The Official Transit Thread

[nitronuts]

I guess the West Coast Express is going to lose a good chunk of its passengers from the Coquitlam and the Port Moody area. Not to mention the new Pitt River Bridge which will probably encourage more drivers to stay in their cars. Goes to wonder why translink is spending millions on new wce cars. Do you Know if translink is still planning to build a WCE station near Albion?

Not too sure, but I do know that the proposed Burnaby North Station for the WCE is canceled.

[Buggernut]

I guess the West Coast Express is going to lose a good chunk of its passengers from the Coquitlam and the Port Moody area. Not to mention the new Pitt River Bridge which will probably encourage more drivers to stay in their cars. Goes to wonder why translink is spending millions on new wce cars. Do you Know if translink is still planning to build a WCE station near Albion?

Would it be so alarming?

Is it not possible that more people will ride it from the outer suburbs (Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Mission) if it were to connect more conveniently with Skytrain?

What I'd like them to do is have the WCE complement the Skytrain during peak hours by running all the way to Vancouver, and feed passengers from the outer 'burbs into it at Coquitlam Central Station during non-peak hours by running it all day between Mission and Coquitlam.

Edited December 15, 2008 by Buggernut

[Buggernut]

That's precisely what I said as well when they chose that name....almost as if every small town needed streets called Evergreen, Spruce, Timber, etc. I would have gone with Terry Fox Line or the Spirit Line.

I think we're getting a little Terry Fox overload here, despite what he's done for us.

How about we let Evergreen be a place holder until the Canucks win the Stanley Cup? Then we can rename it the Stanley Line. (Actually, it might be better suited for a future line that runs past GM Place and to Stanley Park.)

The Canada Line isn't even technically a "line", since it consists of not one but two different routes. Rename the entire CL system the Canada Train, and give each individual line its own name, one of which should be the Olympic Line.

[nitronuts]

I think we're getting a little Terry Fox overload here, despite what he's done for us.

How about we let Evergreen be a place holder until the Canucks win the Stanley Cup? Then we can rename it the Stanley Line. (Actually, it might be better suited for a future line that runs past GM Place and to Stanley Park.)

The Canada Line isn't even technically a "line", since it consists of not one but two different routes. Rename the entire CL system the Canada Train, and give each individual line its own name, one of which should be the Olympic Line.

IMO, the Canada Line should be only from Waterfront to Richmond Centre while the Airport Line would be from Waterfront to the Airport. The Olympic Line is the name we've chosen for our future downtown streetcar.

[Buggernut]

IMO, the Canada Line should be only from Waterfront to Richmond Centre while the Airport Line would be from Waterfront to the Airport. The Olympic Line is the name we've chosen for our future downtown streetcar.

That would be too short and cheap a route for such a monumental event, no?

The streetcar should have its own set of naming criteria.

[nitronuts]

That would be too short and cheap a route for such a monumental event, no?

The streetcar should have its own set of naming criteria.

Hardly a short and cheap route:

[trek]

lol yes, lets have the streetcars ferry tourists directly past main & east hastings.

[nitronuts]

lol yes, lets have the streetcars ferry tourists directly past main & east hastings.

Not if the entire area is set to be redeveloped. Just like that episode of the Simpsons with Homer working in that new nuclear power plant, and the promo vid with a homeless man turns into a mailbox.

[BuckyHermit]

lol yes, lets have the streetcars ferry tourists directly past main & east hastings.

While Main/Hastings isn't that bad once you get used to it, that was what I was thinking too.

[nitronuts]

Transportation minister expects fast track for Evergreen Line

By Kelly Sinoski

December 15, 2008 9:01 PM

METRO VANCOUVER - Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon is optimistic the $1.4-billion Evergreen Line will be one of the projects to be accelerated under a federal government scheme to stimulate the economy and create jobs in 2009-10.

The 11-kilometre rapid transit line, which would link Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam, is part of the B.C. government's wish list presented to federal Transport Minister John Baird, who was in Vancouver Monday to meet with Falcon, Premier Gordon Campbell and premiers from Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Baird will meet premiers of the Atlantic provinces today, then Ontario's premier. The aim, he said, is to hear what projects are ready to go and determine how government can cut red tape and change policy to speed things up.

Projects could range from the Evergreen Line to broadband for rural communities, wastewater treatment plans and ring roads in Alberta, he said. Smaller projects would provide a huge boon to municipalities, he said.

"The prime minister has given me a mandate to make things happen," Baird told The Sun in an interview Sunday. "The Evergreen Line is supposedly in the planning stage. That's understandably one of the biggest projects we're working on with B.C. We'll be looking at what we can do to speed things up."

Falcon said Monday the province is in negotiations with the federal government for funding for the project. It plans to open a construction office in January ahead of signing off on the deal.

The B.C. government has already committed $410 million and TransLink $400 million to the long-awaited Evergreen Line so the federal funding is the "missing piece," Falcon said.

The federal government, which is required to pay a third of the project, has provided $67 million so far and Falcon said he's confident Ottawa will match Victoria's contribution. That would leave the project $200 million short, which Falcon has previously suggested would likely be covered by a private-sector partner. The Evergreen line is expected to be completed in 2014.

Without federal funding, the project is at risk of being scrapped as TransLink struggles to boost revenues to maintain the status quo by 2011.

