Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by MIPS

I've mentioned a few times that I've repeatedly approached TransLink in regards to the creation of a multi-part series of informative videos or just short clips just to better explain how everything works (and frankly an independent producing this would sure look nice as to avoid a whitewash) but TransLink wants none of it no matter how much I try to water it down to their liking. Even when they could redeem themselves with their annual Open House, normally the only people allowed to visit the OMC are children accompanied by a parent. Everyone else gets to see the bus yards.

It's hard to keep faith in your transit system when they only want to talk about it when things really go south.

I have my own video cameras, video editing software, and stuff like that, and I'd love to go do something like that. But I'd probably never have time for it.

Believe me, there's three things that Translink needs to do better:
1) Communicate when there are delays or shutdowns, immediately.
2) Have someone from BCRTC engineering do exactly what they did with this last shutdown and show what the damage is, and what they are going to do to prevent this from happening in the future.
3) Prevent Bateman from mugging for the camera and actually point out things like a) This wouldn't have happened had the plebiscite passed, or b) the system is well maintained/is still the cheapest to operate/most efficient/highest satisfaction etc.

What someone needs to do is produce a video "re-enacting" each incident from this year/last year, and then comparing it to similar situations in other rapid transit systems a la "seconds from disaster"

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Yes it is certainly an inconvenience but people complaining about these delays get me a bit pissed off. To me this is like driving and when there is an accident that stops all traffic flow turning around and blaming it on the road.

Things happen and the priority is to let the people on the trains know what's going on and fixing the problem as soon as possible. People who think that nothing ever goes wrong on a system that carries a million passengers a day better start lowering their expectations and act like adults instead of a bunch of childish kids.

SkyTrain has proven itself to be fast, convenient, safe, and reliable............the hallmarks of great transit but to expect such a system run flawlessly without periodic problems is juvenile,

I've done my good deed and talked to some of my neighbours earlier this year about how we always talk about the negative and not about all the times that Skytrain runs perfectly. They admitted that it is a really reliable system.

I was on the Skytrain late one night during track maintenance and the woman sitting next to me was saying 'I pay money for this so I expect it to run perfectly without any errors ever' - I doubt you need three guesses as to her general age...

[MIPS]

From what I'm scraping from the news outlets, TransLink themselves released a few good shots of the collector assembly as part of the press release.

Daaaaaayum!

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by MIPS

From what I'm scraping from the news outlets, TransLink themselves released a few good shots of the collector assembly as part of the press release.

Daaaaaayum!

are there any pics of what a good (undamaged) collector assembly should look like?

[MIPS]

Original photographer unknown

Notice how low the -600v collector is. The clearances are pretty tight under the trains.

[Meraki]

Trains are now travelling very slowly in the area where the rails are stored. (Between Commercial-Broadway and Main, on that curve by the Moe's furniture building.)

[Spork]

Originally Posted by Meraki

Trains are now travelling very slowly in the area where the rails are stored. (Between Commercial-Broadway and Main, on that curve by the Moe's furniture building.)

They have been traveling slowly there for a few weeks. I am fairly certain that the area in question was between Main and Stadium.

[Express691]

Originally Posted by Spork

They have been traveling slowly there for a few weeks. I am fairly certain that the area in question was between Main and Stadium.

To be more specific, its EB before the sharp curb at the Vancity Building at Main Street.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Meraki

Trains are now travelling very slowly in the area where the rails are stored. (Between Commercial-Broadway and Main, on that curve by the Moe's furniture building.)

Maybe the solution to this is the NOT store parts on the guideways where they can rattle around and whack a train going by.

[dpogue]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

Maybe the solution to this is the NOT store parts on the guideways where they can rattle around and whack a train going by.

Where else can you store a 300m-long continuous welded segment of curved running rail that must match the guideway exactly?

[officedweller]

... and work on the job within limited time windows?
Moving the rail to its location would eat up all the time.

[GeeCee]

I imagine that they're going to work on a way to better secure replacement rails to the track after this. Ideally. Hopefully the current solution (lower speeds through storage areas) is not the one that we're stuck with.

[Kisai]

Ugh.... Global News. I'm just going to go do a fact check on some things and throw it on Youtube.

[Mac Write]

What the status of the test Mark III train?

[AMTDGT]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

What the status of the test Mark III train?

Speaking of MK III's. I was at Home Depot the other day and I watched 2 sets of 6 car Mark 1's ones go buy slowly over Moe's. It gave me an idea.

I understand that you can't hook MK1's and Mark II's together. Is it possible to hook a Mark II to a Mark III creating a 6 car train? I suspect that practically that may be a length issue for some of the Expo line stations, although it would probably be a bit shorter than 3 Mark II's hooked together.

