VIA to Downtown

[rakerman]

I would love this, but they could never redo what it used to be like as the old marshalling yard is now street + the new convention centre.

http://qshare.queensu.ca/Users01/gor...evelopment.jpg

Even to squeeze in a couple trains I don't know how they could do it unless they came in underground. They still have the space underneath Chateau Laurier, which was then all carefully climate controlled for the photography museum, all of which work is now moot since they closed the photo museum and will use the space for Yet More Government Meetings and offices or something.

[Kitchissippi]

Neat to see a picture of Union Station when it still had a dome. If they ever renovate it and turn it into a public space, it would be cool if they put a glass dome on it like they did on the German Reichstag

[Dado]

It would be easier to dismantle and move the station building than it would be to get trains to it now.

[eternallyme]

I previously mentioned it, but I think what should be done is to turn over what is now the Transitway for VIA and commuter rail. (That requires a change in the LRT line to keep it separate from the current Transitway at least to Hurdman)

Unfortunately, a tunnel underneath the DND building would be extremely difficult.

[adam-machiavelli]

I noticed new gravel and concrete blocks laid along the track that runs past Fallowfield station. Is VIA Rail adding a second track, a passing track, or a temporary track that will be used while it replaces the current track?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Dado

But don't worry: I'm sure if someone came up with a proposal for a high speed intercity bus (HSIB) on a dedicated road (busway), we'd be there in a flash.

Please delete or edit that posting before — you know who — read it and get ideas.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Davis137

You can't have a big city with a small town attitude forever.

Ottawa is prima facie evidence that you can!

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Suzie

(e.g., Carleton U is not a major destination for Quebeckers).

Yet.

Had the O-Train been extended to Hull, as it could have been, oh, pretty well from the start, you would have already seen a good number of Carleton students renting on the Quebec side.

A lot of students are getting squeezed out of the traditional student ghettos through gentrification and sheer numbers. The number 5 bus is becoming a U of O school bus weekday mornings and evenings, as more and more students start finding cheaper digs further east.

[Ottawan]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Yet.

Had the O-Train been extended to Hull, as it could have been, oh, pretty well from the start, you would have already seen a good number of Carleton students renting on the Quebec side.

A lot of students are getting squeezed out of the traditional student ghettos through gentrification and sheer numbers. The number 5 bus is becoming a U of O school bus weekday mornings and evenings, as more and more students start finding cheaper digs further east.

It's true that the O-Train is incredibly convenient for Carleton students, and has led to interesting perversions of behaviour. For example, instead of shopping at Billings Bridge, Carleton students (at least those 1000s in residence) now prefer to get their errands done at South Keys. Carleton is really isolated, but the O-Train provides such a quick connection that it feels less so to those communities that are near it.

Anyway, all this is to say that it's another strong argument for a Gladstone transit station. Right now, Carleton students are far from any decent nightlife. I guarantee that if there were a Gladstone O-Train stop, they would flood in and out of Preston street every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, helping to support a true new nightlife destination.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Ottawan

It's true that the O-Train is incredibly convenient for Carleton students, and has led to interesting perversions of behaviour.

I prefer to think of them as "modifications"!

Carleton is really isolated, but the O-Train provides such a quick connection that it feels less so to those communities that are near it.

It still is isolated, in some degree, for cars and even buses, but boy, it sure doesn't feel isolated when it takes just six minutes to get there from in sight of the Ottawa River. My mental map of Carleton's place in the city has completely changed. (Too bad the university with the architecture school can't put up more physical maps of Carleton to help navigate the campus once you actually get there.)

Anyway, all this is to say that it's another strong argument for a Gladstone transit station.

Oh hells yeah.

Right now, Carleton students are far from any decent nightlife. I guarantee that if there were a Gladstone O-Train stop, they would flood in and out of Preston street every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, helping to support a true new nightlife destination.

Not just Carleton students, either.

[madsad]

Originally Posted by Suzie

I vaguely recall coming across such a proposal for the Calgary to Edmonton corridor. I don’t know how serious it was. Probably wasn't. If I remember correctly, a dedicated corridor would have allowed inter-city buses to travel at a higher speed (up to 160km/hr?).

I think I found what you are referring to, although it is in the US, not in Alberta: Link to video