Canadian Transit Thread II

[Coldrsx]

This was the last version of the Edmonton-Calgary rail connection. May I present 'The Dayliner'.
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In 1955 the Budd 'Dayliner' was introduced to the service, the journey time was reduced to 3 1/2 hours, with 3 trains per day carrying 80,000 passengers in 1969.
By 1982 the service was reduced to 1 train a day, and in 1985 the service was terminated.

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https://www.abrailway.com/home

[Nouvellecosse]

Seems like the Cal-Ed CP track is still in good condition based on a few spots I viewed in streetview and aerial, but is almost all single track except for a few sidings. I counted over 140 level crossings in rail atlas and those would need to be removed for a high or higher speed rail service. Although not all the crossings would be expensive to remove since many could just be closed rather than replaced. Often you'll see a lot of what i call "crossings of convenience" if a track doesn't have terribly frequent or fast-moving services. A lot of such crossings aren't really necessary since people could just travel further to cross if there was enough safety risk to warrant it. But many crossings would need to be replaced or at least upgraded with enhanced safety equipment. And even without higher speeds, some crossings would still need to be removed or replaced if there was a significant increase in rail traffic. That's because the total risk is best described as a combination of how bad an event would be were it to happen along with how likely it is to happen. So even if the potential severity of an accident didn't increase, the likelihood would.

I also can't see a passenger service being very successful without double tracking so that might be the biggest cost (at least for conventional speed service). Unlike with freight which is often most efficient with fewer, longer trains, passenger rail need greater frequency to allow flexible travel options. The ideal service would be hourly or even half-hourly, while every 2-3 hours would be the absolute minimum. Not that frequent service would guarantee ridership success, but it would be one of several mandatory check boxes along with competitive pricing, reliability, decent travel time, and last mile connections. Fortunately the corridor does seem to be wide enough to make double-tracking fairly easy (perhaps it used to be double at one time?) And both airports are close enough to the route to make UPE-style elevated connections possible. Still expensive but as long as it pays off. So that core route has a lot of potential at least for efficient, conventional-speed rail which could still have travel times that are competitive with driving.

[ssiguy]

I agree that twinning the track would definitely be a good long-term investment, it doesn't have to be done all at once to introduce the service.

Certain sections can be twinned and still allow for high frequency when properly timed. This could be, as an example, Calgary to Airdrie, Lacombe to Innisfail, and Leduc to Edmonton. We are seeing this with the new Brightline West project in Cal/NV where less than half the line will actually be double tracked.

Obviously some overpasses will need to be built but only thru towns of , for example, more than a thousand people and many crossings, as you stated could be permanently closed. Althought the entire ED/RD/Cal is quite populated there are HUGE gaps between some of the urban areas. Ponoka to Leduc is basically barren.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

This was the last version of the Edmonton-Calgary rail connection. May I present 'The Dayliner'.
---

In 1955 the Budd 'Dayliner' was introduced to the service, the journey time was reduced to 3 1/2 hours, with 3 trains per day carrying 80,000 passengers in 1969.
By 1982 the service was reduced to 1 train a day, and in 1985 the service was terminated.

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https://www.abrailway.com/home

Wasn't VIA experimenting with bringing a few of those back in SOntario?

[cranes]

2023 Region Of Waterloo Yearbook - GRT Ridership: https://www.row2023yearbook.ca/grt-ridership

https://pub-regionofwaterloo.escribe...ab=attachments
6.1.2 TSD-TRS-24-005, Grand River Transit - Ridership Update - 2023 Year End

1.TSD-TRS-24-005, Grand River Transit - Ridership Update - 2023 Year End.pdf

4. Report Highlights: GRT has its busiest year ever with annual ridership of 26.4 million, an increase of 48.3% over 2022. This is also an increase of 20.1% over the previous high ridership of 22.0 million in 2019. ION LRT ridership increased to 4.4 millions riders for the year, an increase of 49.4% over 2022. Meanwhile bus ridership increased by 48.1% to 22.1 million. Daily boardings, which measure every time a person boards a transit vehicle including their transfers, of 132,000 also exceeds previous levels in 2022 of 76,000 by 49.5% and 2019 of 102,000 by 11.2%. Service hours increased by 5400 hours (0.7%) since 2019 and 10,700 (1.3%) since 2022. Appendix A, Performance Dashboard, illustrates the current ridership and the year-todate information. The highest and lowest performing routes are noted. The ION LRT continues to be the highest performing route while the other high performers (110 & 12) serve the post-secondary market as well as a diverse corridor with significant numbers of workers and families using the Route 12. The lowest performing routes are BusPlus routes which serve areas where ridership is still developing, including a new pilot on-demand transit service.

