UTL is about exploring past, present and future urban technologies in science and fiction, etc...
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Why is the Canada (embarrassment) Line built the way it is?
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
15 minute SkyTrain service in Surrey this summer due to track replacement work
For a line that first opened in 1985, it took until 2025 to try to start running 5 car trains of the latest generation of rolling stock. Considering that Greater Vancouver has a narrower road network than Montreal, the SkyTrain stations should have been designed to accomodate 10 car trains.
While the Alstom_Mark_V vehicles look nice & modern, a 5 car train is a half-length reminder of how much nicer & better a 10 car train would look.
Just because the SkyTrain is considered to be a Light Rail Vehicle, there still should have been a provision to eventually have the stations to be as long as the longest ones on the Montreal Metro. The Montreal Metro has 500 foot or 152.5m long stations, which can accomodate a 9 car train. Unfortunatly, the first 2 SkyTrain lines only have 80m stations, which are just barely over half the length of the longest STM stations. https://www.stm.info/en/info/networks/metro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Societe_de_transport_de_Montreal#Connections_to_other_transit_services
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro#Rolling_stock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MR-63#Design While a 3 car joke of a train was possible, a 6 & especially a 9 car train is able to efficiently move more people around.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MR-73
3 cars per trainset, operating as 6- or 9-car trains
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MR-73#Construction_and_entry_into_service
Apparently, in order to reduce construction costs, the first 2 SkyTrain lines have stations that are only 250 feet. Half the length of a 500 foot long Montreal train, but BC usually takes the half-assed option with its small-scale of infrastructure development.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#UTDC_ICTS_Mark_I_fleet "The maximum based on current station platform lengths is a six-car configuration, totalling 76.2 metres (250 ft)."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPM-10 (9 articulated cars per train)
| Train length | 152.43 m (500 ft 1+1⁄8 in) |
|---|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPM-10#History Approximately, a 500 foot train divided by 9 cars = 55.55 feet, or just under 17m.
Despite the SkyTrain cars not running on rubber tires, each 55 ft. coach is very close in length to the 55.6 ft Montreal Metro coaches.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovia_Metro#Vehicle "The second generation Innovia ART 200 cars are 16.7 metres (54 ft 9
+1⁄2 in) long each and come in articulated pairs."Thursday, December 19, 2024
Capstan Station on YVR-Canada Line in Richmond
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/capstan-canada-line-station-in-richmond-to-open-friday-9984359 Why design the old & new stations to eventually accomodate 8-10 car trains? The Catheter Line wasn't even designed to officially accommodate enough space for 5 car trains. Thus, in accordance with the BC antigrowth mentality or slow growth agenda, the stations were only designed to eventually just have 2.5 car trains. However, even in 2025, the Catheter Line will still only be using 2 car trains. All the SkyTrain stations should have been designed to eventually be 150.5 meters long, just like the Montreal Metro stations, with even more long-term provisions. Unfortunatly, the first 2 lines only have 80m stations & the C+Line only has a clearance for 50m stations.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-capstan-station-canada-line-opening-date
The Vancouver_City_Centre_station is diagonally across the street from The+Bay+Building+in+Vancouver. However, despite being what is supposed to be a major underground station, its noticeably smaller than the underground train stations in Edmonton & Seattle.
It's been very difficult to get urban planners in BC to properly plan for future transportation demands. The main excuse is governmental budgetary constraints. Even if that's usually the case, at least build half the length of a proper size urban station, with a provision to eventually double or triple its length, for future demand. However, that would go against the Greater Vancouver congestion planning mentality. Thus, even if you have the skills, once you get to BC, you realize that several things are watered down & you must think small or backwards.
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/video/c3050886-metro-vancouver-facing-population-boom With the Metro-Vancouver-population-expected-to-reach-4-million-by-2045, BC is so unprepared & inept, as usual. https://www.kelownacapnews.com/news/metro-vancouver-expected-to-push-past-4-million-by-2045-as-growth-accelerates-7717888
There seems to be an outright refusal in the Metro Vancouver Region to avoid building up to the same level of infrastructure as when Greater Toronto, Greater Montreal, Greater Seattle, Greater Sydney, Greater Melbourn & the SF Bay Area, all exceeded 4 million people.
