Canadian LRT/RT projects U/C

[Coldrsx]

Originally Posted by Beedok

I still wonder about the timeline on the Gatineau Tram when it’s supposed to cost nearly as much as the Hamilton and Quebec City trams while serving a fraction as many people.

The lower portion of this seems like a 'no-brainer'.

[GoTrans]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Stage 1 was fine. Blair is a logical transfer point. It's the Stage 2 expansion into Orleans and extensions to Riverside South that are costly. They could have used that money to improve Trillium and extend into Orleans.

Clearly Stage 1 was and is not fine. There are problems with vehicles, the track geometry and on going maintenance. If Stage 2 expansion to Orleans is costly then how can save money on Stage 2 and still expand it to Orleans?

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by GoTrans

If Stage 2 expansion to Orleans is costly then how can save money on Stage 2 and still expand it to Orleans?

Don't? They could have stopped at Blair.

[Al Ski]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twSao3aVils

Pretty cool video of REM Deux-Montagnes line progress!

Any way you can post this other than providing the link?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

What would the hotels serve? Condo visitors?

Having hotels along that portion of Line 2 saves a transfer for tourist. Go to your hotel, drop your luggage and then go Downtown.

Otherwise, the Experimental Farm and Dow's Lake and touristy areas. The new Civic will be a major destination; families who accompany loved ones to the hospital will need a place to stay and can still visit the city as tourists while they are here.

Corso Italia is in a nice area packed with good restaurants.

Bayview is a good spot for a hotel partly because it's on the nexus of two transit lines. It's also near the innovation centre, the future library and arena (hopefully).

Sure Downtown is the top destination, but it's good to have options just outside downtown that are well served by transit.

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by Al Ski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twSao3aVils

Pretty cool video of REM Deux-Montagnes line progress!

Any way you can post this other than providing the link?

I've already posted it a couple of pages back. And yes, you have a "Youtube" option on the upper right corner when you're writing a message. You copy paste the link and keep the part of the link that is after the "=" and it should work.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The CAQ has confirmed they would fund 50%. Still waiting on the Feds. They've been saying "oh yeah, great project! we support it." for (at least two elections), but have yet to confirm a financial contribution. Seems half a billion on a useless election was more important than one billion on a rail project that could serve a hundred thousand people for decades to come.

NCC is now looking into the downtown tram loop, but the STO and City of Gatineau are hinting that they may shelve the project if the Feds don't step-up.

I really hope it happens but I'm not very bullish on the prospects for the West Gatineau tramway.

Especially not with so many federal public servants still working from home and the expected return to centrally-located offices likely only part-time for most, when it does fully roll out.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The possibility of extending Line 2 across the William Commanda (formerly the Prince of Wales) Bridge has been discussed numerous times over the last couple decades. That bridge, which has been abandoned for about 15 years, is being converted for active use, but rail will be kept for future expansion.

That said, no actual plans to extend Line 2 across the river and official Ottawa never really discussed where such an extension would go.

The extension across the Ottawa River via the Prince of Wales, and the conversion of the existing Rapibus corridor to rail would be for the medium or long term, if at all.

In the meantime the STO recently began construction of a 3-km extension of the Rapibus BRT that will feature a couple of new stations as well.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Having hotels along that portion of Line 2 saves a transfer for tourist. Go to your hotel, drop your luggage and then go Downtown.

Otherwise, the Experimental Farm and Dow's Lake and touristy areas. The new Civic will be a major destination; families who accompany loved ones to the hospital will need a place to stay and can still visit the city as tourists while they are here.

Corso Italia is in a nice area packed with good restaurants.

Bayview is a good spot for a hotel partly because it's on the nexus of two transit lines. It's also near the innovation centre, the future library and arena (hopefully).

Sure Downtown is the top destination, but it's good to have options just outside downtown that are well served by transit.

That is not a valid reason for locating hotels there. This is like the 'tail wagging the dog'. We didn't build transit where it should have been therefore, we effectively need to move downtown.

Our primary tourist attractions and business locations (hopefully again in the future) are right downtown. Why does a visitor want to take transit to reach the centre of the city? Whether that is the museums, Parliament, the Rideau Centre, the Convention Centre, most major public events or the Byward Market.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Don't? They could have stopped at Blair.

Why would we ever want to serve areas where people actually live?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The extension across the Ottawa River via the Prince of Wales, and the conversion of the existing Rapibus corridor to rail would be for the medium or long term, if at all.

In the meantime the STO recently began construction of a 3-km extension of the Rapibus BRT that will feature a couple of new stations as well.

