The Official Transit Thread

[Columbo]

Went on a longer ride on the Canada Line today, and was very impressed. First off, it took me 8 minutes to get from out my door to downtown, when generally it takes about 25 (including an average wait time for the bus - and 35 minutes in bad traffic). Fantastic stuff. The trains are quiet, fast enough, clean, and the stations look much better than I expected. I think the platforms are sufficient in size, especially since all the ones I saw board from the middle... since rush hour only goes one way at a time, it essentially gives you double the platform width. (Compare that to Expo line stations like Columbia, New West, 22nd St, Edmonds, etc. where each side has its own platform.. they can get very full). And the best part was that people seemed very excited and very pleased about the new line. So far so good I think.

[nitronuts]

NITRO's REVIEW

I've watched this project for 7 years, there's an immense gratification of watching it go online.

Although I have harshly criticized the project over the last few years, it's only because I obviously want a better system for all of us. What's done is done, lets look forward now and try to learn from our mistakes.

I was struck by awe, it was more than what I imagined it to be. Beyond my expectations.

I started my trip at Broadway at around 5 pm, I noticed that they put the yellow "fare required" sticker along the floor as the signs above weren't noticeable enough.

I was checked for a fare, from one of those green coats, for the first time in years!

The scale of Broadway-City Hall is impressive, in terms of its airyness. It was truly impressive, and noisy. To be picky, there are some ugly pipes above the inbound platform. I wish they could have done something more with the roof above the tracks.

An outbound train heading to Brighouse was the first to arrive, the station voice announcements are amazing! Loud and clear....i noticed that there are like sets of speakers along every 3-metres of the platform, which is why the sound is so crisp (for an underground transit station). The outbound train was packed, almost full.

My inbound train arrives a few minutes later, with the speakers blasting the announcements. The stations are also quite noisy, I'm assuming its from the fans behind the wall. The train arrival brings a gust of wind into the platform.

The train is about half full, I was quite surprised at how relatively smooth and quiet the ride was. But there were sections where it was quite slow, namely between Broadway and Olympic Village. Not to mention, compared to the trains we're used to

The train arrived at Yaletown, and i was suprirsed at how many people there were on the platform. At least two dozen people even. I actually think it's possible they may have underestimated the ridership for this station, besides being used for events at the nearby stadiums.

The train continued on to City Centre, and then of course Waterfront. I got off at Waterfront, obviously impressed. The corridor to CPR building was nice, but i gotta wonder how long before all of that is stained with the trains pushing in dirt into the station. A year? Will the operator be cleaning it?

Speaking of maintenance, customer service on the system is amazing....Translink could definitely learn something here.

On my way back down to the Waterfront platform, staff were on the public announcement system telling people at Waterfront to let passengers off the train first before boarding. Hopefully, they will include something along the lines of "Please let passengers exit the train first before boarding" immediately following the train arrival announcements.

By the time the train arrived, there were at least 150 people waiting to get onto the train. This was the train to Brighouse, i was lucky to get a seat.

The train was quite slow when it got to the bends at Queen Elizabeth Park, a lot of squeeling.

There were only two people waiting for the platforms at Langara and Marine.

Unfortunately, no "ahhhs" when the train got out of the tunnel....but it was really an impressive sight after being deprived of views and light for nearly 15 minutes.

The views from the North Arm were impressive, a large plane swoop over us as we went by. You'd wish the windows were larger, but maybe it was for the better that it was smaller. The train walls are noticeably much wider than the SkyTrain cars, and it definitely helps to lower the amount of noise inside the train....so smaller windows would of course buffer the sound even more. There was only one train parked at the OMC.

I'd wager there were about about 150-200 people on the train when it got to Brighouse. It was busy. I waited for the train to reverse for about 4 minutes at Brighouse....the end track seemed a bit short lol.

