The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[Chadillaccc]

The city of Calgary has now formally requested the provincial government to come up with the remaining 1/3 of the 40 kilometer Green Line for the C-Train. Upon completion in 2022, the Green Line will make the C-Train the first single urban mass transit system in the country to be over 100 kilometers in length



Nenshi submits formal funding request to NDP government for Green Line LRT
TREVOR HOWELL | CALGARY HERALD

The NDP government needs to pony up cash to help pay for Calgary’s Green Line LRT now that the city has submitted an official funding request, says a local transit lobby group.

Both the federal government and the city have promised to fund two-thirds of the 46-kilometre light rail transit project, which could now cost $4 billion to $5 billion, excluding additional financing costs. While the NDP have voiced support for the project, it has refused to commit any dollars until it received a formal request.

“We now have a provincial government that has stated throughout that they’re in support of the project,”said Jeff Binks, president of LRT on the Green. “The one reason that they’ve kept coming back to for not making a consideration for funding has now been taken away.”

Last month, Calgary’s mayor submitted a letter to Alberta Infrastructure Minister Brian Mason, outlining the scope of the Green Line LRT, previous commitments by the city and Ottawa, and the crucial role the province has played in building Calgary’s LRT system — one of the most well used in North America — since it first opened in 1981.

...

Source: http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news...est-to-ndp-government-for-green-line-lrt

[1overcosc]

The Toronto system will probably be over 100km by 2022. Eglinton, Finch, and at least a few of the RER lines will be done by then.

EDIT:
I've done the numbers. Toronto is currently at 68.3km. It will reach 76.9km by next year when the Vaughan extension opens. Eglinton and Finch will open in 2021, making it 106.9km. RER timelines are up in the air still but at least 25km of track will have been electrified by 2020.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

The Toronto system will probably be over 100km by 2022. Eglinton, Finch, and at least a few of the RER lines will be done by then.

EDIT:
I've done the numbers. Toronto is currently at 68.3km. It will reach 76.9km by next year when the Vaughan extension opens. Eglinton and Finch will open in 2021, making it 106.9km. RER timelines are up in the air still but at least 25km of track will have been electrified by 2020.

I still don't get why we lump Eglinton with the subways when we don't include Spadina, St Clair, or any of the other portions that are separated the same way.

[1overcosc]

With Spadina & St. Clair it's stop spacing. They stop every block or two just like a local bus, so that's what they are, essentially. With Spadina the lack of signal priority further reinforces the narrative.

Stop spacing is ultimately what makes transit fast or slow. If a bus running in a bus lane with signal priority (or without lanes or priority but on a road with minimal congestion) only stopped every kilometre or so, they wouldn't be that much slower than a subway. If the subway stopped every block, it would be slower than walking.

This is what distinguishes the Eglinton and Finch LRTs from the Spadina or St. Clair streetcars.

[TorontoDrew]

An urban Gondola has been proposed for the Don Valley. It's actually a nice idea. As long as the cars don't look to ski resort like it could be a nice feature of the city. The cable car will be financed by the private sector. Financing for the cable car is being led by Collins Barrow Toronto Corporate Finance Inc. The city would probably go for it.

This would be to replace the shuttle bus from Broadview station to the Brickworks.











This one is a bit of a joke, I'm not sure who would want to dine in a cable car also you'd need to do about 10 loops in order to have time to eat.




It seems like a solid plan and all of the info and more images can be found here. http://donvalleycablecar.com/?page_id=16

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

With Spadina & St. Clair it's stop spacing. They stop every block or two just like a local bus, so that's what they are, essentially. With Spadina the lack of signal priority further reinforces the narrative.

Stop spacing is ultimately what makes transit fast or slow. If a bus running in a bus lane with signal priority (or without lanes or priority but on a road with minimal congestion) only stopped every kilometre or so, they wouldn't be that much slower than a subway. If the subway stopped every block, it would be slower than walking.

This is what distinguishes the Eglinton and Finch LRTs from the Spadina or St. Clair streetcars.

So, south of Bloor, The subway should be delisted. Their stations are only 400m apart. That is about 2-3 blocks.

So, why can it be part of the list yet the others cannot?

[logan5]

Going by Calgary's last LRT project, the cost of this Green Line will be closer to 7 billion, or more, depending on how much tunneling there is. Probly not fair to give billions of dollars to a city that manages to spend 170 million per km on light rail. The Evergreen Line in Vancouver costs less and it's a way better service, so there's something definitely wrong with how they are doing things in Calgary.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by logan5

Going by Calgary's last LRT project, the cost of this Green Line will be closer to 7 billion, or more, depending on how much tunneling there is. Probly not fair to give billions of dollars to a city that manages to spend 170 million per km on light rail. The Evergreen Line in Vancouver costs less and it's a way better service, so there's something definitely wrong with how they are doing things in Calgary.

Does Evergreen require an additional maintenance facility? The Green Line projected cost is in line with Canada Line costs plus inflation. The project scope will be better contained this time by using a full P3.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Does Evergreen require an additional maintenance facility? The Green Line projected cost is in line with Canada Line costs plus inflation. The project scope will be better contained this time by using a full P3.

Except the Canada Line is fully grade separated. Is there a reason why a Canada Line wouldn't work in Calgary?

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by logan5

Except the Canada Line is fully grade separated. Is there a reason why a Canada Line wouldn't work in Calgary?

Higher concrete costs (being a distance away from the ocean) and labour costs.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

So, south of Bloor, The subway should be delisted. Their stations are only 400m apart. That is about 2-3 blocks.

So, why can it be part of the list yet the others cannot?

400m is still wider than a local bus. Furthermore, that 400m spacing is only for a small part of the overall line. Most of it has 500m-1km spacing.

[mistercorporate]

That don valley cable car concept left me speechless! Cant wait till this is completed, what a fantastic attraction and means to enjoy our natural environment. Even the restaurant idea sounds good, the cn tower 360 restaurant is great, this may have almost as good views. How did this project skip my attention!

[nname]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Does Evergreen require an additional maintenance facility?

There is a light maintenance and vehicle storage facility

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by logan5

Except the Canada Line is fully grade separated. Is there a reason why a Canada Line wouldn't work in Calgary?

One of our councillors thinks Vancouver's guideways are ugly and jamming a commuter rail line down the middle of a narrow street makes it walkable and urban. Never mind that the Expo/Millennium lines fulfill their function far better than the Green Line ever will.

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Higher concrete costs (being a distance away from the ocean) and labour costs.

Not to mention that the Green Line is over twice as long as the Canada Line.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Not to mention that the Green Line is over twice as long as the Canada Line.

They are talking about the cost per km, not the total sums.

[eemy]

What if you have to go to the bathroom or something while having dinner? I'm not sure that idea has been fully considered.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

What if you have to go to the bathroom or something while having dinner? I'm not sure that idea has been fully considered.

Just open a window.....

[SkahHigh]

Pretty balsy claim to say that Calgary's mass transit system will be the first over 100km in Canada come 2022, when there are plenty of cities (Toronto and Montreal notably) planning and building new systems for that timetable as well. I guess some people can predict the future...

[Innsertnamehere]

Torontos will be 108km by 2022, with finch, eglinton, and spadina. Longer if you count Hurontario. By the mid 2020's you are looking at probably closer to 150km. Even more if you count even some of the streetcar network

Eglinton crosstown surfaces stations average 700m separation I believe. Just because there are a few stops close together doesn't mean the whole line is. There are several areas with over 1km spacing.