Going into 2025, the SkyTran will still only have 2-4 car trains, not counting the old Mark 1 rolling stock. By 2025, every SkyTrain should have consisted of 6-8 car trains, not the two-car & four car congested joke that it is.
There is no valid reason as to why the Greater_Vancouver Region can't eventually have an urban train system on par with the Montreal Metro & a regional train system that's as good & frequent as the GO Trains or the Caltrain.
The refusal to build proper bus & truck bridges to help the mostly narrow bridges, still seems to be a half-assed pipedream. Yet, the GV Region pretends that it will eventually have a good Rapid Bus Network without bus-bridges.
While the GV Region is supposed to be a major seaport, there is still a false_front approach to things. How can this false-front & half-ass approach still be the norm in backwater BC? Not only should all the freight-train bridges be at least double tracked, there should also be truck port bridges.
The Oak_Street_Bridge, Knight_Street_Bridge & the Queensborough_Bridge are all so narrow, there is no room for truck & bus lanes. Therefore, a truck & bus bridge should be built next to all of them. Otherwise, everything can just continue to be funneled into only 2 lanes each way.
Of course the Arthur_Laing_Bridge wasn't designed to have 2 bus lanes & 2 truck lanes. Yet, a lot of trucks have to be able to get in & out of YVR. Why have any bus lanes when busses & trucks can all be funneled into only 2 lanes each way? Even though the C-Line doesn't run 24hr a day, the North_Arm_Bridge should have had two 24hr bus lanes & 2 bike lanes & a provision for a middle track. Instead, the narrow North-Arm-Bridge only has 2 tracks & just 1 bike lane.
Fortunately, watered down Greater Vancouver & backwards BC hasn't been able to get most place around the world to adopt such a ridiculously reduced infrastructure approach to things.
The 3rd line should really be called the YVR-Canada+Line.
Officially, there is no A Line, B Line or C+Line, but that seems OK for backwards BC.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Some Urban Trains
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
30-100 year plans http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ british-columbia/ubc-tunnel-su bway-transit-bc-mauro-chiesa-1 .4050842
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
BC SkyTrain expansion
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-expansion-program-sany-zein-bcrtc-translink
Why have a 9 car metro train like in Montreal when Vancouver can just have a 5 car Skytrain on the first 2 lines? That's because the first 2 lines only have a length of 80m. The extremely underbuilt Catheter Line is a fine example of financial drainage. The Catheter Line stations & the first 2 Skytrain lines should have all been designed to have at least 500 feet or 152.5m long stations. However, the C Line only has 50m stations so the little trains can only be expanded from 2 cars to 2.5 cars, not 5 cars & especially no 10 car trains. It's all about symbolizing the reluctance to build proper big city size infrastructure. One has to wonder where so much of the money has gone, because it hasn't gone into a full size system, only a half-assed infrastructure.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-ceo-kevin-desmond-vision
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-extension-richmond-delta
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/george-massey-bridge-replacement-translink
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-vancouver-city-centre-station-second-entrance Conjestive planning really bites, but that's the BC way. The KEEP THEM OUT mentality has been around for such a long time, that not enough people pushed for a train in which the station lengths could eventually be doubled or even tripled. Combine that with a mostly narrow regional road network & you have the epitome of bottleneck planing.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=SkyTrain-Canada+Line
Saturday, April 6, 2024
The SkyTrain - Canada Line in Richmond to close early for seven weeks due to construction
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-canada-line-capstan-station-spring-2024-service
An entire section of the line has to close early, due to a new station being added. If or whenever all the stations are lengthened, the entire system might have to close early.
Fortunately, all the underground stations in Toronto & Montreal & even Edmonton, were built to be much longer, in the first place. Fortunately, any new underground C-Train stations in Calgary won't be Vancouverized. They will be as long as any underground LRT station in Edmonton.
The biggest mistake for the Skytrain was not building 152 m or 500 ft long stations. Then as longer trains are required, the longer stations would already exist.
The 3rd line or the Canada+Line, is such a fine example of BC congestive planning. Why bother to have long big city trains? https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-skytrain
Aparenty, short trains help to match the many narrow bridges in BC. Of course narrow bridges make it tougher to have bus & HOV lanes.
