The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

You raise a good point; Ottawa looked at the possibility of building a bus tunnel instead of lrt, and although they didn't do a detailed cost study, they estimated that a bus tunnel would have been around double the cost.

I'm hoping Calgary will find the same result. What could also be to our benefit is the fact that we already have a plan and approved route for the 8th Avenue Subway, and a large completed section of it under city hall and Olympic Plaza. Perhaps subways could beget subways


Here is the completed portion of the 8th Ave subway.





This is the likely alignment for downtown minus one or two of the red line UG stations.


http://www.connect2edmonton.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=491664

[ssiguy]

If Calgary does build it's downtown subway which seems inevitable, then why have an underground section and retain the older at grade? If they are tunneled they would be able to carry trains every 90 seconds, enough for all 4 LRT routes which converge downtown.

If they will have a problem then what about a double level tunnel system..........one for North/South LRT and the other for East/West? I realize that Calgary has a high water table but if Amsterdam can have a subway then any city can. I realize a double level would be significantly more expensive but it is a relatively small stretch and would free up the current transit/LRT road thru the city.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

I've been riding the subway a lot later the past few weeks, and I'm loathe to remember if the trains were as packed at 11:30pm 10 years or 20 years ago as they are now.

Before it was rare to get a train that was packed at that time of night , now the rarity is getting a train with seating at the later hours. This is both Bloor and the Yonge lines... Standing room only.

Yep, pretty crazy.

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

If Calgary does build it's downtown subway which seems inevitable, then why have an underground section and retain the older at grade? If they are tunneled they would be able to carry trains every 90 seconds, enough for all 4 LRT routes which converge downtown.

If they will have a problem then what about a double level tunnel system..........one for North/South LRT and the other for East/West? I realize that Calgary has a high water table but if Amsterdam can have a subway then any city can. I realize a double level would be significantly more expensive but it is a relatively small stretch and would free up the current transit/LRT road thru the city.

Yeah that is not going to happen I guarantee it Amazing idea, but this is a city of 1.3 million in the foothills not the capital and primate city of a major European country, unfortunately. Plus, keeping the 202 at ground level will see to it that we will always have a free-fare zone downtown. I doubt either of the subways will be free-fare.

[SteelTown]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Hamilton's RFP for a bike share program has concluded with a winner, Social Bicycles…

Staff have reviewed and evaluated all the proposals received, and have determined that Social Bicycles is the successful Proponent.

http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/97FA9752-3B90-436F-8708-A663661B5B29/0/Dec0283PW13015b.pdf

Soon Hamilton will have 65 bike stations with 650 bikes across Hamilton.


http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/23/social-bicycles-hands-on/

Video Link

Hamilton spending $1.6M on new bike share program

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/n...1-6m-on-new-bike-share-program-1.2447817

City councillors have voted to spend $1.6 million to implement a new bike share program.

The money will buy as many as 650 bicycles and set up as many as 65 stations around the city for the new program, which allows Hamiltonians to borrow bikes and leave them at station near their destination.

A capital grant from Metrolinx will pay for the project, which will be operated by the American company Social Bicycles. This is the company’s first project in Canada. Toronto Ottawa and Montreal already have bike share programs.

“We’re the first city in Ontario to buy into this new model of bike share,” said Coun. Brian McHattie of Ward 1 at a public works committee meeting Monday, when councillors approved the pilot. “I’m looking forward to trying it in Hamilton.”

Social Bicycles operates bike share programs in Buffalo, Orlando and Hoboken, New Jersey. The money just buys the bicycles and stations. The operating cost will be covered by memberships and sponsorships Social Bicycles will attain for the program, said Peter Topalovic, the city’s project manager for transportation demand management.

Social Bicycles assumes all legal and financial liability, a staff report said. And if not enough people use the bike share program, staff said, the city will dismantle it and sell the bicycles.

[Beedok]

Hamilton is slowly heading for the big leagues.

[Chadillaccc]

Lions Park Station expansion pretty much complete already.

[The_Architect]

Since Toronto apparently cannot get over politics, and suburban voters are illiterate and don't realise this mostly serves commuters, there is a movement to rename the much-needed Downtown Relief Line to something else in order to get it started.

http://renamedrl.ca/

[Chadillaccc]

Mayor Nenshi just confirmed that the North Central LRT will be going up Centre Street, rather than Edmonton Trail or the Deerfoot Valley. A major win for Calgary's urbanity and future inner-city densification and intensification.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Mayor Nenshi just confirmed that the North Central LRT will be going up Centre Street, rather than Edmonton Trail or the Deerfoot Valley. A major win for Calgary's urbanity and future inner-city densification and intensification.

Good to hear. Some may hate that, but it'll be good for the city as a whole.

[caltrane74]

New Streetcar in Testing at St.Clair West Station



by M II A II R II K at Urbantoronto.ca

New Streetcars VS Old Streetcars on the Rack at the TTC Maintenance Workshop



From vic at UT and Flickr

[Chadillaccc]

The Whitehorse commuter LRT!


http://www.cbc.ca/anewday/episodes/2011/...s-on-the-waterfront-trolley-this-summer/

Seriously though, Whitehorse looks great I'd love to go there!

[eemy]

I rode on that trolley when I visited Whitehorse this past summer. (It's a great city and I've mentioned several times that I think everyone should try to visit it and the Yukon in general.) I should point out though, that any commuters who use that trolley are probably better off walking.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

New Streetcar in Testing at St.Clair West Station



by M II A II R II K at Urbantoronto.ca

New Streetcars VS Old Streetcars on the Rack at the TTC Maintenance Workshop



From vic at UT and Flickr

Wow, that's definitely a change from the streetcars I'm used to.

[caltrane74]

They do look a lot like the LRT's that will be rolling on Eglinton.

I think it will be really hard for the lay man to tell the difference, except that the Streetcars are "One Directional" like the band, I guess. and the LRT's will be "Bi-Directional"

[Beedok]

Ah, so that's what makes Hamilton's LRT not a streetcar.

[The_Architect]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

They do look a lot like the LRT's that will be rolling on Eglinton.

I think it will be really hard for the lay man to tell the difference, except that the Streetcars are "One Directional" like the band, I guess. and the LRT's will be "Bi-Directional"

In some of the streetcar tests they were braking and reversing...

[Innsertnamehere]

they can reverse in emergencies, but not in regular service. if they need to be reversed, the driver must walk to the back of the streetcar and unlock a little hatch behind the rear seats with some emergency controls to guide it backwards. they will not be going backwards in regular service unlike the LRTs which will and will have driver cabins on both sides of the trains.

[Chadillaccc]

Ohhh I thought these did have driver cabins at both ends. Upon a closer look, they don't! Interesting. They don't really need it though so it's not really a detractor. Still gorgeous public transportation vehicles.

[miketoronto]

Ottawa-Gatineau have so far posted a ridership region wide for 2013.
They say it is because employment levels at the federal government are down.
However I don't think that tells the whole story.

I think both systems need to focus more on making off peak service attractive and to try and capture more than work trips.

It does look like STO is going to be tweaking some bus trips in Jan. Some bus trips on some routes will continue direct into downtown Ottawa instead of making people transfer onto the Rapibus.