Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[SpongeG]

its a bus stop not a place to hang out, all it needs is to function, which it does

[Millennium2002]

Rather poorly that is. =S Otherwise I can't see why they'd launch this project solely for navigation purposes... which in itself is also a bit crappy...

[SpongeG]

does anyone know what they are doing at commercial drive/broadway station - in the plaza area? they have had two areas boxed in for a couple weeks now and there is some work going on - they have also painted lines all over the place presumably to keep people going in one direction on their side of the line... but everyone ignores them

[bardak]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

does anyone know what they are doing at commercial drive/broadway station - in the plaza area? they have had two areas boxed in for a couple weeks now and there is some work going on - they have also painted lines all over the place presumably to keep people going in one direction on their side of the line... but everyone ignores them

I'm assuming fare gate construction?

[David]

There's fare gate construction happening inside the station itself, and they recently put up fencing (which I think might be what you're referring to) to guide commuters because they switched the bays for the 9 and the 99.

[Waders]

Faregate construction started on July 4 at Broadway/Commerical station. Detail is in Translink's web site. Construction at other Expo stations will start beginning this month. Translink has issued a 3rd tender for station construction work related to the project. It should be an 'interesting' experience to access Expo stations for the next 1.5 years.

[DKaz]

So... Brakes on an outbound Skytrain overheated at Stadium Station this morning. System was shut down west of Commercial-Broadway from 6:30 until about 7:15.

[twoNeurons]

Seems that there's been quite a number of maintenance related shut-downs recently.

Perhaps because the SkyTrains have been relatively "low-cost" in terms of continued maintenance, perhaps needed overhauls are being neglected?

Or to put it in other words, standard motored systems that aren't LIM-powered have maintenance patterns and schedules that are well-known and documented. If transit agencies follow the recommendations, the system will work fine... With LIM-powered SkyTrain, we're pretty much writing the rules as we go along.

[SFUVancouver]

^ I think you would be hard pressed to find a transit agency in the world that runs trains and does not encounter mechanical errors, regardless of their mode of traction power. Mechanical things break down.

Here's a photo I snapped yesterday of the hoarding inside the foyer of Broadway-Commercial Drive station.


Taken by SFUVancouver, July 13th 2011.

[SpongeG]

ok thanks for the info - i thought it might be fare gate related but wasn't sure - i haven't seen any fencing up yet in the station just the painted lines

I was lucky i got off at stadium just at that time - when i left the station two firetrucks pulled up - loads of people were late today because of that problem

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

With LIM-powered SkyTrain, we're pretty much writing the rules as we go along.

...except that most of the problems we've been seeing aren't directly related to the LIMs. This morning's brake problem and the brake problem in Surrey that caused the derailment a year or two back both involve standard brake shoe technology that's in use all over the world on a huge variety of rail systems. In fact the LIMs have been very solid.

[Millennium2002]

I've always felt that TransLink was skimping a little on maintenance... whether it's cars that jerk on the tracks way too much either due to bad bogies or bad track, or whether it's brown packaging tape on the heating units of buses... things are falling apart because they're not spending enough money on the current stuff. Of course, I bet that if we did spend a lot more on maintenance that we'd have less funding for our service expansions and capital projects. (sigh) What to do...?

[DKaz]

I don't have an issue with Translink's maintenance. ValleyMAX out in Mission/Abby is horrible. Buses pull to one side when the drivers brake. Engines sound like they're on their last legs. Overhead signs don't work, I've never seen a transit system with such a high rate of overhead sign failures before!

[Zassk]

As someone who didn't use any of the SkyTrain lines until Canada Line was built, I am routinely shocked at the noisy and rickety nature of many of the trains on the E/M lines. I suppose they are pretty typical when compared with other cities, though.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by Zassk

As someone who didn't use any of the SkyTrain lines until Canada Line was built, I am routinely shocked at the noisy and rickety nature of many of the trains on the E/M lines. I suppose they are pretty typical when compared with other cities, though.

The SkyTrain seems loud because Vancouver surroundings are so quiet.

