The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[ainvan]

TransLink gets approval to start moving toward distance-based fares

Zone-based payment for rapid transit in Metro Vancouver could soon become a thing of the past.

The Mayors' Council has given TransLink the go-ahead to start developing a new payment model based on distance travelled on the SkyTrain, SeaBus and Canada Line systems.

Based on positive feedback from people during an extensive consultation process, TransLink will begin research on changing payments so people pay a flat rate for the first five kilometres travelled (around $2.95, the current one-zone rate), but would then increase per kilometre until the current three-zone payment (at $5.70) is reached.

The changes would also affect monthly passes, allowing people to pay for unlimited transit based on the maximum distance they travel on rapid transit per trip.

TransLink will also begin exploring a pilot for discounted fares at off-peak times, and negotiations with the provincial government for funding that would allow discounts for seniors and low-income earners.

CBC

[ainvan]

Vancouver-born actor Seth Rogen steps in as voice of Vancouver's public transit after Morgan Freeman is pulled

You'll soon hear Seth Rogen on Metro Vancouver SkyTrains, buses

The announcement comes after Rogen, a Vancouver native, offered to replace fellow actor Morgan Freeman, who lent his voice for a public announcement campaign for TransLink.

The campaign was pulled after a CNN investigation reported a pattern of alleged harassment and inappropriate behavior toward women by Freeman, CNN affiliate CTV reported.

Steve Vanagas, vice president of customer communications and public affairs for TransLink, said in a statement the idea of featuring Rogen's voice came from social and local media.

In a video announcement, Rogen says he "grew up taking public transit my whole life and I still use public transit when I'm in the city."

"When the opportunity came up to be a voice of public transportation, I was thrilled," Rogen said. "I am honestly always looking for ways to participate in Canadian culture and to put the spotlight on Canada."

CNN

[ssiguy]

Those new fares for Translink are going to increase most people`s fares. Someone from Cloverdale going to their own City Hall just saw their monthly fare go from $93 to $155 and someone from parts of South Surrey going from $93 to $177! Almost no one will see a fare decline...…….this is a money grab.

[kaitoe]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Those new fares for Translink are going to increase most people`s fares. Someone from Cloverdale going to their own City Hall just saw their monthly fare go from $93 to $155 and someone from parts of South Surrey going from $93 to $177! Almost no one will see a fare decline...…….this is a money grab.

You're referring to a bus trip from Cloverdale to City Hall, right? If so, it's still a flat fare, and riders would only need to buy a $93 5km monthly pass. And, anyone travelling one or two stations between zone boundaries would definitely see a fare decline.

[Doady]

$2.95 for the first five kilometres is just laughable. Not exactly distance-bassed. 5km is much smaller than any of the current zones too. So yeah, fare increase.

[Reecemartin]

Been thinking about making a post like this for a while, please chime in~!

I think we have reached an absolutely amazing point in terms of transit expansion in Canada:

As of today Canada has 264 rail rapid transit stations but, by 2027 we will have at least 474
thats an increase of 210 stations in less than 10 years:

Vancouver: 2018 ~ 53 -> 2027 ~ 67

Calgary: 2018 ~ 45 -> 2027 ~ 59

Edmonton: 2018 ~ 18 -> 2027 ~ 46

Toronto: 2018 ~ 75 -> 2027 ~ 114

Ottawa: 2018 ~ 5 -> 2027 ~ 39

Montreal: 2018 ~ 68 -> 2027 ~ 91

Waterloo: 2018 ~ 0 -> 2027 ~ 19

Missasauga: 2018 ~ 0 -> 2027 ~ 22

Hamilton: 2018 ~ 0 -> 2027 ~ 17

Thats about an 80% increase in the number of stops that will open from this fall until about
2025 and that doesn't include further expansion planned in Calgary (Green Line Phase 2),
Vancouver (New Line/ Infill Stations), Toronto (DRL, RER, Eglinton East and West and more),
Edmonton (Several Extensions), Montreal (Blue Line Extension), and entirely new systems in
Gatineau and Quebec City and beyond. If even some of these projects come to fruition in the next
10 years we will be looking at DOUBLING our number of RT stations. Not to mention we will have
connected 2 or even possibly 3 more airports to rail transit making it easier than ever before for
tourists to explore Canadian cities on the rails.