"The five busiest stations have platforms 50 metres (160 ft) long, while the rest of the stations have 40-metre (130 ft) platforms that can be easily extended to 50 metres." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Line#Stations
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-canada-line-rebuilding
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/north-shore-burrard-innlet-rapid-transit-brt-translink
Greater_Vancouver has been stunted or thwarted for several decades, in so many ways.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=SkyTrain-Canada+Line
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Skytrain-Canada Line maximum frequency and capacity issues
Its difficult to understand why so much infrastructure in BC has to always be so underbuilt.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-peak-hour-service-new-trains
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-yvr-airport-station-wayfinding
Saturday, September 30, 2023
SkyTrain-Canada Line rebuilding
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-canada-line-rebuilding
The YVR Canada+Line should have been called, the Financial Drainage Line. However, the Catheter Line seems more appropriate. That's because it would cost a lot just to attempt to bring the C+Line up to a proper big city airport+line standard.
Nevermind designing it to ultimately have 8-10 car trains, starting out with at least 5 car trains. A 2 car train is such a sad joke, but it all fits in with the reluctance to think & build big in BC.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-skytrain
Wow, someday the YVR-Canada-Line will be able to accomodate a 2.5 car train, but not a 5 car train. Apparently, a full length 3 car train & especially a 4 car train might actually look like an attempt to have a proper urban train. Even with all the construction budget cuts, the stations could have been built with at least a 152.5 m provision, instead of a 40-50 m, 2 car train of a joke.
This approach goes so well with the regions narrow bridges & its reluctance to build a network of bus & HOV bridges.
Unfortunatly, it's not possible to take a train from the YVR-Airport_station to the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal or the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal. There doesn't even seem to be any official long-range plan to link to the YVR-Canada-Line.
https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/public-transportation
https://thecanadaline.com/station-guides/yvr-airport
https://www.translink.ca/schedules-and-maps/station/yvr-airport/schedule
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=SkyTrain-Canada+Line
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=YVR-Canada+Line
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=SkyTrain+bridges
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
BC Ferries efficiently connecting Vancouver and Nanaimo, Victoria and Delta
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-transit-summer
All 4 cities should have been much better connected by now.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-ferries-outdoor-pet-areas-tsawwassen-swartz-bay-route
Of course there wasn't any serious long term planning for the YVR C+Line to connect the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal with the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal.
Indeed, unlike the Montreal Metro & the Toronto Subway being designed to have 152.5 m or 500 foot long stations, the Canada+Line was only designed to have 50 m stations. The ridiculously short sighted YVR Canada-Line should have been designed to have 160 m long stations & provide a high capacity connection between West_Vancouver and Delta. Eight 20 m coaches sure would have made for a nice long train, instead of the 50 m joke that is the Canada Line.
There should have been an LRT connection between provincial Victoria & backwater Nanaimo by now. Something like the Coast_Tram or especially the CTrain.
Another LRT line connecting Victoria with the Swartz_Bay_ferry_terminal should have been in place for several years already.
Of course a train connecting the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal to the YVR-Canada-Line would make too much sense, thus it's been ignored for so long.
Mor regular connections between the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal and the Departure_Bay_ferry_terminal would greatly improve things.
There is just something about backwards BC that causes it to be so slow & half-assed about getting things done.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=SkyTrain-Canada+Line
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=North+Shore-Metrotown+SkyTrain+Line
Thursday, November 21, 2024
How the City of Vancouver will pay for its 2026 FIFA World Cup costs
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/fifa-world-cup-vancouver-hotel-tax-costs
https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/bus-network-improvements.aspx With so many narrow streets, its difficult to have a proper network of bus-lanes, especially on the bridges.
https://visionzerovancouver.ca/2024/07/10/take-action-add-bus-lanes-to-translinks-priority-routes Unfortunatly, most of the bridges in the Greater Vancouver Region are just too narrow. There was no logic to have enough extra width for future bus-lanes and HOV lanes.
https://www.biv.com/news/transportation/vancouver-new-dedicated-bus-lanes-translink-2024-9267523
Unless there is a regional network of new bus-bridges, Greater Vancouver will remain in a bottleneck or chokepoint nightmare. Stuck with only a half-assed express or BRT attempt. I suppose that would be impressive to Kelowna-Victoria-Prince+George-Kamloops (K-V-PG-K) standards. Unfortunatly, those aren't big league cities.