Anyway, does anyone know if the brake failure is caused by a MKI? If it is, I'm beginning to notice a pattern. Afterall, the MKIs have been long due for an entire retrofit and overhaul as they have already exceeded its original life expectancy.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by Zassk

As someone who didn't use any of the SkyTrain lines until Canada Line was built, I am routinely shocked at the noisy and rickety nature of many of the trains on the E/M lines. I suppose they are pretty typical when compared with other cities, though.

MK1 trains can be a bit noisy, but when compared to the old subway cars here in Toronto they are pretty decent. Going around some of the corners here can produce a high pitched squeel that is actually very painful. Most people need to cover their ears.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

MK1 trains can be a bit noisy, but when compared to the old subway cars here in Toronto they are pretty decent. Going around some of the corners here can produce a high pitched squeel that is actually very painful. Most people need to cover their ears.

Yeah, those curves on either side of Union station just terrible. Skytrain is a lot better on similar curves like the one at Science World because of the mechanical linkages which "steer" the individual axles on the bogies.

But Skytrain uses smaller wheels, and that exacerbates any track imperfections.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Yeah, those curves on either side of Union station just terrible. Skytrain is a lot better on similar curves like the one at Science World because of the mechanical linkages which "steer" the individual axles on the bogies.

But Skytrain uses smaller wheels, and that exacerbates any track imperfections.

Steering bogies is a unique advantage of the LIM, which keeps the maintenance costs low. The steering bogies plus the levitation effect of the LIM reduce wear on both the wheel flanges and the tracks themselves. I'm a little surprised we are having break troubles because I was under the impression that the LIM itself acted as a regenerating break and the physical breaks were only needed to keep the train motionless in the stations. Maybe the break didn't release at Granville (or earlier) and was "on" while the train was in motion.

I also think the LIM results in a very quiet ride. The only reason it seems loud is because the trains are built using lighter weight materials than other trains and the doors are on the outside of the cabin, allowing a lot of noise leakage (plus the windows always seem to be opened, even in the winter in the air conditioned cabs when its raining). But I find that as soon as you walk a block or two away from the guideway, the trains are no louder than surrounding traffic. The Canada Line seems more quiet, until it goes over a switch or a tight corner where it makes a huge racket. The cabins are also a little more solid, with internal noise, limiting the amount of noise leakage. The LIM trains glide at 80km/h over long distances and are remarkably quiet for the speed at which they move, accelerate and decelerate.

[Dave2]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

does anyone know what they are doing at commercial drive/broadway station - in the plaza area? they have had two areas boxed in for a couple weeks now and there is some work going on - they have also painted lines all over the place presumably to keep people going in one direction on their side of the line... but everyone ignores them

The lines that divide the walkway 50-50 are ok, but the 1/3 - 2/3 division at the north end of the Broadway overpass, or the zig-zag at the Commercial Drive escalator, are almost designed to be ignored.... people don't always walk on the right side of the Waterfront Canada line barricades; maybe this could be a revenue source - $25 fine for walking on the wrong side

[DKaz]

I was on this train. All I remember is when we pulled into Coquitlam Central Station, the engineer suddenly applied the brakes, then when my car got into the station passengers were screaming and looking away or looking underneath the train to see if they could see the guy who got hit.

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/254965--west-coast-express-train-service-disrupted

West Coast Express train service disrupted
Person hit and killed by a train
News1130 Staff Jul 18, 2011 08:30:21 AM

COQUITLAM (NEWS1130) - The West Coast Express trains are not running right now after a man was hit and killed by a train at the Coquitlam Central Station shortly after 7 a.m.

Drew Snider with TransLink says there may have been an accident involving one of the trains and a person at the station. "We would advise anyone who normally takes the West Coast Express to take an alternate means of getting into wherever they need to get to today. We don't know how long this is going to take to clear up."

West Coast Express trains #4 and #5 are operating, but only as far as Port Coquitlam Station.

A bus bridge is in place to transfer people to Braid Station and SkyTrain. Buses are also picking up people from the Port Moody Station to get them to Lougheed Station. As a result of incident, the Millennium Line is keeping its rush hour service in place longer to accommodate additional customers.

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