Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[GeeCee]

I don't think they can exactly slap down some moving walkways for the big overhead ramp to the seabus docks, but there really should be moving walkways for the Canada Line tunnel to the rest of Waterfront.

Originally Posted by BCPhil

It's a Seabusbus. Or would that be Seabusboat?

So, a $35 million investment increases Seabus capacity by 50%. Why not add even more Seabuses and increase capacity and frequency by even more at a fraction of the cost of a Skytrain line? Does Lonsdale really need transit to downtown more than every 5 minutes?

The long transfer on one side, and then another to a bus on the other side, plus the 12 minute trip in between do not do many favors in terms of attracting new ridership. You could have a seabus leaving each side every minute and it'd still be an iffy proposition for a lot of people.

[Sheba]

New TransLink touch-screens aim to help commuters with trip planning

TransLink has unveiled its newest tool to help commuters plan their routes with the touch of a finger.

The first of dozens of touch-screen transit kiosks is now be available for use. While you can’t order fries with it, you can find out when the next SkyTrain will arrive.

More than 50 of the kiosks are expected to be installed at stations along the Expo and Millennium lines, as well as at some West Coast Express stations, SeaBus terminals, Park and Ride lots, and many bus loops.

According to TransLink, the kiosks will offer people another way to plan their trips by viewing live schedules, see upcoming departure times, and see any important updates on the network.

TransLink will also be able to take over the screens and use them to alert people of any issues or delays in the event of a serious emergency.

“Commuters will be able to access the most up-to-date transit information and plan their trips using different modes around our network,” TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said. “These high-tech devices come in addition to existing journey planning services already available.”

People at the Surrey Central SkyTrain station will be the first to use the kiosks.

According to the transit authority, the kiosks are just one part of a larger initiative to improve the customer experience.

Other initiatives outlined by TransLink include the addition or replacement of 140 “next train” signs on platforms, 140 new information signs outside SkyTrain station entrances and on platforms, and hundreds of new speakers along the Millennium Line.

Expo Line speakers will also be enhanced, and 1,200 CCTV platform cameras will also be installed for safety.

[ilikeredheads]

I think it's quite funny that the line that would benefit from those kiosks the most WON'T have them.

[flipper316]

Originally Posted by Sheba

New TransLink touch-screens aim to help commuters with trip planning

Waste of money when most people just use their phones. And they should install soap dispensers beside them too. They're gonna get dusty and grimy juts like the compass machines.

[Migrant_Coconut]

What if you don't have enough data? This'll be pretty useful for tourists at the very least.

[xd_1771]

Originally Posted by flipper316

Waste of money when most people just use their phones. And they should install soap dispensers beside them too. They're gonna get dusty and grimy juts like the compass machines.

I think this article doesn't mention it, but the machines are actually being provided by Lamar for advertising. So it's a freebie - there is no cost to TransLink.
From Daily Hive's article, which mentions it:

...the complete cost of purchasing, installing, maintaining, and operating the kiosks is covered by TransLink’s advertising contractor Lamar, which will be able to display advertising on the screens when it is not being used by transit riders.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by ilikeredheads

I think it's quite funny that the line that would benefit from those kiosks the most WON'T have them.

I suspect it's because it's not run by TransLink - and why would Canada Line benefit from them more?

Originally Posted by flipper316

Waste of money when most people just use their phones.

I don't have a smartphone and I'm hardly the only one.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by flipper316

Waste of money when most people just use their phones. And they should install soap dispensers beside them too. They're gonna get dusty and grimy juts like the compass machines.

Batteries die, infrequent users can’t be troubled for apps, some people don’t have them at all, many visitors / travelers may not have internet connection, etc...

With this attitude, why have physical maps / signs / wayfinding at all? Everyone has a smartphone!

[ilikeredheads]

Originally Posted by Sheba

I suspect it's because it's not run by TransLink - and why would Canada Line benefit from them more?

You would think it would make sense to install them on the line that directly serves the airport, no?
Don't get me wrong, I think the kiosks can be helpful to those who need it, but it's weird that Canada Line has been left out. The thing I'm curious about is that they plan to install them on bus loops, which means they may become vandalism magnets depending on the location.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Sheba

New TransLink touch-screens aim to help commuters with trip planning

Originally Posted by xd_1771

I think this article doesn't mention it, but the machines are actually being provided by Lamar for advertising. So it's a freebie - there is no cost to TransLink.
From Daily Hive's article, which mentions it:

haha freebie... right. wonderful, a camera, facial recognition and tracking software and the fact now not only can the government track you better, but private companies can use the data for shoving more ads everywhere. sounds great!...

nothing is free, if it doesn't cost money, it costs you your data.

[Sheba]

The Buzzer Blog - TransLink’s four battery-electric buses are here (includes pictures and videos)

All four buses for our battery-electric bus pilot are now here!