I got off at Bridgeport to transfer onto YVR. It's far too small, being the interchange location for so many buses. It's going to be a packed station, there isn't much room to move around. Bridgeport and Broadway should really have been built with 50-metre platforms right from the start. The station aesthetics right on the platform reminded me of Lougheed when you looked up, the metal texture was similar. But of course, from the outside and afar it didn't look impressive.

It was at Bridgeport where I heard a old Chinese woman complaining how the stations weren't big enough. "Di zam mei ho dai ah, ho xie ah!"

The track turn right after Bridgeport, to YVR, was quite slow (and even slower on the way back on the same section).

I don't have much to comment on the YVR stations, definitely some of the nicest elevated stations along the line. Nobody was waiting at Templeton of course, but i did notice that glass had been shattered on one end of the platform.

On the way back into Vancouver, I sat at the front of the train....had a good view of the front window. I noticed they hadn't resolved the water leakage problem in the Cambie tunnel, i noticed a small stream of running water down the tracks and it ended just before Broadway.

I got off at Yaletown and did a little exploring, the station was busy! There were about a dozen people lining up to use 2 ticket vending machines! I did a short walk around Yaletown, got back a few minute later and I showed staff my U-Pass without them asking. These people are extremely friendly btw. Gotta also mention that I noticed cleaners at stations with sweeps, which is virtually non-existant when SkyTrain is running.

I boarded the train home, but before that I did one more stop at Olympic Village. I had the impression before that this station was rushed in time for the opening, so they went along with the simple tile design for the concourse....but if you look beyond that, the tiles keep going along the wall down the staircase/escalator in a staircase pattern. It was also a really airy station and the glass walls for the mezzaine were nice. It was a station that really surprised me, i was impressed.

I got off at Broadway, where I started my trip, and took the 99 B-Line home.

What more can I say? Like my blue t-shirt said on yesterday, "I <3 CANADA LINE".

Edited August 19, 2009 by nitronuts

[nitronuts]

TUESDAY RIDERSHIP/FIRST NORMAL DAY OF SERVICE: 70,000

Canada Line traffic settles down on Day 2

By Frank Luba, The Province

August 19, 2009 12:05 AM

David Nixon and Briana Wutsch waited until Tuesday to take their two-year-old son, Osiris, for a little ride on the newest train in town — the $2.05 billion Canada Line.

The trio were among the 70,000 people to hop the train on its first official day of operation.

The family lives near the Yaletown-Roundhouse station and were going to try the system Monday — until they saw the massive lineups for the free rides offered as a pre-opening public treat.

“It was too long a wait,” said Nixon.

Their plan was solid, as they got to experience the system Tuesday without being packed into the cars like sardines in a tin.

More than 82,000 riders jammed Canada Line during Monday’s eight-hour preview of the 19-kilometre connection between downtown Vancouver, Richmond and Vancouver International Airport. InTransitBC spokesman Steve Crombie said only about 50,000 riders were expected, and the extra passengers forced the line to put on 19 two-car trains instead of the 15 initially used. The planned schedule was dropped too.

“We started trains basically as often as we could,” said Crombie.

Paid service started Tuesday morning at 4:50 a.m. from Waterfront Station and by 9:30 a.m., electronic counters showed just 9,000 people had crossed into fare-paid zones where they needed tickets. The number jumped to 33,000 by 2:15 p.m and hit 60,000 just before 6 p.m. — “so we’re anticipating we’ll hit at least 70,000 for the day,” said Crombie.

Unlike the waits Monday that were as long as two hours at some stations, commuters — including a surprising number with suitcases headed to the airport — got a more “normal” view of the line than Monday’s almost excursion-like trip.

Nixon, 34, and Wutsch, 25, liked what they saw.

“It reminds me of other cities where I have taken metros or subways,” said Nixon, who owns a chain of clothing stores.

Wutsch thinks the line will be most useful for Richmond residents wanting to get into Vancouver, but she plans to use it for trips to the airport when she travels with her toddler.

“It will be nice not to have to drive,” she said.

Both were particularly happy the line has finally been finished.

