Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[The Hammer]

Originally Posted by passwordisnt123

I can't speak to Rideau station but based on my experience with Continuum in the summer and riding both Edmonton and Calgary's LRTs, I'd say Lyon Station is better than Calgary but not as good as Edmonton's central stations under Jasper Ave.

What cues should the Confederation line have taken from Edmonton's downtown subway stations?

Edmonton's island platforms are quite wide and spacious, but as a non-local, I found myself accidentally boarding trains in the wrong direction more times than I'd like to admit.

Lyon's platforms did feel narrow during Continuum, but still wider than the narrowed parts of Toronto's island platforms.


(T. Hutama https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osgoode_station#/media/File:Osgoode_Platform_02.jpg)


I image Lyon's platforms will be roomier once the construction scaffolding is gone.

Though I also imagine there's more to your comparison than solely platform width.

[J.OT13]

Our CBD station platforms seem wider than TO's side platforms, but not by much. Considering that they were deigned 60 years later, it's a bit of a shame.

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Our CBD station platforms seem wider than TO's side platforms, but not by much. Considering that they were deigned 60 years later, it's a bit of a shame.

On the other hand, the TTC lines are moving almost 3 times as many people with those narrower platforms so are vast platforms actually needed? In no scenario will Ottawa ever reach GTA population levels

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by kmcamp

On the other hand, the TTC lines are moving almost 3 times as many people with those narrower platforms so are vast platforms actually needed? In no scenario will Ottawa ever reach GTA population levels

1. Look at those amazing chrome rails. If ONLY! So cool.

2. I really like how weird it is to have such a shallow depth for the train bed, compared to the looming caverns at other metro stations. I don't think the skinny platforms will feel that bad. Safety? I can't vouch for that, but at least there isn't going to be vertigo.

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by kmcamp

On the other hand, the TTC lines are moving almost 3 times as many people with those narrower platforms so are vast platforms actually needed? In no scenario will Ottawa ever reach GTA population levels

There are 5 times more of those stations in Toronto though, so yeah, it's an embarrassment. They had important 2 stations and they couldn't build them right.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

1. Look at those amazing chrome rails. If ONLY! So cool.

2. I really like how weird it is to have such a shallow depth for the train bed, compared to the looming caverns at other metro stations. I don't think the skinny platforms will feel that bad. Safety? I can't vouch for that, but at least there isn't going to be vertigo.

No different than the Green line in Boston. One of their stations is more than 100 years old. Still works fine.

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

No different than the Green line in Boston. One of their stations is more than 100 years old. Still works fine.

A more modern example would be Seattle, although that one is a bit odd since they have buses in the tunnel as well (in a free fare zone to boot). Their stations were quite nice though when I was there, but the platforms seemed about the same width as what we are building.

[Truenorth00]

This view looks narrow because of the escalator, no?

The only thing I wish they had actually included, aside from fully sheltered platforms, were platform screen doors, at least at the downtown stations.

Admittedly, not high on the priority list for an LRT system. But when you have a line that's a trunk through the core, any disruption from a jumper or a confused dog is really going to back up the system. Added bonus, when PSDs are there, people feel comfortable to use the whole platform.

[Norman Bates]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

This view looks narrow because of the escalator, no?

The only thing I wish they had actually included, aside from fully sheltered platforms, were platform screen doors, at least at the downtown stations.

Admittedly, not high on the priority list for an LRT system. But when you have a line that's a trunk through the core, any disruption from a jumper or a confused dog is really going to back up the system. Added bonus, when PSDs are there, people feel comfortable to use the whole platform.

Good idea. I’ve experienced PSDs at CDG. They did increase my user comfort.

[kevinbottawa]

WOW! LRT's Confederation Line will have the longest escalator in Canada

Jon Willing
Published: May 1, 2018
Updated: May 1, 2018 1:12 PM EDT

Here’s the most understated wow feature of the Confederation Line LRT: It will have the longest escalator in Canada. It wasn’t until Tuesday that this even came up.

John Manconi, the city’s general manager of transportation, told the finance and economic development committee that the escalator is being installed in Rideau station, whose LRT platform is 26.5 metres underground.

Manconi delivered his monthly update on LRT construction to the committee. The city is on track to start LRT service in November, but Manconi continued to warn council members that the system needs to clear important tests.

Long escalator is one straight shot underground


Canada’s longest escalator will be about 36.5 metres long and have 118 steps, Manconi said.

Steve Cripps, the city’s LRT construction director, noted the Rideau station is the deepest station in the tunnel. The escalator will move transit riders between the concourse level and the surface at Rideau Street and Sussex Drive. It’s one single escalator and not split up into segments.

Mayor Jim Watson wanted assurances that the escalators at surface-level stations won’t run into major problems during an Ottawa winter.

Manconi said the escalators are covered from the elements, but the main challenge is usually dealing with grit and salt getting into the stairs. Escalators need a lot of attention and it’s up to the Rideau Transit Group (RTG) to maintain them, he said.

RTG, the city’s LRT builder, has done plenty of weather testing on the infrastructure, Manconi said, but he acknowledged that the escalators are the ones to monitor.