I don't see the RapiBus ever being converted into an OC Transpo line. I think it would be beneficial to extend Line 2 to the Lac Leamy Casino and the future Gatineau hospital (wonder how much collaboration there could be between the new Civic and new Gatineau, or even UQO and Carleton, though they have very different series of programs), but I don't see that happening. Best case scenario, it's extended one stop to UQO or turns east to Zibi, but I'm not holding my breath. IMO, PoW will never be used for rail again.

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

That is not a valid reason for locating hotels there. This is like the 'tail wagging the dog'. We didn't build transit where it should have been therefore, we effectively need to move downtown.

Our primary tourist attractions and business locations (hopefully again in the future) are right downtown. Why does a visitor want to take transit to reach the centre of the city? Whether that is the museums, Parliament, the Rideau Centre, the Convention Centre, most major public events or the Byward Market.

Fair, but what about my other arguments? We should promote more than just Downtown and our National Museums. Preston is a great urban main street with plenty to offer. The new Civic will be an important destination for health care and research. Dow's Lake is already a touristy area for the Tulip Festival, Winterlude and plenty more offerings throughout the year. Same with the Farm. Bayview's Innovation Yard, the future arena (though hopefully a hotel will be built as part of that project)...

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Fair, but what about my other arguments? We should promote more than just Downtown and our National Museums. Preston is a great urban main street with plenty to offer. The new Civic will be an important destination for health care and research. Dow's Lake is already a touristy area for the Tulip Festival, Winterlude and plenty more offerings throughout the year. Same with the Farm. Bayview's Innovation Yard, the future arena (though hopefully a hotel will be built as part of that project)...

Remember when they planned to build a full sized Dutch style windmill on Dow's Lake, a botanical gardens and a Butterfly conservatory. How silly Ottawans fought tooth and nail against it. We lost those attractions in that area.

In order for hotels to be successful, there needs to be enough out of town draw. I question that we have reached that point in the area or will there be a big enough draw anytime soon. Maybe, if an arena is built, there will be a hotel on Lebreton Flats, but I cannot see it at Dow's Lake. It is not so different from the original plan for a hotel at Lansdowne Park. The market of a sports venue, the Rideau Canal and a retail street is not enough.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

In order for hotels to be successful, there needs to be enough out of town draw. I question that we have reached that point in the area or will there be a big enough draw anytime soon. Maybe, if an arena is built, there will be a hotel on Lebreton Flats, but I cannot see it at Dow's Lake. It is not so different from the original plan for a hotel at Lansdowne Park. The market of a sports venue, the Rideau Canal and a retail street is not enough.

This ties in to the long-winded thread on the Ottawa subforum about Ottawa being a tourist destination. Outside of Parliament and a few other buildings in the CBD I don't really think Ottawa is much of a tourist draw. I fail to see how hotels at Dow's Lake would be any more compelling than the hotels they've recently torn down further down on Carling.

[Coldrsx]

Museums are a huge draw, the locks and historic sites.

[Truenorth00]

Who gets a hotel room near a transit interchange? That only works if you have a schedule taking you in many different directions over your time there. Otherwise, you will stay near your destination/purpose of visit.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Who gets a hotel room near a transit interchange? That only works if you have a schedule taking you in many different directions over your time there. Otherwise, you will stay near your destination/purpose of visit.

Some people will stay near transit stops that happen to have free parking nearby.

I've definitely done that on certain family trips.

Hotels near the Longueuil métro station are popular this reason, for example.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Who gets a hotel room near a transit interchange? That only works if you have a schedule taking you in many different directions over your time there. Otherwise, you will stay near your destination/purpose of visit.

When we visited Vancouver, we stayed in Yaletown across the street from Yaletown-Roundhouse station. We had no plans to visit anything in Yaletown, but it was between the airport and Downtown, and not far from the water taxis that would take us to my wife's aunt and uncle's. Bonus, we spent a little money is Yaletown that would have otherwise gone to a more touristy area.

[YOWflier]

Originally Posted by JHikka

This ties in to the long-winded thread on the Ottawa subforum about Ottawa being a tourist destination. Outside of Parliament and a few other buildings in the CBD I don't really think Ottawa is much of a tourist draw.

You’re free to think as you wish of course, but 11 million people annually think differently.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by FlyYOW

You’re free to think as you wish of course, but 11 million people annually think differently.

You're free to float around the forum to disagree with everything I say, as well, I guess. I have a difficult time believing that people travel internationally with the purpose of visiting the Art Gallery or War Museum, as good as they may be. Museums are complimentary pieces for vacations with other goals.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by FlyYOW

You’re free to think as you wish of course, but 11 million people annually think differently.

Funny enough, whenever I go 401 then 416, I see quite a bit of traffic on the 401 but a lot less on the 416. I can’t help but wonder where’s everyone…
Anyway, I digress.