That also doesn't include commuter rail expansion occuring in Toronto, improved trains and service
on Via National Rail services (being procured already), new electric buses being ordered across the
country, or any of the numerous new BRT and rapid bus schemes being developed.

Never have I been more excited about Canadas future and more confident that we have a very bright one in store.

[Doady]

Technically, "rapid transit" refers to grade separated lines, which can operate longer trains and more frequently and at higher speeds without disruption to the street. Modern LRTs of course have some rapid transit features but not all. The GO Train system is undergoing a slow transformation into rapid-transit as well.

I rode the Mississauga Transitway for the first time last week and it was weird to see dedicated transit infrastructure in the city. It is a different feeling, and the LRT will give even more that feeling.

But I don't think focusing on the amount of rail is the right mentality. Ultimately the overall amount of service is what matters for ridership. Mississauga's transit ridership grew by 60% in past 15 years and I don't expect the same growth with LRT. And that's okay. I don't think rail has a major impact on ridership, if any.

Rail is just about efficiency and capacity, and more Canadian cities have reached the point where the transit ridership is too much for buses to handle, and that's what we should be really celebrating.

[Coldrsx]

Edmonton: 2018 ~ 18 -> 2027 ~ 46

... in the grand scheme of things not very far away and a proper city-wide LRT/LRV system.

[p_xavier]

I don't get the Montreal numbers. REM by itself is 26 stations plus 5 for the blue line.

[nname]

Originally Posted by Doady

$2.95 for the first five kilometres is just laughable. Not exactly distance-bassed. 5km is much smaller than any of the current zones too. So yeah, fare increase.

Isn't that's the point? Instead of going $2.95 for 10km, and then a a big jump to $4.20 for up to 20km, then $5.70 after that... it will be changed to $2.95 for the first 5km, and then $0.10~$0.15 for every km after that.

And of course it will be a big fare decrease the people from East Vancouver going to Metrotown, or just cross the river between Scott Road and New Westminster, or uses the SeaBus from North Van to Downtown.. as the fare will drop from current $4.20 to $2.95 or $3.10.

[Rico Rommheim]

Indeed, the correct mtl number would be 99.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

Been thinking about making a post like this for a while, please chime in~!

I think we have reached an absolutely amazing point in terms of transit expansion in Canada:

As of today Canada has 264 rail rapid transit stations but, by 2027 we will have at least 474
thats an increase of 210 stations in less than 10 years:

Vancouver: 2018 ~ 53 -> 2027 ~ 67

Calgary: 2018 ~ 45 -> 2027 ~ 59

Edmonton: 2018 ~ 18 -> 2027 ~ 46

Toronto: 2018 ~ 75 -> 2027 ~ 114

Ottawa: 2018 ~ 5 -> 2027 ~ 39

Montreal: 2018 ~ 68 -> 2027 ~ 91

Waterloo: 2018 ~ 0 -> 2027 ~ 19

Missasauga: 2018 ~ 0 -> 2027 ~ 22

Hamilton: 2018 ~ 0 -> 2027 ~ 17

Thats about an 80% increase in the number of stops that will open from this fall until about
2025 and that doesn't include further expansion planned in Calgary (Green Line Phase 2),
Vancouver (New Line/ Infill Stations), Toronto (DRL, RER, Eglinton East and West and more),
Edmonton (Several Extensions), Montreal (Blue Line Extension), and entirely new systems in
Gatineau and Quebec City and beyond. If even some of these projects come to fruition in the next
10 years we will be looking at DOUBLING our number of RT stations. Not to mention we will have
connected 2 or even possibly 3 more airports to rail transit making it easier than ever before for
tourists to explore Canadian cities on the rails.

That also doesn't include commuter rail expansion occuring in Toronto, improved trains and service
on Via National Rail services (being procured already), new electric buses being ordered across the
country, or any of the numerous new BRT and rapid bus schemes being developed.

Never have I been more excited about Canadas future and more confident that we have a very bright one in store.

If Ion Phase II goes ahead, K-C-W could be at 28 stations by 2027.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

If Ion Phase II goes ahead, K-C-W could be at 28 stations by 2027.

Meanwhile we are still waiting for the testing to be finished...

The trains have arrived for quite a while now, but people have simply been testing the rail gates all the time. Heck, when they honked on the train, it sounded like a car honk instead of a train one, which I find very misleading...