Of course the 3rd line, or the YVR-Canada-Line or the Canada (embarrassment) Line, still hasn't been expanded up to a 2.5 car train, let alone having 5 car trains. Right from the start, the trains should have consisted of at least three, 20m coaches, with a provision for 6 car trains. Apparently, because of budget cuts, the station platforms weren't built to be 60-100m long in the first phase, they are only a 50m joke.
The stations could have been roughed out to initially accomodate 3-4 car trains and eventually, 8 car trains. 8 x 20m= 160m. The Montreal Metro stations were built to accommodate a 152.5m train. Fortunately, Quebec doesn't have anything like a backward BC planning mentality to hinder it.
The YVR-Canada (embarrassment) Line doesn't have to be stuck as a symbolic example to not properly plan & build for longer trains in BC. This 3rd Metro-Vancouver rapid transit line doesn't have to be stuck with a 2.5 car train buildout. The incredibly short stations should be extended to 60m, which could accomodate a proper 3 car, walkthrough train. Then, with Selective_Door_Operation Technology, a 3 car train can become a 5 car train of 100m. Then, only the middle 3 cars would directly have access to the YVR-Canada-Line station platforms.
Unfortunatly, due to the shortsighted planning mentality that is Vancouver & BC, the underground stations don't have enough level clearance to be lengthened to 152.5m or 500 feet, like the Montreal Metro stations, which can accomodate nine, 55 foot cars. At least a 5 car, 100m or 328 foot train is still possible in short-minded Vancouver.
For some strange reason, the YVR Canada+Line wasn't designed to eventually provide a link beyond the Vancouver_International_Airport to Waterfront_station. Indeed, a 2nd phase of the inadequate line should have connected Waterfront_station with the Park_Royal_Shopping_Centre and the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal. Then the 3rd phase to connect the YVR-Airport_station with the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal.
Like the Catheter Line, the George_Messey_Tunnel was designed to be inadequate, right from the start.
The George_Massey_Tunnel should have had at least 2 wide emergency lanes for future truck or HOV lanes. Plus, there should have been another tunnel section to accommodate a future express or rapid bus corridor & 2 tracks for a light rail train. Instead, cars, busses & trucks were all funneled into a 4 lane chokepoint. Ironically, over the past few decades, a bus & train tunnel or bridge should have been built, at least.
Express Bus lanes or Rapid Bus lanes vs. HOV & Truck lanes. Any bus lane has the potential to move many more people than any HOV lane. Any major port city & metropolitan area should have a truck lane as well as a bus lane. Thus any HOV lane would be more efficient in bussing people & trucking payloads.
Of course the new George_Massey_Tunnel still won't have a provision for a train section. No emergency lanes, but 2 bus lanes in addition to only 3 general lanes each way. Once again, backward BC gets its wrong. Greater Vancouver is suppose to be a major seaport. Unfortunatly, the new tunnel will only have 4 lanes each way & no HOV or emergency lanes, of course.
Even if there are only 3 general lanes each way, there should have been a provision for a truck lane in addition to a bus lane each way. That would be at least 5 lanes each way, but no emergency lanes & still no provision for 2 train tracks either.
Thus, the new tunnel will eventually have to have a bus & train bridge or tunnel next to it. That would allow the tunnel to have 3 general lanes each way & 1 HOV lane each way. A rapid bus & rail corridor would ensure 24 hour high capacity transit, even when the YVR-Canada-Line is shutdown overnight.
Unfortunatly, none of the 80m & 50m SkyTrain stations were designed to have 4 tracks. That would have allowed for a proper express & local train system. The BC mentality seems to be about keeping the trains as well as the roads inadequate to meet future high transportation demands.
The LG Bridge in Vancouver should have had bus, HOV & train tunnels near it decades ago. Surrey_and_Richmond also should have had proper bus, HOV & train tunnels, decades ago.
