SkyTrain Station Renovations

[Express691]

Can they even get away with closing the entire station altogether, and instead expand the platforms at New West (east end of the platform) and build a large pedestrian underpass in the fare zone?

Originally Posted by Kisai

Last year there was also flooding in that tunnel.

That pump is still there from that event. It's beside the eastbound tracks

[ilikeredheads]

I don't see them rebuilding the station or adding 3rd platform at all. It will get expensive and require shutting the whole station altogether. I highly doubt Translink is willing to do that.

Most likely they are just going to put on a new coat of paint, add new escalators, improve lighting, widen the platforms to improve passenger flow.

[Xrayal]

The land exchange and relocation of operations from Spruce St. to Canfor Ave. is made to accommodate the City of New Westminster’s need for Spruce St. site to construct infrastructure for the new regional energy facility, and the concurrent expansion of the Skytrain Sapperton station with a new stair access to the adjacent community.

QUOTED from a new west design panel doc.
Link
This is really great news. The land exchange is between Hercules Forwarding and the city of NW. The plan I’ve always heard rumored was for an elevator from the concourse level outside the fare gates of the sapperton station to the ground below the station. Hopefully we get both an elevator and stairs. Also this is good news for two other unrelated to skytrain projects.
1. A pretty nice greenway connection of the Central Valley greenway from braid to sapperton stations. Starting at this applications Canfor ave development site then following ruffly the sewer ROW/brunette river edge.
2. The sewer heat recovery/district energy for the area might actually happen.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Xrayal

Hopefully we get both an elevator and stairs.

It's irresponsible to not provide stairs as a backup for use when the elevator is out of service, as they routinely are for scheduled maintenance.

[officedweller]

SkyTrain Granville Station's original escalator pathway to reopen this spring
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-granville-station-escalators-reopening

[Mac Write]

With the Covid-19 tanking the economy, will the 3 levels of government focus on capital projects (SkyTrain expansion) with the lower interest rates.

It would be nice to see Langley, UBC, and SFU fast tracked due to lower interest rates.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

With the Covid-19 tanking the economy, will the 3 levels of government focus on capital projects (SkyTrain expansion) with the lower interest rates.

It would be nice to see Langley, UBC, and SFU fast tracked due to lower interest rates.

lower interest rates?

they've been low for a decade, they barely changed...

[Mac Write]

Bank of Canada lowered then 50 basis points and will most likely lower them again.

I thought that would help shave money off the cost of the lines, due to less interest.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

Bank of Canada lowered then 50 basis points and will most likely lower them again.

I thought that would help shave money off the cost of the lines, due to less interest.

So the interest rates dropped a sliver and you think that means that magically billions of dollars need to be spent?

[Mac Write]

I am not an expert nor playing one. when the economy tanks, doesn't the government stimulate the economy to get it going again?

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

I am not an expert nor playing one. when the economy tanks, doesn't the government stimulate the economy to get it going again?

Maybe. Kind of wishful thinking at this point. The Federal and provincial governments have been able to borrow money at extremely low rates for a long time.

With a global pandemic set to overrun our hospitals and kill a bunch of people, their priorities may be elsewhere for a while.

[Mac Write]

Of course the COVID-19 is priority, but once that's over and the economy still in the tank what will happen.

[cairnstone]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

Of course the COVID-19 is priority, but once that's over and the economy still in the tank what will happen.

Nothing as it takes a long time to stimulate economy. Adding additional projects does take a long time even with shovel in the ground ready projects. Its not like there is companies sitting at home here. Currently there is a huge skill shortage and a lack of qualified contractors to keep building what is currently on the books.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

I am not an expert nor playing one. when the economy tanks, doesn't the government stimulate the economy to get it going again?

In theory, yes. Well, they should. I know that when an economy enters the shitter, a country should increase productivity or reduce unemployment. China does both by building infrastructure when their economy is taking a dive. We should take a lesson from them.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

I am not an expert nor playing one. when the economy tanks, doesn't the government stimulate the economy to get it going again?

Too much of a long-term investment IMO. Much as I like to go on about the benefits of rapid transit spending, said benefits are likely to show long after the economy's recovered.

What you want to do is build infrastructure at a steady year-by-year rate, and solve downturns with stuff like job creation... so no, the feds are unlikely to suddenly greenlight the UBC extension just because the economy's stalled.

[Mac Write]

I really our "SkyTrain" network is way way under built and we should have a huge network of lines by now.

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

I really our "SkyTrain" network is way way under built and we should have a huge network of lines by now.

I agree with the sentiment, but honestly Metro Vancouver has been extraordinarily successful at building out a fully grade-separated and automated rapid transit system from nothing to our current system moving more than half a million people daily in 35 years. Averaged out, we basically have continuously built and opened a new line or major extension about once every 7 years. I would sincerely love us to be further ahead than we are, with UBC and the North Shore already connected and the heavy lifting ahead of us being a Hastings subway and extensions of the existing system into the deeper suburbs (Langley, Tsawwassen, White Rock, etc.), but Metro Vancouver's really done a good job to date. Ideally, I would like us to shoot for a new line or major extension every 5 years, with one wholly new line taking 5-7 years and one major extension taking 3-5 years feeling like a good cadence and they could have overlap, too.

[Mac Write]

I think 3-4 years would be ideal. like VCC-Clark and Lake-City Way (well LCW that should be a 2-year cycle for stations on the existing line).

[Migrant_Coconut]

A "huge network" of lines usually requires $40+ billion and half a century to grow. Vancouver's had neither, same as most of North America; given their figures, we're already pretty well ahead of the curve.

As for cycles, station-by-station construction is incredibly wasteful as compared to phasing or (even better) doing it all in one go.

[red-paladin]

Let's stick to the thread topic please