[Reecemartin]

Originally Posted by d_jeffrey

I don't get the Montreal numbers. REM by itself is 26 stations plus 5 for the blue line.

Given the number of times Blue Line extension has been promised I am not gonna count it until shovels are in the ground, and note REM only ADDS 23 stations since 3 are interchanges

[Reecemartin]

Originally Posted by Doady

Technically, "rapid transit" refers to grade separated lines, which can operate longer trains and more frequently and at higher speeds without disruption to the street. Modern LRTs of course have some rapid transit features but not all. The GO Train system is undergoing a slow transformation into rapid-transit as well.

I rode the Mississauga Transitway for the first time last week and it was weird to see dedicated transit infrastructure in the city. It is a different feeling, and the LRT will give even more that feeling.

But I don't think focusing on the amount of rail is the right mentality. Ultimately the overall amount of service is what matters for ridership. Mississauga's transit ridership grew by 60% in past 15 years and I don't expect the same growth with LRT. And that's okay. I don't think rail has a major impact on ridership, if any.

Rail is just about efficiency and capacity, and more Canadian cities have reached the point where the transit ridership is too much for buses to handle, and that's what we should be really celebrating.

And indeed its what I am celebrating, rail is a milestone and a significant investment that usually isn't made without decent confidence and even better intersecting bus routes will likely see ridership increase and so the process of establishing more lines continues.

[Reecemartin]

Also worth noting that the GTHA is becoming Canadas first proper rail transit connected REGION which will see several LRT systems connected with all-day GO service on the Lakeshore West Line. Then when the Kitchener Line makes the jump to AD2W we will also see ION connected and Hamilton is a work in progress.

All of the East is the to be linked with Via service which will at the very least be seeing new trains in the next few years if not more.

Now we just need to link up the Western cities and revamp the Canadian and a massive percentage of the country will be connected by rail alone.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

Also worth noting that the GTHA is becoming Canadas first proper rail transit connected REGION which will see several LRT systems connected with all-day GO service on the Lakeshore West Line. Then when the Kitchener Line makes the jump to AD2W we will also see ION connected and Hamilton is a work in progress.

All of the East is the to be linked with Via service which will at the very least be seeing new trains in the next few years if not more.

Now we just need to link up the Western cities and revamp the Canadian and a massive percentage of the country will be connected by rail alone.

Correct me if I am wrong, but Hurontario LRT will not be connected to either of those lines.

[Doady]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Correct me if I am wrong, but Hurontario LRT will not be connected to either of those lines.

Hurontario LRT will connect to Lakeshore West line at Port Credit. Too bad it won't connect to Kitchener Line at Downtown Brampton.

Part of the point of LRT was to have one continuous line from Port Credit and Downtown Brampton, connecting the two GO lines, and that was lost due to NIMBYism. Right now there is a direct bus connection from Downtown Brampton to Square One and that will be lost too.

[Nouvellecosse]

Was it really lost due to NIMBYism? The wiki page suggests that Brampton council felt that the number of riders along the Brampton stretch of the route was too low to justify such an investment and that they wanted to spend their funds on the most useful route within Brampton rather than just go along with that one due to Mississauga pushing it on them.

[Doady]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Was it really lost due to NIMBYism? The wiki page suggests that Brampton council felt that the number of riders along the Brampton stretch of the route was too low to justify such an investment and that they wanted to spend their funds on the most useful route within Brampton rather than just go along with that one due to Mississauga pushing it on them.

The original Hurontario-Main LRT was a collaboration between the two cities; Brampton was involved from the beginning.

Main Street where Brampton's downtown is. Main Street is where the Brampton GO station is. Main Street is the street that their BRT-lite route, 502 Zum Main, operates on. In other words, Main Street is Brampton's main street. Do you think Mississauga forced all that on them?

Average weekday boardings of various north-south Brampton Transit routes in 2012:

2 Main 2,700
3 McLaughlin 2,961
4 Chinguacousy 5,700
7 Kennedy 6,706
14 Torbram 4,600
18 Dixie 5,927
30 Airport Rd 3,842
52 McMurchy 2,518
502 Zum Main 9,244

http://dmg.utoronto.ca/pdf/tts/2011/validation2011.pdf

The ridership along Main Street is "too low" and it's not a "useful route" so they are considering LRT on McLaughlin and Kennedy instead. Makes sense, right?