Why have 3 sets of tracks like the O'Hare_station in Chicago? Or, have at least have 2 tracks like at the SeaTac/Airport_station. The small-scale YVR-Airport_station just has a single track to make congestion more likely. The Vancouver_International_Airport should have had at least 4 long runways by now.
The multigenerational backwater BC mentality is a combination of overlapping restrictions and a, keep it small or backwards agenda. Why plan and build like a big city, when Vancouver can mostly do things that are only impressive to smaller places like, Kelowna-Victoria-Prince+George-and-Kamloops?
Short trains, mostly stumpy buildings and mostly narrow bridges, provides powerful symbolism for the antigrowth agenda. Building up proper size infrastructure is the opposite.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Metro Vancouver transit facing 'drastic cuts'
After decades of imposing narrow streets, roads, highways & bridges, it's still difficult for the region to have a proper express bus network. Most of the bridges in the region need to have a bus & bike bridge built right next to them.
The first 2 SkyTrain lines still only have 80m stations & the 3rd line, the C-Line, only has 50m stations. In contrast, the Montreal Metro was designed to have almost 153m long stations. Thus, a 500 foot long station can accommodate a 9 car train. Unfortunately, the first 2 SkyTrain lines can only accommodate the newer 4 car trains with a potential for a 5 car train, someday. The 3rd line or the C-Line, can only accomodate a 2 car joke of a train, but it has the potential to become a 2.5 car joke of a train.
This absurdity of congestive planning must be challenged & stopped in backward BC. Unfortunately, there are some influential people that continually like to maintain the symbolism of short trains and narrow bridges. They don't want the Greater Vancouver Region to become a proper urban area. That mentality apparently justifies the inadequate or underbuilt infrastructure in the region.
So now with looming transit cuts, the narrow roads & bridges will become even more congested.
https://www.rtands.com/tag/translink
The $2BN Megaproject Under Vancouver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4YFFtTEUQc
What Greater Vancouver Needs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZavPFZ9H1E
Whether its a bridge or a tunnel, Perth and Seattle have excellent wide crossings which allow for rail rapid transit. Fortunately, the congestive Vancouver mentality never reached into those cities.
https://www.highway99tunnel.ca/tunnel-construction Unfortunatly, BC missed another opportunity to have rapid rail transit through the tunnel.
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/09/17/highway-91-spun-out-richmond Even back in the 1980s, BC_Highway_91 should have been designed to be at least 4 lanes each way. 3 general lanes each way with the 4th as a bus & HOV lane. There also should have been 2 wide shoulders or emergency lanes. The Alex_Fraser_Bridge should have been designed to be at least 10 lanes wide. 3 general lanes each way & a bus-HOV lane & a truck lane each way. Plus, 2 emergency lanes & a provision for a lower rail transit deck. Unfortunatly, bottleneck or chokepoint planning won out. Plus, the symbolism for BC is to not properly plan for large, efficient infrastructure.
How can the Greater Vancouver Region have an efficient express bus & rapid bus network, when the highways & bridges are kept narrow? Why wasn't the SkyTrain designed to eventually have 153m or 500 foot long stations like the Montreal Metro? That would be symbolic of a proper big thinking city wanting to have high capacity transportation corridors. BC is about taking the congestive planning approach instead.
Perth+and+Seattle have been able to do so much more, because they aren't under anything like the imposed Vancouver restrictions and the overall backward BC mentality.
Thursday, April 24, 2025
The Canada (embarrassment) Line
Using the limited funds and low capacity argument is excrement! It's only because of inept urban planning that the Canada+Line is such a transportation embarrassment & sad joke since 2009. Several other cities around the world are able to think big, they plan & build in a long-term way. Thus, if there are only enough funds to build a 2.5 car train, the stations could have been designed to eventually accomodate 5 car trains as demand increases. Plus, all the stations should have been designed with enough clearance to gradually be long enough for 10 car trains.