5. Background: The previous ridership update report was presented at the November 7, 2023 Planning & Works Committee (Report TSD-TRS-23-011) and illustrated the significant growth in transit ridership as we moved out of the pandemic era. It indicated September as the busiest month that GRT has ever had. In September, there was a significant service improvement, particularly in Cambridge with roughly 18,000 hours of new annual service added. The network redesign in Cambridge was the last phase of a network redesign as part of the restructuring over several years leading to the implementation of the ION service. As is normal with transit service changes, the ridership impact takes a while to be felt as people adapt to improved service and get an opportunity to try an improved journey. That ridership impact began to be felt during the last quarter of 2023 and will continue to see growth over the next year.

7. Financial Implications: The growth in ridership has resulted in GRT revenue that exceeded the 2023 budget estimate by $8.5 million. Staff have reflected the increased ridership and revenue in the 2024 budget accordingly. All other things being equal, the additional ridership could result in a higher Provincial Gas Tax Fund allocation in future years.

2.Appendix A - Performance Dashboard - GRT.pdf


https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/perf...-measures.aspx
GRT Performance Dashboard updated as of 2024 February


https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/kitchen...ions-1.6813859
Kitchener approves 'transformative' new policies for growth around LRT stations March 19, 2024

Kitchener is introducing new rules to guide development around major transit stations and mandate the inclusion of affordable housing units in some new builds. At Monday night’s meeting, council approved a new planning framework that removes density and parking requirements around LRT stations from Grand River Hospital to Mill, among other measures. “We think this is the most permissive and flexible zoning bylaw in Canada,” Adam Clark, senior urban designer for the City of Kitchener, said Tuesday. “It really is a transformative project… the idea is that Growing Together really enables that full spectrum of housing, from single-detached, all the way through to high-rise residential apartments and everything in between. So if you want to live in one of Kitchener’s major transit station areas, there’s an option for you, no matter what your needs are.” The city estimates the new planning framework will enable the creation of 100,000 new homes, including 20,000 units in low and mid-rise apartment buildings, sometimes called the “missing middle.” Inclusionary zoning bylaw: Also on Monday night, council approved an inclusionary zoning bylaw, which by 2031, will require developments with more than 50 units near an LRT station to make five per cent of them affordable...

A map shows areas covered by the Growing Together plan. (Submitted/City of Kitchener)


https://twitter.com/GRT_ROW/status/1782417507476766882
Grand River Transit @GRT_ROW Apr 22, 2024

More than 1,600 solar panels have been installed on the roof of our Northfield Transit Maintenance Facility! By the numbers:
• The latest (and largest!) of 18 solar arrays at Region of Waterloo facilities. (Our Chandler Drive Maintenance Facility also has solar panels.)
• The Northfield array will generate around 1,000 megawatt-hours of electricity every year.
• 1,000 megawatt-hours is enough to power 100 homes for a year.
• It will offset 27 tonnes of emissions, equivalent to not using 12,000 litres of gasoline.
• The power generated will be fed back into the facility for use, with any excess sent into the electrical grid.
• Our electric bus pilot program, with 11 electric buses, operates out of the Northfield garage.
Now we’ll be able to charge the buses with renewable energy, taking another step toward a greener future.
Happy Earth Day! ☀️������������ #EarthDay2024

[Taeolas]

A video take on the Alberta plans:

• Video Link

The algorithm suggested it to me. I've watched a few of his videos before. He's very pro transit in general so his take on the Alberta plans are rather obvious.

Still, I do find I agree with most of his points in general (and the Alberta plan in general). Setting out a long term roadmap and doing some preparation while the land is 'cheap' isn't a bad idea.

He does seem to focus a bit too much on the Cal-Ed corridor, but that's obvious low hanging fruit that should have been done decades ago.

[phone]

I believe Reece is active on this forum.