Expo Line - Surrey Langley Extension: Planning & Pre-Construction

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The guideway will probably be up within 2 years, then track installation and operational testing.

Guideway can't go up until the support columns, bents, etc are in place. Don't underestimate the amount of time that will take over such a long distance, particularly in areas of poor soil conditions.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Guideway can't go up until the support columns, bents, etc are in place. Don't underestimate the amount of time that will take over such a long distance, particularly in areas of poor soil conditions.

from what i remember of the Canada Line, the columns in Richmond were going pretty fast. i remember like 1/week being completed; moving like an assembly line.

though i could be misremembering.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

from what i remember of the Canada Line, the columns in Richmond were going pretty fast. i remember like 1/week being completed; moving like an assembly line.

At 30-metre intervals 1 per week would equate to 30 weeks per kilometre. How long was that line again?

I'm not trying to be prescriptive here, I'm just sayin': these things take time.

[Metro-One]

Well they will likely start from the west end of the project moving east.

Spoof conditions aren’t too bad around King Edward so that is likely where you will see the first columns take shape.

The marshy farmland in the middle stretch of the project will take longer.

It will be nice to have two mass transit rail projects occurring at once.

Metro Van for the last few decades had been actually building mass transit at a relatively fast pace compared to the rest of Canada, but suddenly over the last couple years Montreal and even Toronto (and surprisingly out of nowhere Ottawa too) seem to have suddenly eclipsed us. I would say Edmonton too, but to be honest I am really happy we aren’t building their current style of mass transit.

[Klazu]

I guess they could start building from both ends or even from the middle.

How are they going to deal with the hill east of 168 Street? To my recollection it is a fairly notable one, eh?

[SpongeG]

I was reading up about the evergreen line, it started construction in 2013 and opened in 2016, so just in 3 years and that included a tunnel. So 4 years is doable.

Now I am a little confused as per reading facebook comments, if started in 2022 or later in 2021 would mean 2026 is a possible up and running date? for the complete line to Langley? is it going to be built all in one go or in two phases? People on Facebook are saying it won't be done till 2035 and that 1.3 billion won't be coming until after Trudeau wins the next election.

[Metro-One]

Read the articles, ignore the Facebook / social media comments.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I was reading up about the evergreen line, it started construction in 2013 and opened in 2016, so just in 3 years and that included a tunnel. So 4 years is doable.

Now I am a little confused as per reading facebook comments, if started in 2022 or later in 2021 would mean 2026 is a possible up and running date? for the complete line to Langley? is it going to be built all in one go or in two phases? People on Facebook are saying it won't be done till 2035 and that 1.3 billion won't be coming until after Trudeau wins the next election.

Pre-construction started in January 2012. And it opened December 2, 2016 so if you want to be really picky that's almost 2017. It's a single phase project now I believe. They seemed to indicate either option could be completed by 2025 but that was with an assumption of a contractor being chosen in early 2021.

[bardak]

Originally Posted by Klazu

How are they going to deal with the hill east of 168 Street? To my recollection it is a fairly notable one, eh?

I would assume if it is to high of a grade being elevated they could stretch the decent over a longer length to decrease the grade.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I guess they could start building from both ends or even from the middle.

How are they going to deal with the hill east of 168 Street? To my recollection it is a fairly notable one, eh?

Playing around in Google Earth I see average grades of 5% East of 168th and 6% West of 184th, looks to be a maximum of 7-8% West of 184th.

North Road along the Evergreen Line is about 4% though the guideway there climbs steeper than the road as it turns onto Clarke.

I assume they would just lengthen the hill at the lower end to reduce the grade. I remember 6% max grade for Skytrain, can anyone correct me?

[Tvisforme]

I'm curious as to the logistics involved in opening portions of the line earlier, as they become available. There's most likely an efficiency/cost saving in getting everything built first, but adding a station or two to Expo (and likewise to Millennium) a year or so before completion would boost public interest in the project. It might also help smooth out surges in passengers loads along the lines.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by bardak

I would assume if it is to high of a grade being elevated they could stretch the decent over a longer length to decrease the grade.

It's like a 90m drop from the high point along that road down to the river valley so I doubt they'll be able to do much with the pillar columns to reduce the grade.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Pre-construction started in January 2012. And it opened December 2, 2016 so if you want to be really picky that's almost 2017. It's a single phase project now I believe. They seemed to indicate either option could be completed by 2025 but that was with an assumption of a contractor being chosen in early 2021.

i wasn't including pre-construction dates just construction dates.

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by madog222

Playing around in Google Earth I see average grades of 5% East of 168th and 6% West of 184th, looks to be a maximum of 7-8% West of 184th.

Oh wow, it's that steep? They will either have to trench the guideway at the top or build the guideway very high to reduce the grade, or perhaps both! It's going to be exciting to see all of this happen!

[officedweller]

Another factor is how many gantries they'll be using.
The construction process does not need to be linear from just one starting point.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Another factor is how many gantries they'll be using.
The construction process does not need to be linear from just one starting point.

Exactly. Have multiple teams, maybe some prebuilding the pillars and guideway segments, others working on the stations.

[xd_1771]

The eastern gradient is signed at 7% (you can see that sign on westbound Fraser Highway just before you go down it), but there seems to be room on the north side (where the guideway will be) to come down closer to ground level if absolutely necessary. The western one is not signed but I measured it at around 6%.

I recall from reading a spec sheet that TransLink wants future line design to stick to a 6% maximum grade (the same as Bombardier puts on their spec sheet), but that portions of the current line are built to 6.5% and that new portions could operate at that grade if necessary. At any rate differences of 1-2% shouldn't matter much as it's easy to compensate for that with an elevated guideway, at least that seems to be the case at other places in our system like around 22nd St Station and on KGB up the hill into Surrey.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Wouldn't operating at 1% above spec cause the trains to wear out faster?

[officedweller]

Good question.
With the linear induction motors, would it just be an electrical strain or just poorer propulsion?

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Good question.
With the linear induction motors, would it just be an electrical strain or just poorer propulsion?

Could be a case of both. I reckon with power system upgrades, they could probably increase the speed.