Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion - Page 172

mr.x · #**3421** Posted **Jul 29, 2009, 3:02 AM**

lol, you can have the honour of doing that!

deasine · #**3422** Posted **Jul 29, 2009, 3:03 AM**

I'm too lazy

Political_R · #**3423** Posted **Jul 29, 2009, 5:56 AM**

Which blog are you talking about deasine?

deasine · #**3424** Posted **Jul 29, 2009, 6:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Political_R

Which blog are you talking about deasine?

Just the UBC SKyTrain Group

twoNeurons · #**3425** Posted **Jul 29, 2009, 1:44 PM**

Wow! Great diagrams! I didn't want to open all the PDFs.

trofirhen · #**3426** Posted **Jul 29, 2009, 3:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by deasine

Just the UBC SKyTrain Group

Is there REALLY a UBC SkyTrain Group ? ?

I mean, is such a concept, although having been mentioned, REALLY a possibility? If it is . . . . then . . . . wow. It's not the length of the Millenium Line extension that'd be astonishing, because it isn't. It's the concept of a cut-and-cover line going down Broadway . . . . then boring under the huge bedrock plateau that UBC perches upon that is so ambitiously, deliciously, wistfully, great, yet sadly unrealizable.

Imagine UBC station: deep, deep, escalators, among the longest in the world, going down into a futuristic station, with trains disappearing with a slight howling sound into the deep-level tubes, to stop at Alma, a cut and cover-station. Then along Broadway, to Trafalgar, McDonald, Arbutus, Burrard, Granville, and Cambie stations, continuing on to the existing VCC station, and on eastward.

A possibility? Yes; of course, if we have an extra $$$ billion or two to pull it off. The cost of the project would probably necessitate the increase in transit fares, in a city where the cost of living is already high and getting higher. Nobody (especially financially-pinched university students,) wants that. You can't have you cake and eat it. Tell me if I'm wrong.

So, I guess (and this is my opinion only), the UBC extension is a dream. In reality, I could see the line going to Arbutus fairly easily, or even as far as Alma, where there might be a large bus interchange to carry passengers on to UBC and throughout the West Side. (Not everybody out there is rich, with two cars . . . .)

Anyway, the UBC tube is a great and impressive idea, and even if it only remains a fantasy, the fact that the dream is happening is evidence that once a project materializes,
(rapid rail in Vancouver, talked about for decades, now a very "happening" reality), ideas and inspiration come forth. Keep on building, and see what we end up with.

It will all have been worth it.

DKaz · #**3427** Posted **Jul 29, 2009, 4:57 PM**

That came out of nowhere...

We think that Skytrain will be bored all the way from the eastern part of the extension to Blanca anyway, then at grade and elevated past Blanca before going back underground cut and cover to the new underground bus loop which will have provisions for rail transit. I say rail transit because if they all of a sudden decide to switch the technology to LRT maybe past Arbutus, that can be accomodated as well. We don't know yet, the province is going to undertake a study to find the most cost effective way to build this much needed rapid transit line.

deasine · #**3428** Posted **Jul 30, 2009, 7:38 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by trofirhen

Is there REALLY a UBC SkyTrain Group ? ?

I mean, is such a concept, although having been mentioned, REALLY a possibility?

Be built by 2020 according to the Provincial Transportation Plan presented earlier this year. Where were you all this time... we already have an individual forum topic about this....

BCPhil · #**3429** Posted **Jul 30, 2009, 8:14 PM**

I like the look of the 4 car Beijing Airport Express. And it has a top speed of 110kph, nice.

I think Translink should get serious about ordering C-unit cars for the MK II trains.

With expanded platforms, we could make 6 car trains composing of 2 end units and 4 C-Units (or any other combination). It would really kill the "toy train" perception of Skytrain as well as hold the max number of riders for train length possible.

P.S. I was on White Rock beach the other evening when a freight train came out of the US. On one of it's flat cars it had what looked like a MK II Skytrain under a big, form-fitting blue tarp.

P.P.S People are idiots. There were so many people standing on and crossing the track last minute, some getting their picture taken with the train barreling down behind them.

twoNeurons · #**3430** Posted **Jul 30, 2009, 8:31 PM**

I think a 2-car coupled with a 3-Car (ACB) would give us the best flexibility / capacity.