“We’ve been dealing with the construction for three years,” said Nixon.

“We’ve been living in a gated community,” joked Wutsch of the controlled access in their neighborhood. “It was a little rough. The dust and the noise and the trucks — but I guess it’s worth it.”

As with almost anything new, there’s always a little confusion, and that continued Tuesday as people struggled to figure out which train they needed.

There was also a hiccup with the new ticket-vending machines. People had trouble purchasing tickets with debit or credit cards because the new machines need to retain the cards longer than the older ticket machines. The new machines have three yellow lights and users must wait for all three lights to be lit up before withdrawing their card.

Making it easy to pay is a priority for the line, because its business case was predicated on attracting 100,000 riders a day — a total that was supposed to be reached by 2013.

TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie said current ridership is not an accurate “barometer” of ridership because buses won’t be fully integrated with the line until Sept. 7, the day of the next regular bus schedule change.

“After Sept. 6, after Labor Day, is when all of the buses start focusing on the Bridgeport Station and Brighouse [station],” he said.

— with a file from Jack Keating

Waterfront

Loved these photographs

Waterfront to VCC:

Leaving VCC to Yaletown (filling up):

Waiting at Yaletown for southbound train (after getting off and looking around the station briefly):

Yaletown to Olympic Village/Broadway-City Hall:

Getting off at Broadway:

People heading northbound at Broadway

Back at Broadway after a quick bite to eat. Just missed the previous train but the ~6 minutes went by quite quickly:

Southbound train pretty busy

Some water clearly visible

And its another full train

Edited August 19, 2009 by nitronuts

[FireGillis]

NITRO's REVIEW

I've watched this project for 7 years, there's an immense gratification of watching it go online.

Although I have harshly criticized the project over the last few years, it's only because I obviously want a better system for all of us. What's done is done, lets look forward now and try to learn from our mistakes.

I was struck by awe, it was more than what I imagined it to be. Beyond my expectations.

Wow I remember some of your long rants about it earlier in the summer. Nice to see you change your opinion. I myself have yet to try the line.

[nitronuts]

^ I stand by my rants, but what's done is done. There's no use in complaining further. Enjoy the system (it really is more than what i thought it would be), find solutions to problems as we go, and learn from our mistakes for other projects in the future.

[BuckyHermit]

Took the subway ride from Incheon to Seoul today... Had some fun with the crowds near downtown Seoul but it didn't result in any train-pushers doing their stuff. The passengers seem to be pretty compliant for the most part.

Their trains lack sufficient air conditioning for the most part. Only the Incheon and AREX lines seem to have good A/C, and that might only be because of the lower ridership when I got on.

And one of them might be a Bombardier because the acceleration/decceleration sounds were almost like the old SkyTrain Mark I's.

(99% of the population drives KIA or Hyundai here... It was so cliche -- the first thing I saw upon getting off the plane was a big KIA commercial.)

Edited August 19, 2009 by BuckyHermit

[Canuck_4_Life]

I'm gonna wait until Sunday to explore the Canada Line. I was gonna do it on Friday, ironically, after taking my car through AirCare and parking it at Bridgeport, however, things have come up and I'm out in Chiliwack on Saturday.

[Common sense]

More than 82,000 riders jammed Canada Line during Monday’s eight-hour preview of the 19-kilometre connection between downtown Vancouver, Richmond and Vancouver International Airport. InTransitBC spokesman Steve Crombie said only about 50,000 riders were expected, and the extra passengers forced the line to put on 19 two-car trains instead of the 15 initially used. The planned schedule was dropped too.

And that's why it failed so miserably on the first day.

[nitronuts]

Took the subway ride from Incheon to Seoul today... Had some fun with the crowds near downtown Seoul but it didn't result in any train-pushers doing their stuff. The passengers seem to be pretty compliant for the most part.

Their trains lack sufficient air conditioning for the most part. Only the Incheon and AREX lines seem to have good A/C, and that might only be because of the lower ridership when I got on.

