Canada Line | Completed

[mr.x]

^ agreed, French here would be extremely pointless. I'd go for both Mandarin and Cantonese.

OMG, just copy the Hong Kong MTR announcements! Mando, Canto, English.

[nova9]

Originally Posted by mr.x

^ agreed, French here would be extremely pointless. I'd go for both Mandarin and Cantonese.

OMG, just copy the Hong Kong MTR announcements! Mando, Canto, English.

I might just have to die and go to heaven if that ever happens.

I have those announcements on my iPhone as a ringtone (though it makes for a bad ringtone). Someone else I know also has the "doot doot doot doot" as a SMS tone on their mobile.

[bad cantonese-english typing] "Ha yut gor cham hai...Nanaimo" "Xia yi ge zhan shi...Na NAI mo" "The next station is...Nanaimo"

[mr.x]

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[nova9]

droool.................

I've actually also notice quite a few people during the day on the expo line with luggage I guess transferring at waterfront for the C-line. Overall, it makes me enthusiastic about the entire thing and thankful that we have it.

I've been to YVR at least 5 times since the line has been opened.

[Daguy]

I'm just sad I literally moved back to Kamloops one week before it opened. I still havn't even seen it yet, and I spent the last four years checking it out on a regular basis when I was going to UBC.

[Vancity]

Thanks for those pics, Mr.x! but yeah, while those stations look nice, I agree, they are waay overbuilt, although, I wish the C-line stations' platforms were much longer than they are, but uggh...what's done has been done.

I wish our design could be better, similar to that of the seattle stations.

[Vancity]

we should just copy HK's MTR train announcements.

[Pinion]

No, we really shouldn't. A common language is essential for a healthy society. We're fractured enough as it is.

[BCPhil]

With the amount of warning that the MTR was giving about doors closing I though they were going to close so fast that anything caught between them would be cleaved in half, or like that scene in 2001 where Dave blows the hatch off the pod, but in reverse.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Vancity

Thanks for those pics, Mr.x! but yeah, while those stations look nice, I agree, they are waay overbuilt, although, I wish the C-line stations' platforms were much longer than they are, but uggh...what's done has been done.

I wish our design could be better, similar to that of the seattle stations.

If it were designed to accommodate 80-metre platforms with ease in the future, or even built with 80-metres today, then this would have been the perfect line.

While Seattle had the foresight to the point they overbuilt their system, we focused on the monetary part and only focused on the short-term demands.

It's also why I'm weary of having things like a stadium, as mentioned in the BC Place topic, for the Whitecaps at Bridgeport...it can't handle that. It was simply extremely short-sighted to build the system as it is for this high-growth corridor....yes, the LRSP doesn't say the corridor/Richmond/south of Fraser is a high growth area, but what part of all the developments planned/being built in Richmond were part of the LRSP?

If they depended on the LRSP as one of the sources for planning/designing the capacity of the system, they sure did make one huge mistake.

[deasine]

I don't want Cantonese or Mandarin on the SkyTrain system. TransLink can't even get the English right: we still have Stadium-Chinatown called Stadium, or Oakridge-41st Avenue called Oakridge-41st, what makes you think TransLink can get the other languages correct... Not to mention, I'm sure the Indian community would then want Punjabi, then another group wants this, this wants that...

I find it really interesting why Broadway-City Hall Stn wasn't built to the 50 metre length. If you ever go to the stn, look towards the north and you can see the ceiling slope continues on, with temporary walls built and a security camera (which isn't there to oversee the walkway) 5 metres past the platform. It seems that it would be more expensive to construct all the temporary walls than to continue tiling the platform.

[mr.x]

^ lol, the Punjabi/Indian community wanting Langara-41st Avenue Station to include "Punjabi Village" in the station name cracks me up. The village, no offense to the community, is quite small (two blocks), and it's nowhere near the station....it's more than a kilometre away. As a traveler, I'd step out of the station entrance and expect to see the village....only to be unable to find it, told it's a kilometre walk away, and then go #%$#%#.