An ultimate capacity of 10 car trains connecting both ferry terminals with the airport & downtown Vancouver, would really have been properly planning for the future. 10 car trains running every 2 minutes during the busiest times of the day would efficiently allow a lot people to get around. Unfortunatly, it will be challenging enough just to eventually have 5 car trains.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-skytrain
The absurdity to design the stations to only handle 2.5 car trains is a sad joke. The ultimate capacity of two 20m cars with a 10m filler car is so inadequate & pathetic, but this is the BC part of Canada. This backwards & backwater thinking must be challenged.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-future-station-locations
With some modifications, three 20m cars could form a 60m train, despite the absurd platforms only having a clearance for 50m. A 60m walkthrough train makes this possible, its just that the doors at either end wouldn't reach the short station platform. Selective_door_operation could enable the Canada Line to go from a 2 car & 2.5 car joke, to a 3 car & ultimately, a 5 car train. That's still a far cry from cities with 10 car trains running every 2 minutes. However, a 5 car train running every minute could make all the difference for Greater Vancouver.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/what-you-need-to-know-north-shore-wastewater-treatment-plant-1.7235368# Aparently, there is enough money to overpay for a $HIT-PIPE and a $HIT-BOX, but not enough funds to build a proper high capacity train over a couple of decades.
The Canada_Line opened in 2009 with its short 2 car trains & in 2025, there still aren't any 2.5 car trains. By now, it really should have been running 5 car trains, connecting the 2 ferry terminals & the airport. Fortunately, most real cities are able to do proper long range planning for their infrastructure, unlike backwards Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)_rolling_stock#Canada_Line_fleet
Any serious airport+train should be envisioned as more than just a 2 car joke. While a 3 car train might be a little better, a 4 car train should be the minimum. Then, having the stations already long enough to accomodate 6 car trains, with enough clearance for eventually 8-10 car trains. A 2 car joke of a train is almost as bad as the 3 lane Lion Bridge.
There should have been enough informed people to not only make sure that the C+Line was properly designed, but that the whole Greater Vancouver Region had proper planning measures for future transportation infrastructure capacity. Unfortunatly, backwards BC has been under a multi-generational backwater agenda.
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Such short platforms and trains for the SkyTrain-Canada Line
http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-skytrain-richmond-tsawwassen
http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-light-rail-skytrain-mistakes-underbuilt
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Should the Canada Line be extended to South Richmond and Tsawwassen?
http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/short-platforms-and-trains-is-the-skytrain-canada-line-under-built-and-nearing-capacity
http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrains-evergreen-extension-port-coquitalm
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Tunnel Stations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel#Cut-and-cover
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Michel_station_(Paris_M%C3%A9tro)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cit%C3%A9_station#Platforms
The C+Line between Vancouver & Richmond has to be one of the best examples of inept rapid transit planning in the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Seattle_Transit_Tunnel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Link_tunnel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Link_tunnel#Stations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_construction#Enlargement
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-canada-line-rebuilding
The very small scale Canada Line was only built with 50 m tunnel stations when they should have been at least 3 times as long. It was deliberately designed to be so small that it can't even accommodate 4-5 car trains. It can only be expanded from a 2 car joke of a train upto a 2.5 car train.
https://globalnews.ca/news/5778392/canada-line-10-year-anniversary
"We paid a Rolls-Royce price for a Volkswagen system," said Stephen Rees, a transportation critic and a B.C. Green Party candidate in the spring provincial election.
"The problem with this system is it can't be expanded easily. The stations are short, there's long sections of single track, and both of those limit the amount of additional capacity you could add in the future," Rees told CBC News Monday." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/canada-line-opening-draws-long-lineups-1.799296
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
What Canada Day looked like in Vancouver over 100 years ago
By the 1920s, Montreal, Toronto, Melbourne, Sydney, SF & LA, all knew that they were going to be major cities. Unfortunatly in the 2020s, Vancouver is still stuck with a 3 lane Lion Bridge and a Canada embarrassment Line with only 50m stations. The Montreal Metro has 152.5m stations. Most real cities by now would have at least built a 4 lane bus & HOV tunnel & a commuter train tunnel near the LGB.
Despite being a cost cutting measure, the Canada embasement Line still should have had the provision to eventually have 10 car trains. Unfortunatly, the underbuilt line between Vancouver & Richmond wasn't even designed to have 5 car trains. Indeed, the joke that is the C Line has stations designed to only have 2.5 car trains, someday. The first 2 SkyTrain lines only have 80m stations, which can just barely accomodate a 5 car train.