Falcon wouldn't say what other projects B.C. is pitching for fast-track funding, but noted there is still work to do on plans to replace the aging Pattullo Bridge in Surrey and to extend the Expo and Millennium lines to Guildford and UBC before they are eligible for fast-tracking.

Port Moody Mayor Joe Trasolini said he's been told since spring that the funding has been approved and will wait to see what happens. "I'm not getting encouraged and over-excited with promises any more," he said.

ksinoski@vancouversun.com

© Copyright © The Vancouver Sun

[MikeGillis58]

Transportation minister expects fast track for Evergreen Line

By Kelly Sinoski

December 15, 2008 9:01 PM

METRO VANCOUVER - Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon is optimistic the $1.4-billion Evergreen Line will be one of the projects to be accelerated under a federal government scheme to stimulate the economy and create jobs in 2009-10.

The 11-kilometre rapid transit line, which would link Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam, is part of the B.C. government's wish list presented to federal Transport Minister John Baird, who was in Vancouver Monday to meet with Falcon, Premier Gordon Campbell and premiers from Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Will the Evergreen Line stations look nicer than the crappy Canada Line stations?

[nitronuts]

Will the Evergreen Line stations look nicer than the crappy Canada Line stations?

I think it will, as Victoria has learned its lesson with the shortcomings of the Canada Line (and it won't be admitting it publicly anytime soon) and the Evergreen Line is an extension of the SkyTrain network, meaning it requires the same 80-metre length platforms that are seen on the M-Line and Expo Line. Of course, the Canada Line platforms are only 40-50 metres long.

[Marian Gaborik]

That Millenium Line would have never been built had it not been for the NDP gov't..... Thanks Champs. I remember Gordo wanted that plan scraped when he was sitting on the other side of the fence. How times change....

[MikeGillis58]

That Millenium Line would have never been built had it not been for the NDP gov't..... Thanks Champs. I remember Gordo wanted that plan scraped when he was sitting on the other side of the fence. How times change....

I wish the BC NDP had a stronger leader than Carole James. Then they might have a chance of defeating Gordon Campbell.

[BuckyHermit]

I wish the BC NDP had a stronger leader than Carole James. Then they might have a chance of defeating Gordon Campbell.

Or (as I like to call her) "Miss Piggy"...

But yeah. I like the NDP, but Carole James is the main stumbling block for me liking the BC NDP. I don't feel she has what it takes to be premier of this province.

[nitronuts]

That Millenium Line would have never been built had it not been for the NDP gov't..... Thanks Champs. I remember Gordo wanted that plan scraped when he was sitting on the other side of the fence. How times change....

Interestingly, the Liberals at that time were arguing against the NDP government that businesses should be compensated for their losses due to M-Line construction. Today, it's the other way around with the NDP wanting compensation for the Canada Line.

Fact is, nobody should be compensated. It sets a strong and very dangerous precedent for ALL future construction projects.

[trek]

Fact is, nobody should be compensated. It sets a strong and very dangerous precedent for ALL future construction projects.

QFT. Seriously, if every whining "Hazel & Co" female dog gets compensation, then no large scale capital project like a rapid transit line would ever go through. Too many special interest groups.

As my brother suggested, they should stick a Starbucks on Cambie and 16th after she leaves, and watch people camp out at that intersection in droves just to smite her.

Edited December 16, 2008 by trek

[Starbug]

Why are the older double-decker buses so cold??

That's 2 mornings in the last 2 weeks where the coldest part of my commute was not waiting for a bus anywhere but sitting on the lower level of a double-decker bus. My feet were frozen by the time I got to work this morning, despite not being cold while waiting for that bus. Last week, the driver decided to turn the air on shortly after I got on the bus, then there was really cold air blowing around an already cold bus.

[nitronuts]

The 99 B-Line carries an average of 40,000 passengers daily throughout the year and 60,000 passengers daily throughout the school year (Sept. to April). Here are its loads:

Eastbound

UBC 66%

Westbrook 82% <- load leaving UBC

Sasamat 80%

Alma 83%

Macdonald 83%

Granville 90%

Willow 95%

Cambie 100% (11,000 pass/day)

Main 91%

Clarke 87%

Westbound

Commerical 97%

Clarke 98%

Main 100% (12,000 pass/day)

Cambie 93%

Willow 85%

Granville 69%

Macdonald 67%

Alma 66%

Sasamat 65% <- load coming to UBC

Westbrook 43%

Makes all the sense for SkyTrain all the way to UBC.

[Common sense]

The 99 B-Line carries an average of 40,000 passengers daily throughout the year and 60,000 passengers daily throughout the school year (Sept. to April). Here are its loads:

Eastbound

UBC 66%

Westbrook 82% <- load leaving UBC

Sasamat 80%

Alma 83%

Macdonald 83%

Granville 90%

Willow 95%

Cambie 100% (11,000 pass/day)

Main 91%

Clarke 87%

Westbound

Commerical 97%

Clarke 98%

Main 100% (12,000 pass/day)

Cambie 93%

Willow 85%

Granville 69%

Macdonald 67%

Alma 66%

Sasamat 65% <- load coming to UBC

Westbrook 43%

Makes all the sense for SkyTrain all the way to UBC.

Wow. That's pretty crazy, and this is for every 99 that goes in/out of UBC?

Any sources attached to these stats?