And one of them might be a Bombardier because the acceleration/decceleration sounds were almost like the old SkyTrain Mark I's.

(99% of the population drives KIA or Hyundai here... It was so cliche -- the first thing I saw upon getting off the plane was a big KIA commercial.)

I'm not sure if it's open yet, but there's a rather large Bombardier LIM line to Yong In's amusement park...it uses mini-Mark II trains.

[Common sense]

I'm not sure if it's open yet, but there's a rather large Bombardier LIM line to Yong In's amusement park...it uses mini-Mark II trains.

everything's smaller in Asia?

</racist joke>

[BuckyHermit]

I'm not sure if it's open yet, but there's a rather large Bombardier LIM line to Yong In's amusement park...it uses mini-Mark II trains.

Hmm, maybe. I'll find out soon enough.

everything's smaller in Asia?

</racist joke>

I'm not sure whether to laugh or facepalm.

[Vanuck14]

Of course there gonna be alot of cleaners out, they want to keep it clean for the Olympics.

[nitronuts]

Of course there gonna be alot of cleaners out, they want to keep it clean for the Olympics.

It has nothing to do with that actually...not to mention the Games are 6 months away.

InTransitBC's revenues are from Translink, and they are based on the customer service, cleanliness, reliability, and maintenance of Translink's Canada Line. If performance dips, so will InTransitBC's revenues. And there's no union for ProTransBC Canada Line workers, instead workers can get raises for doing a good job.

Hop on SkyTrain, and it's almost as if nobody ever cleans it...customer service is also terrible.

You will notice a lot more fare checks on the Canada Line than SkyTrain...in fact, I've had 2 fare checks on my ride on the Canada Line yesterday from station attendants. That's more fare checks than I've ever had in the last 3 years!

Edited August 19, 2009 by nitronuts

[Denrik]

It has nothing to do with that actually...not to mention the Games are 6 months away.

InTransitBC's revenues are from Translink, and they are based on the customer service, cleanliness, reliability, and maintenance of Translink's Canada Line. If performance dips, so will InTransitBC's revenues. And there's no union for ProTransBC Canada Line workers, instead workers can get raises for doing a good job.

Hop on SkyTrain, and it's almost as if nobody ever cleans it...customer service is also terrible.

You will notice a lot more fare checks on the Canada Line than SkyTrain...in fact, I've had 2 fare checks on my ride on the Canada Line yesterday from station attendants. That's more fare checks than I've ever had in the last 3 years!

Yeah I've ridden the train probably 150 times in my life, and I've only been checked once

[MikeGillis58]

I did not enjoy my ride of the Canada Line from Richmond-Brighouse to Waterfront. Although the ride was fast and convenient, my feet got stepped on twice by passengers. No apologies.

[Hordichuk]

It cut 20 minutes off my commute home from the airport, and $1.25 off my commute to the airport.

The tunnel is very windy.

It will also make chasing after French mobsters much tougher.

[BuckyHermit]

It will also make chasing after French mobsters much tougher.

In Vancouver, French mobsters are as common as a skank in Afghanistan.

Asian mobsters are more like it.

EDIT: I'm surprised "skank" wasn't censored.

Edited August 20, 2009 by BuckyHermit

[nitronuts]

Holy crud, turns out 83,000 rode the Canada Line on Tuesday (not Monday) on its first day of normal revenue service. Not 70,000 as first reported. That's incredible.

[MikeGillis58]

Holy crud, turns out 83,000 rode the Canada Line on Tuesday (not Monday) on its first day of normal revenue service. Not 70,000 as first reported. That's incredible.

I bet most of them will step on my feet.

[Columbo]

Holy crud, turns out 83,000 rode the Canada Line on Tuesday (not Monday) on its first day of normal revenue service. Not 70,000 as first reported. That's incredible.

mmm, but a lot of those people (myself included) only rode it on tuesday because they didn't feel like waiting in line on monday. That number is obviously inflated, it'll be a while before there are any meaningful ridership stats.