Millennium Line - Broadway Extension: Planning & Pre-Construction

[logan5]

Before we see a relief line, both the Expo line and Canada line have to get near capacity heading into downtown, which will happen sooner then expected given all the office development that is happening downtown.

The shortest route would be either up Main Street (from Waterfront), which would require expensive tunneling, or follow the rail tracks to VCC, then head up Clark drive. That would be the cheaper option as you could go elevated (at least to VCC). Any other route would be too circuitous. The Main Street option would serve more people.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I don't think you'd be able to build another diagonal line. The Expo line took advantage of the old Interurban RoW. Under Kingsway may make sense - depends which neighbourhoods are prioritized because Mt. Pleasant will have a station on the Broadway extension and the tech developments on Main are on the edge of walkability to Main St station.

I could see a Hastings line branch to the south along Clark or Commercial.
(ie exit downtown to the north of Expo line to hit unserved Strathcona / northern Commercial Drive, then south) - but then again, Commercial Drive has Commercial-Broadway station and is resistant to development.

You're right, and don't forget the Canada Line is "only" over at Cambie.

Hastings seems like a natural next line in the future (post UBC).

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Yeah, you're correct that it was for Crossroads and a potential Millennium extension along Broadway or 10th Avenue:

There was a Dairy Queen at Cambie and Broadway in 2006? I have zero recollection of that. Died with the Canada Line construction I guess?

[scryer]

Originally Posted by logan5

Before we see a relief line, both the Expo line and Canada line have to get near capacity heading into downtown, which will happen sooner then expected given all the office development that is happening downtown.

Agreed. And I also think that the Millennium line extension to Arbutus will help speed that up capacity levels as well for the Canada Line. I could be wrong though .

Originally Posted by logan5

The shortest route would be either up Main Street (from Waterfront), which would require expensive tunneling, or follow the rail tracks to VCC, then head up Clark drive. That would be the cheaper option as you could go elevated (at least to VCC). Any other route would be too circuitous. The Main Street option would serve more people.

I personally think that any additional N-S relief route is going to require quite a bit of tunneling TBH. I am open to someone pointing out a detail that I have missed but I simply don't see an opportunity for Skytrain to emerge along Main, Commercial, or Clark. Unlike the rest of the system there doesn't seem to be a convenient path to emerge on. Not that I'm against tunneling or anything, it's just expensive.

Back to the Millennium line station layouts - I would like more renderings for Arbutus station to be released. It would also be interesting if they set aside space for a little LRT station connection for a possible future Arbutus greenway.

Just to make myself clear: I am only speculating and the only thing that I am suggesting is that Translink likes to build little "clues" into the Skytrain infrastructure that makes extensions and connections more easy to implement and that we should be on the look out for anything like the track spur off of Coquitlam Station.

[s211]

Did I just stumble on the transit fantasy thread again?

[DKaz]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

There was a Dairy Queen at Cambie and Broadway in 2006? I have zero recollection of that. Died with the Canada Line construction I guess?

I remember that DQ, southwest corner. It was tiny, even as a mostly takeout location.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by DKaz

I remember that DQ, southwest corner. It was tiny, even as a mostly takeout location.

The DQ was still there when the Canada Line station was under construction. It became a Starbucks a little later - and is now the site of the new office and retail building under construction where The City of Vancouver will be tenant in the office space.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Changing City

The DQ was still there when the Canada Line station was under construction. It became a Starbucks a little later - and is now the site of the new office and retail building under construction where The City of Vancouver will be tenant in the office space.

Yes that criminally short building has almost topped out.

[jollyburger]

Who remembers the Fogg and Suds on the 2nd floor?



https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm18VE_DQ_Broadway_Cambie_Vancouver_British_Columbia

[svlt]

^ Wow blast from the past! Used to drive by that intersection every day during those times. Feeling my age now...

[giallo]

I remember the Fogg N' Sudds. I worked at one in Kelowna back in the day, so I never went to the Broadway location. I could barely eat any of the food there anymore after consuming it daily. Great beer selection though.

How did I forget about that Dairy Queen? I couldn't remember it until I looked at that picture.

[officedweller]

Presumably an at-grade LRT station could go where the walking path is shown here.
Any LRT underpass of Broadway would require the Arbutus Station box to be deep enough for excavation above.

Originally Posted by jollyburger

These were the preliminary renderings they posted.



Wild guess will be unload on Arbutus and then two loading bays in the "loop"

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Presumably an at-grade LRT station could go where the walking path is shown here.
Any LRT underpass of Broadway would require the Arbutus Station box to be deep enough for excavation above.

according to the profile on that document with the contaminated sites, you're only talking about 10m from ground to the top of the bored tunnel. this LRT would also be crossing right over the middle of the station platform. the drawing doesn't show that part so who knows how the accesses to the platform may be.

i still don't really like how there is only 1 entry/exit though...

[Migrant_Coconut]

I'd put Arbutus Station on the same level as Oak, maybe lower; even with the Greenway/tram, I don't see it growing big enough to need a second entrance. Maybe add a couple of K.O. panels and that's it.

Wonder if the tram could go under the subway? Or does the cost outweigh the benefit?

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by scottN

Commercial & Broadway, which is far busier with both automobile and bus traffic doesn't have any bus priority measures today. It's just a normal sensor activated advance left turn.

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

according to the profile on that document with the contaminated sites, you're only talking about 10m from ground to the top of the bored tunnel. this LRT would also be crossing right over the middle of the station platform. the drawing doesn't show that part so who knows how the accesses to the platform may be.

i still don't really like how there is only 1 entry/exit though...

Technically there's two.. one on Arbutus and one on the bus loop side.

[scottN]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

according to the profile on that document with the contaminated sites, you're only talking about 10m from ground to the top of the bored tunnel. this LRT would also be crossing right over the middle of the station platform. the drawing doesn't show that part so who knows how the accesses to the platform may be.

i still don't really like how there is only 1 entry/exit though...

The LRT crossing and platforms would need to be on the mezzanine level of the Arbutus station. 10m is plenty of vertical clearance if they build suitable supporting beams into the ceiling over the subway platform. But they will probably do something shortsighted like put an elevator in the way instead.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by giallo

I remember the Fogg N' Sudds. I worked at one in Kelowna back in the day, so I never went to the Broadway location. I could barely eat any of the food there anymore after consuming it daily. Great beer selection though.

How did I forget about that Dairy Queen? I couldn't remember it until I looked at that picture.

I blanked it out of my mind too, but it's quite dominant on that corner. Too many Blizzards maybe.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by scottN

The LRT crossing and platforms would need to be on the mezzanine level of the Arbutus station. 10m is plenty of vertical clearance if they build suitable supporting beams into the ceiling over the subway platform. But they will probably do something shortsighted like put an elevator in the way instead.

Agreed - sounds doable.
The roof of Broadway City Hall Station is probably a foot below Cambie, so an underpass roof can be just below the surface.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Agreed - sounds doable.
The roof of Broadway City Hall Station is probably a foot below Cambie, so an underpass roof can be just below the surface.

Do you think we'll see something built over that station like what happened at King Ed once the M-Line extension is done? Seems wasteful as is.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Do you think we'll see something built over that station like what happened at King Ed once the M-Line extension is done? Seems wasteful as is.

Arbutus? Let's hope so - in 10-15 years, the M-Line'll extend all the way to UBC, and then that bus loop will become a parking lot for taxis.