as a symbolic first phase in the interim of finshing to Arbutus, would be a cardinal step.

I wish they could do that too (open to Cambie while continuing on to Arbutus) but where are they going to have the launch pit with all the removed dirt / mud coming out to be taken away? In theory they could move the pit from station to station *if they have room to do so* - where along the Broadway corridor do they have that?

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

they can have two TBMs running at the same time from the launch box- one boring the EB tunnel, the other boring the WB tunnel.


don't underestimate the incentive & competition of one TBM crew wanting to be better and safer and faster than the other - bragging rights and early completion $$$ bonus too.

It gets to be less efficient that way unless you have a larger launch pit. It would probably cost much less, but I'd imagine the per TBM production rates would be slowed.

I think Broadway is going to have relatively small launch pits anyway you work it. The last concept I saw had the tunnel starting from Great Northern Way and driving south.Realistically unless a large parcel gets bought by Translink, that's going to be the best staging area.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Sheba

I wish they could do that too (open to Cambie while continuing on to Arbutus) but where are they going to have the launch pit with all the removed dirt / mud coming out to be taken away? In theory they could move the pit from station to station *if they have room to do so* - where along the Broadway corridor do they have that?

The parking lot at City Hall.

[officedweller]

But that's on the wrong side (east) of Cambie.
If the station is centred under Cambie, they can't remove spoils from an open pit east of Cambie and still operate the station at Cambie (since the spoils would have to travel through the station site to the open pit extraction point.

[twoNeurons]

I think Translink SHOULD be buying up land. In fact, I think they should have been buying up land in the last 10 years around potential stations (through 3rd parties, so as not to raise prices). Then, they build a real commercial hub around a station, lease out naming rights, and make the line more profitable.

[ilikeredheads]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

I think Translink SHOULD be buying up land. In fact, I think they should have been buying up land in the last 10 years around potential stations (through 3rd parties, so as not to raise prices). Then, they build a real commercial hub around a station, lease out naming rights, and make the line more profitable.

that's assuming they have the money. They don't. And if they were buying up land, you'll have plenty of people complaining Translink is wasting money. No win situation.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Or you could have the City buy/takeover the properties and just hand them over to TransLink. Seems like they own half the corridor anyway.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Or you could have the City buy/takeover the properties and just hand them over to TransLink. Seems like they own half the corridor anyway.

the City does own a bunch of strategic land spots for stations. i am pretty sure they already own all the station locations. i heard the earliest purchase was back in 2015.

[Jalapeño Chips]

Big news:

"UBC pushes for Millennium Line extension to campus; opens door to providing funding"...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ubc-millennium-line-funding-1.4627086

[Large Cat]

Originally Posted by Jalapeño Chips

Big news:

"UBC pushes for Millennium Line extension to campus; opens door to providing funding"...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ubc-millennium-line-funding-1.4627086

Please....PLEASE

[WarrenC12]

Funding... ya, I bet they are willing to pay for UBC station itself, maybe.