Any station platform extensions aren't exactly near-term and there are bigger priorities right now, if you ask me.

As they start to phase out the MkIs 10-15 years from now, we will likely be ready to replace them with longer trainsets as needed.

Does anyone have stats on how many of each trainset:

According to Wiki:
We have 150 mkI and 60 MkIIs:
I'm assuming that is: 33 4-car MkIs and 3 6-car MkIs
30 MkII Pairs (Some in 2 Pairs)

If we Add the 7 pairs we're getting and run them all as Double cars and all the MkIs as 6-car sets... That would reduce the our full-length trainsets to about 45ish. ( Kind of guessing at this number )

So, we'd have room (at current capacities) for another 20 max-length trainsets ( 40 MkII pairs ).

Make them all 3-car Trainsets and couple them with existing trains or perhaps half as 2+3 car sets (5-cars total)

Mac Write · #**3431** Posted **Jul 30, 2009, 8:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

I think a 2-car coupled with a 3-Car (ACB) would give us the best flexibility / capacity.

Any station platform extensions aren't exactly near-term and there are bigger priorities right now, if you ask me.

As they start to phase out the MkIs 10-15 years from now, we will likely be ready to replace them with longer trainsets as needed.

Does anyone have stats on how many of each trainset:

we currently have (MkI, MkII)
We have on order (MkIIv2)?

Mark I 1984 - 56 cars
Mark I 1985 - 58 cars
Mark I 1991 - 16 cars
Mark I 1995 - 20 cars
Mark II 2001 - 60 cars
Mark II 2009 - 4 cars at present in service

officedweller · #**3432** Posted **Jul 30, 2009, 9:05 PM**

One of the problems with having a 4 car A-C-C-B train is that the whole train needs to be taken out of servoce if it needs repairs. Also not sure if the trainsheds are long enough to house them during repairs (they can't be easily decoupled).

Gordon · #**3433** Posted **Jul 30, 2009, 9:20 PM**

It certainly seems to be taking a while to gthe new Mk2s in service. I thought the plan was to have 24 ready to go before Labor Day. That seems to be a birt of a challeng now.

Mac Write · #**3434** Posted **Jul 30, 2009, 9:56 PM**

Can the Edmonds yard handle the additional 24 Mark II cars that are a possibility for 2010? That would mean 150 Mark I's and 132 Mark II's. or

25 6-Car Mark I trains
33 4-Car Mark II trains

Currently we have
37.5 4-car Mark I trains
27 4-car Mark II trains (once current order arrives).

Gordon · #**3435** Posted **Jul 30, 2009, 10:08 PM**

They are expanding the yard so that it will be able to handle atleast the full 48 car order that will be in service by the Olympics if not before?

Xerx · #**3436** Posted **Jul 31, 2009, 3:37 AM**

Has anyone noticed that translink has updated thier map to include the Canada Line?

http://www.translink.ca/~/media/Documents/Maps/Transit%20System%20Maps/entire_system_map.ashx

nname · #**3437** Posted **Jul 31, 2009, 4:00 AM**

According to Global News, a New West community shuttle lost power on a hill and rolled back into an apartment building. Can't find any more detail on this, but according to the news, one person is in serious condition.

Screen cap from the video:

DKaz · #**3438** Posted **Jul 31, 2009, 4:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xerx

Has anyone noticed that translink has updated thier map to include the Canada Line?

http://www.translink.ca/~/media/Documents/Maps/Transit%20System%20Maps/entire_system_map.ashx

Someone mentioned it in the Canada Line thread already.

All the bus routes have been revised as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nname

Screen cap from the video:

I was driving on Royal Ave on my way to hockey when I saw this down 1st St! Craziness!

usog · #**3439** Posted **Jul 31, 2009, 4:14 AM**

The community shuttles seemed like some strange mutt to me, as if they just cut the load-bed off the back of a heavy-duty truck and put the shuttle part on. Used to take a shuttle route a few times a week, and those things could *really* use any form of suspension, the rides on those things are bumpy as hell.

DKaz · #**3440** Posted **Jul 31, 2009, 5:49 AM**

Well the just order whatever GMC that is or a Ford F-450 or bigger without a cargo bed, ready to build whatever you want on it. A local company specializes in building these community shuttles.