The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[CityTech]

Ottawa is rolling out a new 24 hour bus network consisting of 6 routes tomorrow as part of the bus network changes with the Confederation Line:

[Chadillaccc]

That's amazing. Way to go!

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by CityTech

Ottawa is rolling out a new 24 hour bus network consisting of 6 routes tomorrow as part of the bus network changes with the Confederation Line:

As great as this is, it so suburban oriented. There is a distinct lack of service in the most urban parts of the city. I would like see the following added.

1. Bank Street - Rideau Centre to Billings Bridge
2. Rideau Street/Montreal Road - Rideau Centre to Blair Station
3. Baseline Road after the Baseline BRT is built - Billings Bridge to Baseline Station (this could be linked to the Bank Street service overnight)

This will provide much better coverage to the city inside the Greenbelt where 24 hour service is most needed.

[CityTech]

^ Agreed with all of those. An extension of the N45 route to Elmvale and an N85 on Carling would also be great. One thing at a time though.. I would agree that Bank and Rideau/Montreal are the most important additions.

[ssiguy]

I too am surprised that they donèt have a Rideau and especially Bank St route especially as Bank goes thru populace Centretown, The Glebe, and heads to Carleton U.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

It makes me wonder how great an advantage there would really be compared to the existing Blue Night network. You mention that a 24 hr Yonge service on Friday and Saturday wouldn't need high frequency with service as little as every 1/2 hr but that's already the minimum frequency of the BN network with services on the subway corridors operating much more frequently (I believe on Yonge it's every 7-8 minutes). Plus, overnight there would be less advantage for the subway compared to bus service since road congestion tends to be much lower. The subway would still have higher average speeds but would that really be enough to make up for the loss of frequency? Perhaps it would be better to simply have a series of BN express buses that take faster, more direct routes to outer areas such as reaching NYCC via the DVP/Sheppard operating every 1/2 or better.

The challenge they would need to solve is that the subways should arrive at about the time that people arrive from buses. Currently the Blue Night runs about every 30 minutes. Timing those buses so they meet each other and the subway would be challenging. At least they don't have to worry about traffic at that time of day.

[Reecemartin]

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[Reecemartin]

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[Razor]

re: Bank Street route

Yes!.In my Sim city incarnation of a "pipe dream" future Ottawa LRT extension, it would include an "underground" Bank street tunnel, from Billings down to Rideau street, and get rid of the buses altogether going down Bank.
Why I say underground is because Bank just has no room to add tracks.
Landsdowne would definitiely be a stop, followed by Catherine/Chamberlain maybe Gladstone?, and one or two more perhaps before Rideau..Laurier perhaps?

[corynv]

Originally Posted by Razor

re: Bank Street route

Yes!.In my Sim city incarnation of a "pipe dream" future Ottawa LRT extension, it would include an "underground" Bank street tunnel, from Billings down to Rideau street, and get rid of the buses altogether going down Bank.
Why I say underground is because Bank just has no room to add tracks.
Landsdowne would definitiely be a stop, followed by Catherine/Chamberlain maybe Gladstone?, and one or two more perhaps before Rideau..Laurier perhaps?

You can't get ride of every single bus off of bank, there still needs to be local neighbourhood routes that drop people off at the stations on bank.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by corynv

You can't get ride of every single bus off of bank, there still needs to be local neighbourhood routes that drop people off at the stations on bank.

Subway station distances would have to be reasonable otherwise it doesn't serve its main purpose. No sense in having a subway and still need local buses.

This would be my suggestion for station locations

Billings Bridge T, Cameron, Sunnyside T, Lansdowne, 5th Avenue, Glebe T, Catharine T(Bus Station), Gladstone T, Somerset T, Queen T.

T=Bus/Rail transfer

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Subway station distances would have to be reasonable otherwise it doesn't serve its main purpose. No sense in having a subway and still need local buses.

This would be my suggestion for station locations

Billings Bridge T, Cameron, Sunnyside T, Lansdowne, 5th Avenue, Glebe T, Catharine T(Bus Station), Gladstone T, Somerset T, Queen T.

T=Bus/Rail transfer

Every SkyTrain line in Vancouver is paralleled by a local bus. I would argue that a subway's main purpose is to provide fast service across long distances, which close-together stops doesn't accomplish.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Subway station distances would have to be reasonable otherwise it doesn't serve its main purpose. No sense in having a subway and still need local buses.