The two Nova Bus LFSe buses and two New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE buses are undergoing pre-delivery inspection at the manufacturer’s facilities.

Once they’re accepted by TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus Company, they’ll undergo additional testing, and fareboxes and radio equipment will be installed before entering service this summer.

The 2.5-year pilot will put battery-electric buses on route 100, traveling along Marine Drive through Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster.

At each end of the route (Marpole Loop and the bus exchange at SkyTrain’s 22nd Street Station), the buses will get a full charge in approximately 4 to 7 minutes.

Our battery-electric bus pilot project is part of a pan-Canadian initiative led by the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC).

It’s the first in Canada to test the cross compatibility of equipment from four separate manufacturers. Nova Bus and New Flyer are providing the buses, while ABB and Siemens are providing on-route overhead fast chargers.

Over the course of the project, we’ll collect data on bus and charging station performance, maintenance, and the overall customer experience. The pilot will provide valuable information for our Low Carbon Fleet Strategy, which envisions a future with a zero-emission bus fleet.

[WarrenC12]

This is great, but 2.5 years? Aren't we past the proof of concept stage for these vehicles?

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

This is great, but 2.5 years? Aren't we past the proof of concept stage for these vehicles?

It's a national program to gather operational data in all sorts of different climate conditions and use cases. It's the successor to a previous multi-year pilot project for hybrid electric buses that provided the gold-standard data required for transit agencies to make informed fleet purchasing decisions.

I think that this is a great program and hope that it delivers precisely the data required to make the business case for the electrification of transit fleets.

[Sheba]

Governments outline $1.4B contribution for 150 new SkyTrain cars

The provincial and federal governments have provided details outlining how their new transit funding will help pay for 200 new SkyTrain cars for TransLink's Expo and Millennium Lines in Metro Vancouver.

TransLink previously announced plans to add new cars to its fleet as part of its 10-year vision.

A joint government announcement Thursday detailed the previously-announced $1.47-billion investment that will help pay for the cars: 150 of which will replace aging cars and 50 that will be added to increase capacity.

A statement from the province said it's contributing $579 million for the new additions while the federal government will pay $493 million. TransLink is contributing $397 million.

The new cars will increase SkyTrain's capacity by 5,000 passenger at peak times, the statement said. The old cars being replaced date back to 1986 and are nearing the end of their life cycle.

In January, TransLink asked the public what it would like to see in the new cars, looking for feedback on several design options. It said the 200 new cars would account for about half the SkyTrain fleet.

At the time, the corporation said it expected the cars to begin arriving in 2023 or 2024.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Governments outline $1.4B contribution for 150 new SkyTrain cars

I thought the original cars were refurbished to last an additional 10 or 20 years or something?

[GMD]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

It's a national program to gather operational data in all sorts of different climate conditions and use cases. It's the successor to a previous multi-year pilot project for hybrid electric buses that provided the gold-standard data required for transit agencies to make informed fleet purchasing decisions.

I think that this is a great program and hope that it delivers precisely the data required to make the business case for the electrification of transit fleets.

Agree with this, but also with Warren - maybe 1.5 years is enough?

[nname]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

I thought the original cars were refurbished to last an additional 10 or 20 years or something?

The plan was to extend the old train's life for 10 years to 2026.

From the news, the first batches that will arrives in 2023-24 seems to be for expansion. By the time it gets to the replacement units, it will probably be around 2026 anyways (keep in mind more trains are needed when the Broadway and Langley line opens in 2025). And by the time when all trains arrives, it might be pretty close to 2030.

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by GMD

Agree with this, but also with Warren - maybe 1.5 years is enough?

They probably want to go through at least two summer-winter cycles to make the data a little more representative.

[GMD]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

They probably want to go through at least two summer-winter cycles to make the data a little more representative.

No doubt they have reasons, just questioning that maybe there is a bias towards conservatism here that isn't appropriate under the circumstances.

The city is talking about declaring a state of 'emergency' with respect to the climate. Testing 4 buses for years before making a decision is not how you respond to an emergency. Yes, sometimes you need to make haste slowly, but this seems a bit too slow.

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by GMD

No doubt they have reasons, just questioning that maybe there is a bias towards conservatism here that isn't appropriate under the circumstances.

The city is talking about declaring a state of 'emergency' with respect to the climate. Testing 4 buses for years before making a decision is not how you respond to an emergency. Yes, sometimes you need to make haste slowly, but this seems a bit too slow.

Vancouver already declared a climate emergency.

But TransLink isn't controlled by Vancouver alone. And I completely agree that going slow is not the way, and that they need to electrify their entire fleet as quickly as possible. But if this trial goes through fine then there's a much stronger position for that happening rapidly in three years' time. Politically they want to stop the Jordan Batemans of the world from flipping out over "wasting money on unproven technology" nonsense.