Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

without the whole system having local + express (4 tracks) then none of it ever will. there really is no point. not unless they want to run express trains from langley - surrey, then turn them into local trains for the rest of the trip.

not sure if the timing could be made to work, but who knows.

personally, i think local + express tracks would have been a good idea in the original system. but they probably didn't need it since headway's on SkyTrain are a lot more than normal subways so that can compensate to a point.

i still think they should be building the whole system with 100m platforms though... shame they re only doing 82.5m for the Broadway Subway.

Yeah I feel express services could also expand capacity by getting the inter-zone commuters past stations that aren't major stations (any station in urban centres or connects with other skytrain lines or lots of bus routes). I used to live in Richmond, I would take a bus to the station and basically ride the entire route all the way downtown. It would have shaved a bunch of time off my commute if I could have skip Lansdowne, Aberdeen, 49th, and King Edward.

[Express691]

Back to the Mark IV/V naming convention: The Buzzer released a post to address this.

https://buzzer.translink.ca/2021/11/what-happened-to-the-mark-v/

[SpongeG]

dailyhice.com

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

dailyhice.com

Kids spotted riding on top of moving SkyTrain

A photo making its rounds on social media appears to show individuals taking photos while a train is stopped on the northbound platform of the Canada Line’s Lansdowne Station in Richmond.

According to Dee Farrugia, who spotted the stunt from the southbound platform and posted a photo on the “Richmond Learns to Park and Drive” Facebook community page, the individuals were kids.

“Not strapped down to it or anything, just on top taking photos like a bunch of dinguses,” she wrote.

...

[Waders]

TransLink to accept debit cards on buses, Skytrain gates

TransLink is upgrading more than 5,000 Compass card readers across its network. Compass card readers are on buses as well as at SkyTrain and Canada Line stations.

Staff at TransLink, Interac and Cubic Transportation Systems are coordinating the change. Once complete, Compass card readers will be able to accept credit cards, debit cards and other payment technologies, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay Wallet.

I wonder whether the upgrade is related to the distance based fare implementation project. The Transit Fare Review was completed in 2018 but implementation was pushed back to at least 2022 as the Compass system requires upgrade.

Source

[Mac Write]

I hope it's true about digital compass cards coming Apple Wallet. The system already accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay as credit cards.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

I hope it's true about digital compass cards coming Apple Wallet. The system already accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay as credit cards.

I read it as more digital forms of payment accepted - not a digital version of a Compass card. We'll know either way soon enough.

[Mac Write]

Anyone have a connection to PR or someone in the compass department that would know if Translink is going to support Digital Compass cards.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

Anyone have a connection to PR or someone in the compass department that would know if Translink is going to support Digital Compass cards.

Leaving a message on the Buzzer Blog usually gets a reply.

Once integrated, customers will be able to pay at Compass readers by using Interac Debit, in addition to other already available contactless payment options like Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay Wallet.

The exact wording seems to suggest it was just mentioning other existing payment forms.

https://www.translink.ca/news/2021/novem...0interac%20debit%20into%20tap%20to%20pay

[Mac Write]

🞵🞵🞵🞵. Digital Compass card would make like easier for me as I am visually impaired and many other disabled people. Not the mention the general public as well.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

🞵🞵🞵🞵. Digital Compass card would make like easier for me as I am visually impaired and many other disabled people. Not the mention the general public as well.

I wear mine on a lanyard as I find it a lot easier for short trips, and I'm far from the only one (it's mostly seniors I see wearing it like that). The usual blue and orange cards also come in bracelet form - I don't know why they don't make them available for any of the other Compass cards. Yours is a niche case so I don't see TransLink doing much about it unless a lot of people keep bringing it up to them.

[jollyburger]

Report for the meeting next week

https://www.translink.ca/-/media/transli...1-12-02_public_board_meeting_package.pdf

[Express691]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Report for the meeting next week

https://www.translink.ca/-/media/transli...1-12-02_public_board_meeting_package.pdf

Page 5

Alstom MoviaTM metro cars

Implies (or i guess confirms) that Alstom has indeed inherited the line of metros previously by Bombardier

Page 15

• Delivery of 25 conventional articulated hybrid buses and 25 double-deckers began this fall.
• The manufacturing of 94 HandyDART vehicles began in late October and delivery began in late
November.
• New Community Shuttle buses continue to arrive with the balance of the full order of 63 to
arrive by end of 2021.

We bus spotters were having a bit of a hard time figuring out how many articulated buses we were supposed to get with this order.

Late in the document:
p.171 There is an application by the UBC autonomous vehicle program for operation

[Mac Write]

UBC needs a PRT system. Then everywhere will be easily accessible. Buses/SkyTrain unload at the main PRT hub and then people transfer to the PRT's. High capacity PRT cars would be needed. One can dream.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

UBC needs a PRT system. Then everywhere will be easily accessible. Buses/SkyTrain unload at the main PRT hub and then people transfer to the PRT's. High capacity PRT cars would be needed. One can dream.

Perhaps they could do an experiment of autonomous networked vehicles.

[Migrant_Coconut]

If UBC needs a last-mile solution, it'll be more transit or rideshare, or both, rather than the worst of both worlds. There's very good reasons why Morgantown absolutely hates their podcars.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

If UBC needs a last-mile solution, it'll be more transit or rideshare, or both, rather than the worst of both worlds.

For a university campus something like e-scooter sharing seems like a better fit to me. An autonomous e-scooter that could scoot itself to where the demand is would be perfect.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

For a university campus something like e-scooter sharing seems like a better fit to me. An autonomous e-scooter that could scoot itself to where the demand is would be perfect.

Yeah they could probably make it an engineering project with the students as well. A networked, AI driven fleet of electric vehicles that can be summoned, maybe even integrated with Compass in the future. Would definitely need to have charging equipment mechanized so they can just park in a spot and then get charged up with little human intervention.

Go on the app, put in your stops, summon the car, tap your phone to the door to unlock it, hop in, and hop out at your destination.

But now I'm just getting into fantasy territory. Though it might not be a fantasy for long.

[s211]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Yeah they could probably make it an engineering project with the students as well. A networked, AI driven fleet of electric vehicles that can be summoned, maybe even integrated with Compass in the future. Would definitely need to have charging equipment mechanized so they can just park in a spot and then get charged up with little human intervention.

Go on the app, put in your stops, summon the car, tap your phone to the door to unlock it, hop in, and hop out at your destination.

But now I'm just getting into fantasy territory. Though it might not be a fantasy for long.

Of FFS can we please drop the jetpack dreamworld you're longing for and solve some current real-world problems instead?

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

...Would definitely need to have charging equipment mechanized so they can just park in a spot and then get charged up with little human intervention
...
But now I'm just getting into fantasy territory...

Well, if the fleet is already automated, it should be easy enough to have the vehicle - once the passengers are dropped off - automatically proceed to the nearest charging point as needed.