I definitely agree with you on why Broadway wasn't built with 50-metre platforms from the start...the 99 and trolleys will be dumping passengers onto the station. Same goes for Bridgeport.

[Metro-One]

Do you think they might extend stations such as Bridgeport and Broadway to 50m before the other stations just to ease hubs? I am sure this could be done if they become to much of a problem.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Do you think they might extend stations such as Bridgeport and Broadway to 50m before the other stations just to ease hubs? I am sure this could be done if they become to much of a problem.

It could be possible and should be done. There's really no reason why Broadway and Bridgeport wasn't extended to begin with.

[BCPhil]

Riding the line today I noticed most (probably all) of the underground stations have some virtually empty space at one end of the platform or both. Some are just empty enclaves that look like they are used for venting, some look like they have temporary stone or metal walls surrounding unfinished platforms.

The stations look like the space was dug for 50m platforms, but only 40m was actually finished off. I think making the 40m underground stations into 50m stations involves only knocking down a wall or two and pouring some concrete and putting up some tiles, no excavation needed. It's probably something that could have been done for a few million more at the time, but the contractor would rather get thrice that when it's needed in the future so they didn't do it. Defer the cost to better balance the books now, and make more money on it in the future.

Anyway, I wound up riding the train on YVR trains both ways, and there were quite a few people with luggage. The fast take-up by airport travelers is pretty amazing. And while not packed, the trains had all the seats taken and many people were getting on and off at each and every station (a surprising number at Marine too). There don't seem to be any Lake City Way's on the Canada Line.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Do you think they might extend stations such as Bridgeport and Broadway to 50m before the other stations just to ease hubs? I am sure this could be done if they become to much of a problem.

Yea, I could definitely see it happening but given the demand/ridership these two stations will see it simply wouldn't have made much sense to not build it with the additional 10-metres right from the start.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

The stations look like the space was dug for 50m platforms, but only 40m was actually finished off. I think making the 40m underground stations into 50m stations involves only knocking down a wall or two and pouring some concrete and putting up some tiles, no excavation needed. It's probably something that could have been done for a few million more at the time, but the contractor would rather get thrice that when it's needed in the future so they didn't do it. Defer the cost to better balance the books now, and make more money on it in the future.

No excavation was needed period, which is why zweisystem was BSing. The extension and temporary walls are incredibly clear at Broadway-City Hall, because of the sloping ceilings. There are clues at many stations, most of which is where the GIDS sensors (Guidway Intrusion Detection Systems) are located. Even 33rd Avenue and 57th Avenue has the platform shell already done.

[ozonemania]

I only mentioned French bilingual announcements because of the strong commitment that VANOC has made to make this a bilingual games. I guess the new transit line wasn't built FOR the Olympics, but it's construction is pretty well synonymous with Olympic infrastructure. And after all, it is a Canadian games, and we are a bilingual country.

I agree French would be pretty pointless outside of the Olympics context for Vancouver. But I would argue DURING the Olympics, that athletes, visitors, diplomats, etc travelling the system would get a more 'Canadian' and 'Olympic' experience this way.

As for the Mandarin/Cantonese thing, hehe that was just one of those fantasy thought-experiments. HK Metro's announcer for Canto and English she's the best. The Mandarin lady not so much.

'Please mind the gap'!

[deasine]

Today was my first experience with King Edward Stn and I think it's the worst underground Stn on the Canada Line, just because the ticket-concourse floors are painted concrete instead of tiles, like most other stns.


Photography by Deasine - Hosted on Picasa Web Albums - Creative Commons Protected


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See?

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It just gets uglier

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Future Jugo Juice

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See that blank space for overhead signs (on the other side)? They could've used that blank space for another sign indicating trains for YVR-Airport/Richmond. Sigh.


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[mr.x]

^ yea, not sure why they didn't use both sides of a sign to their advantage.

Jugo Juice looks interesting, it's more than what i had imagined it would be.