Quote:
Originally Posted by scryer
Just so that I'm clear: the reason I suggested to look at (not implement!) extending the operating hours was to see if it was feasible to increase ridership on the WCE.
Nothing will be done about the WCE without a case study. And the ownership of the tracks will be a HUGE talking point when the time comes.
And I assume that nothing will be done seriously about improving the WCE until after SLS and the Broadway extensions as those will take priority for the region, understandably so.
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And let me be clear that I think the WCE is a very valuable service. If possible, the service should be improved and expanded. However, my issue with any talk of improving service is that transit funding is a zero sum game. If BC could subsidize transit to the degree it subsidizes roads I think WCE could be improved with a dedicated ROW AND we could build the train out to Abbotsford AND we could build a North Shore and UBC Skytrain line right now AND we could build a False Creek streetcar AND we could add BRT lines all across the lower mainland to feed those new and improved train lines.
Unfortunately, there is not sufficient transit funding for that. And unfortunately for the residents of Pomo, Poco, Maple Ridge, Mission, and the other communities served by the WCE the business case for improving the WCE is far weaker than the business case for the rest of Translink's big capital projects that were detailed in Transport 2050. Now, if we're talking about Translink needing to provide similar levels of service in all cities to fulfill its mandate that is a whole different discussion. But just know that the bang for your buck will be much higher investing in transit projects in Vancouver or Surrey than in Mission or Maple Ridge.
If these cities think improved transit connections to Metro Vancouver are vital, I think Translink will want to see ridership numbers improve drastically before any improvements are made. And for that to happen, the built form of those cities will need to change dramatically. I did a quick sum of Mission, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Coquitlam, Poco, and Pomo. Per the 2016 census the cities have a combined population of 380,450, which is significant, but the weighted-average population density is just 993.7 / square km (Vancouver is 5,800 / square km). Maybe if all of those cities had the density of Poco (2,009.4 / square km) more people would rely on transit and ride the WCE. And perhaps with higher ridership a dedicated ROW would make sense. But it's just reality that almost all of Translink's planned capital projects will serve more people than the WCE will for the foreseeable future.
I think your Toronto and GO examples are different for a few reasons. First of all, Toronto has a much larger downtown so it will naturally draw more people in total. So even if the same percentage of people in the cities served by the WCE commuted by train as the people in Kitchener do, the WCE would still see significantly lower ridership. Kitchener has 240k people on its own, Guelph adds 135k, and Brampton adds 600k. You would be hard pressed to find any Go lines which serve a smaller population base than the WCE does.
Second, the location of Waterfront within Vancouver compared to the location of Union Station within Toronto is very different. If someone works at UBC or along Broadway or in the industrial areas along the Fraser, taking the WCE makes very little sense because Waterfront is not on the way from Mission to those locations. That makes Waterfront a pretty big detour. Whereas if someone lives in Kitchener and works in Harbourfront or Yorkville or Midtown they probably would drive along the Gardiner or the 401 and then drive up or down Yonge anyways, so taking the train is just as direct as driving yourself. Also, the WCE taking 50 percent longer than driving is not at all comparable to Go
beating driving time.