This would be my suggestion for station locations

Billings Bridge T, Cameron, Sunnyside T, Lansdowne, 5th Avenue, Glebe T, Catharine T(Bus Station), Gladstone T, Somerset T, Queen T.

T=Bus/Rail transfer

Looks good, but maybe a few too many stops?.The bus station would be a good stop for sure..I never thought of that one.

I think the ridership would be good, just the overall distance may not warrant a tunnel..How about from South Keys to the hill in this lil Sim city scenario?
I actually read on here somewhere that there was actually a serious plan at one time for a tunnel under Bank street. The poster even attached a link to a proposed plan.

Originally Posted by corynv

You can't get ride of every single bus off of bank, there still needs to be local neighbourhood routes that drop people off at the stations on bank.

That's why I stated going "up or down" Bank street itself..Just keep the feeder buses, and maybe not at every stop. Bank is congested as it is.

[CityTech]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Subway station distances would have to be reasonable otherwise it doesn't serve its main purpose. No sense in having a subway and still need local buses.

This would be my suggestion for station locations

Billings Bridge T, Cameron, Sunnyside T, Lansdowne, 5th Avenue, Glebe T, Catharine T(Bus Station), Gladstone T, Somerset T, Queen T.

T=Bus/Rail transfer

Probably too many stops to be financially viable. In all likelihood, Cameron would be eliminated and Gladstone & Catherine replaced with a single Arlington stop.

We don't build underground lines with stations close together anymore. The kind of local stop subway that the older parts of the Toronto subway have are unfortunately a relic of the past.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Subway station distances would have to be reasonable otherwise it doesn't serve its main purpose. No sense in having a subway and still need local buses.

This would be my suggestion for station locations

Billings Bridge T, Cameron, Sunnyside T, Lansdowne, 5th Avenue, Glebe T, Catharine T(Bus Station), Gladstone T, Somerset T, Queen T.

T=Bus/Rail transfer

I agree with the other posters, a few too many.

I would do Billings, Sunnyside, Lansdowne, Catherine, Somerset and Queen. Maybe rough in stations at Glebe and Gladstone. Future expansion would south, above ground, to the airport (using the airport spur currently u/c) with stations at Heron, Walkley and Hunt Club. Maybe split the line at Lansdowne to connect with a future Carling Line, since the south is already served by Trillium.

Bank Line could turn east under Rideau and Montreal, with stations at Rideau (Line 1), King Edward, Cobourg, between River and Vanier Parkway, Marier, de l'Église, St-Laurent and Montfort. Then split at Aviation with a line to Wateridge Village and a line serving La Cité and Blair (Line 1).

[Reecemartin]

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[Reecemartin]

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[SteelTown]

And so it begins a new chapter....

Pre-construction work for Hamilton’s LRT begins in east end
Workers are moving around an oil pipeline near the Queenston traffic circle to make room for an eventual $1 billion light rail transit line. Expect lane restrictions in the area until late December.

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/96512...k-for-hamilton-s-lrt-begins-in-east-end/

Hey LRT watchers: visible work in the east end has finally begun to prepare for Hamilton's planned light rail transit line.

The two-month project involves moving a section of oil pipeline that crosses Queenston Road along the hydro corridor to "make some room" between underground utilities and the eventual LRT tracks, which require a deeper roadbed, said the city's LRT project head Kris Jacobson.

Trans Northern Pipelines construction crews have set up a staging area on the demolished Motor City Hotel site and drivers can expect lane restrictions on Queenston Road until late December.

Jacobson said the pre-construction work represents a visible "milestone" for a project that has a lot of activity going on but almost exclusively behind the scenes.

Three consortiums are working on detailed bids to build and run the $1-billion, 14-kilometre transit line between McMaster University and Eastgate Square, with results expected next spring.

A contract award would likely come in the fall assuming the controversial and oft-delayed project survives a final council vote on an operations agreement.

All that means major construction such as digging up King, Main and Queenston and adding new LRT tracks will likely not begin before 2021.

If you're searching for other visible proof the project is actually happening, the next milestone should be destruction, rather than construction.

Metrolinx has purchased nearly two-thirds of the 90 buildings it needs along the Main-King corridor for the project. Some of those are expected to be demolished this fall.

[Reecemartin]

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[MalcolmTucker]

Calgary and Edmonton have huge expansions funded.