[xd_1771]

SIGH. They've done it. I saw this coming eventually and it looks like Global BC has decided to pull the trigger. They're blaming these problems and issues on the misleading idea that SkyTrain is "outdated" and "proprietary". There was a news clip put up on their website with comments from Patrick Condon (ugh) and Nathan Pachal (really?!). It's here:

Critics say SkyTrain technology is past its prime: Global News

When the SkyTrain opened in 1985, it boasted brand new technology that was supposed to become the world standard for rapid transit.

Outside of a few minor transit lines in other cities, the Bomardier-built Advanced Rapid Transit technology used on SkyTrain never really took off anywhere else except Vancouver...

[MORE with video at HERE]

I think it's a matter of urgency that we discuss, debate and/or shoot this down right away. On my part I have already launched a contention on my blog, as well as contacted Global about this asking to speak about the matter. I've pointed out that this technology is in fact being used around the world, and offered some perspective on the recent breakdowns as well as the issues with the Scaborough RT. I don't mean to stretch the boundaries here but it'd help if I could get some support in making sure this gets out.

SkyTrain technology is not outdated and not proprietary

Nathan Pachal was incorrect in stating that Bombardier “dictates what we’re going to do in our region” in a recent interview with Global BC, and I couldn’t have been more disappointed at what he said. I couldn’t have been more disappointed with the report either, which claimed and brought attention to SkyTrain technology being “outdated” and a “boutique system is made by only one company.”

This is misleading and untrue, and I have proven this many times in my research and advocacy efforts throughout the past few years.... [READ MORE on my Blog]

[MIPS]

Dammit Global, you know you can do better than this.
I'm already annoyed at them for the whole breakdown history and missing a few incidents (I know it doesn't go with the flow in this thread but the fact they missed a well known brake shoe incident and a sign post incident 20/25 years ago indicates they did not check their facts) in an attempt to make it look like ALL the major incidents happened in the last two years. Heck, they missed that snapped coax line in 2012 or something. They had one thing they wanted to push and selectively picked their dirty laundry.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by xd_1771

SIGH. They've done it. I saw this coming eventually and it looks like Global BC has decided to pull the trigger. They're blaming these problems and issues on the misleading idea that SkyTrain is "outdated" and "proprietary". There was a news clip put up on their website with comments from Patrick Condon (ugh) and Nathan Pachal (really?!).

I grabbed the video off my PVR. This is one of those rare times I'm actually annoyed enough by something on TV that I want to see something change. So I took all the video footage from the 25th/26th/27th and put together a bit of a fact check. This was before Global's video was available on the website. Navigating Global's website for video is a huge pain and nothing is findable. You have to actually use Google to find things.

Anyway this video below, The first half of the video is finding fault with Global and to a lesser extent CTV. I'm not sure if CBC aired anything but their online stream suggests they found the one-punch news item more important than Global and CTV choosing to headline with the Skytrain.


Ugh, youtube... I had to cut it in half because I have no idea what account my phone number is tied to. Unfortunately this results in the second half losing about 5 seconds at the end.
• Video Link

• Video Link

So, as for the people being quoted in the news items:
Nathan Pachal - sfb.nathanpachal.com , Not the worst person, but certainly not without bias, and definitely in the "anti-skytrain" light rail camp.
Patrick Condon - http://www.tea-after-twelve.com/all-issues/issue-01/issue-01-overview/chapter1/less-money-to-spend/ , you can find his bias is strongly against rapid transit, and entirely in the tram-train camp. Global may as well have interviewed MDJ.
Jordan Bateman - Well he's an anti-tax advocate, so he doesn't even belong on the news unless the story is about a tax proposal.

That's not to say everything they say is wrong, but it's not helpful to want to go back to the 1920-1940's and just say no to development. Metro Vancouver doesn't have only mom+pop stores. Those stores need to get their merchandise from manufacturers, and they are not going to hand-truck pallets across Metro Vancouver on a tram.

At any rate, the video's are unlisted, the playlist isn't. I decided to upload what I had, because every time I went back to the software I added another 4 minutes.

There is VERY LITTLE video on Youtube about the Skytrain about negative stories. Even trying to find archived video on Globa/CTV/CBC takes effort. However finding video about accidents involving light rail takes no effort at all. Even trying to find video about Subway accidents... they are so infrequent, but the ones that have happened, only served to speed up adoption of automation technologies.

Anyway, I leave this here for now. I may move the single-video to public searchable once Google allows the account to be verified.

[Kisai]

Translink has put up their own video regarding the power-collector shoe if you want to see the un-edited interview with Richard Sykes VP Maintenance, BCRTC
• Video Link

[Metro-One]

I did not even watch the videos because I know thay will make me angry.

First I love the complete lie about how skytrain technology (or similar technology) has not been used elsewhere.

Also, has it never dawned on people that the reason why everywhere does not use skytrain technology is not because it is inferior, but indeed because it is a superior (and therefore more expensive to construct) technology, during a time that most North American cities are taking the cheepest at grade LRT route for their transit systems?

Vancouver is so lucky to have skytrain.