(In case of breakdowns, there is a regular stairway.)

New construction director takes over LRT build

Manconi, always keen to manage council’s expectations, said he makes no assurances that the LRT system will open in November, although the city is still planning to receive the keys on Nov. 2.

“I can’t give you that guarantee based on where we are right now,” Manconi said.

Manconi said he and Cripps met with RTG recently. A new RTG construction director, from consortium partner SNC-Lavalin, has taken over the build, Manconi said.

RTG’s “mission” is to meet the Nov. 2 handoff and the consortium is feeling the pressure, he said.

Manconi said he won’t guarantee the Nov. 2 handoff until he sees evidence to support the timeline.

Watson said he’s confident RTG will meet the November deadline.

“I’m certainly putting pressure on them to ensure we meet that deadline because there’s a financial disincentive for them not meeting the deadline,” Watson said.

Train control systems still top of mind

Manconi continued to highlight the importance of the tests of the train controls; that is, the system that automatically runs the trains and connects them to the track signals.

He’s still waiting for proof that the control system will be ready for Nov 2.

“I just haven’t seen the evidence to say we’re in good shape,” Manconi said, but he was pleased to see a train drive through the tunnel recently to the west end of the LRT line.

The train control system has to be working perfectly for the city to run the trains.

Surface work will continue during the summer

There’s still plenty of surface-level construction work happening downtown. The public should expect to see over the summer.

The major work happening on Rideau Street, in front of The Bay, is a huge vent shaft. Work also continues on the Rideau station east entrance and associated Bank of Nova Scotia construction or Rideau Street beside the pedestrian walkway to Waller Street. The city is trying to minimize the hoarding in the section of Rideau Street.

Work on vent shafts is also happening on Queen Street, which is closed at O’Connor Street. Construction on the LRT “showcase” street is scheduled to last through the summer.

Both construction areas are on schedule, Cripps said.

‘Last clip’ ceremony Friday

The city will have a “last spike” moment on Friday when it connects the final piece of rail on the eastbound track.

“Essentially all the track is laid except the last short piece in the tunnel coming up the ramp toward University of Ottawa,” Cripps said.

A clip, rather than a spike, connects the track to the concrete.

Don’t expect a throwback event copying the 1885 last spike ceremony for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

“I had this great idea that we should all dress up in period costumes and that was shot down by everyone. I’m thinking, like, you know, me in a top hat would look really stupid,” Watson joked with reporters.

“It was an opportunity, really, for us to show that the line is now fully joined on both sets of tracks and I know there’s a lot of built-up expectation that people want to see the tunnel, they want to see beyond the train and I think people will come away very impressed.”

[email protected]

http://ottawasun.com/news/local-news/fiv...wcm/354835ee-1377-4ca3-834d-4be0ec5444c5

[White Pine]

Call me a sucker, but I actually think it would be pretty funny if everyone wore top hats to the trackwork.

[Horus]

Hopefully the giant escalator is more reliable than the often broken giant escalator at Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto.



https://twitter.com/mhcovill/status/773898492825567232

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

“It was an opportunity, really, for us to show that the line is now fully joined on both sets of tracks and I know there’s a lot of built-up expectation that people want to see the tunnel, they want to see beyond the train and I think people will come away very impressed.”

I think someone is still smarting over the spanking they got over the low-key first shunting of a train under the city.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Horus

Hopefully the giant escalator is more reliable than the often broken giant escalator at Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto.

Yeah, I hear the words "giant escalator" and I immediately think of reliability issues.

[zzptichka]

That's pretty funny. This would've probably been the shortest escalator in most of the 100+ underground soviet subway stations. The reliable giant escalator technology has been around for 70+ years, let's hope it finally reaches us.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

That's pretty funny. This would've probably been the shortest escalator in any of the 100+ underground soviet subway stations.

Rideau Station is 26m underground.
The Ploshchad Lenina, Chernyshevskaya, and Admiralteyskaya stations in Saint Petersburg are roughly 70m underground.

I think escalators in both Saint Petersburg and Moscow are 120m/130m long.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Yeah, I hear the words "giant escalator" and I immediately think of reliability issues.

Me to. Not only that, but if it fails you are walking the entire 26m down or up. If they had divided it up into 2 (or more) stages, if one fails, the others will likely still be working, you only need to walk half (or less) of the distance.

As Manconi said "the main challenge is usually dealing with grit and salt getting into the stairs." For that reason, the down escalator will be at the highest risk as many will have just come from outside. Once again, having multiple stages would reduce the issues as most of the grit and salt would be in the top escilator, letting the bottom escalators, run more reliably.

Also, here is where having a third escalator helps as not only do you get have a second escalator running up in the AM peak and down in the PM peak, but it gives you redundancy should one of the escalators stop working.

Originally Posted by JHikka

I think escalators in both Saint Petersburg and Moscow are 120m/130m long.

They use a single escalator for the entire distance?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by roger1818

They use a single escalator for the entire distance?

• Video Link

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Yeah, I hear the words "giant escalator" and I immediately think of reliability issues.

I think of tumbling to one's demise.

[1overcosc]

Long continuous escalators to deep stations are pretty common around the world.