Rapid transit to UBC: TransLink drives on with consultation plan

[Yellow Fever]

Rapid transit to UBC: TransLink drives on with consultation plan


By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun April 1, 2011


METRO VANCOUVER — TransLink is forging ahead with consultation plans for a future rapid transit line to the University of B.C. even though it doesn’t have the money to pay for the long-awaited Evergreen Line.

The transportation authority this week released seven potential designs for expanded transit to the university, using three different technologies: bus rapid transit, light rail transit and rail rapid transit. The designs, all of which would run along the busy Broadway corridor, could include a combination, include proposed stops, travel times, costs and projected riderships.

The move is aimed at reducing passenger congestion along the 13.4-kilometre route, where UBC students argue 4,000 students are passed up every day by full 99 B-Line buses. In most cases, the proposed rapid transit lines would run at street level and in the middle of the road.

“We can’t escape the fact that one million more people are expected to be living here in the next 20 to 30 years,” said TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie. “We have to do something to be ready for them.”

The consultation is part of TransLink technical reports for both a future UBC rapid transit line and extending the SkyTrain in Surrey to the Guildford area, as part of Metro Vancouver’s regional growth strategy.

Hardie said once the planning is done, the project will be able to move ahead as soon as the money becomes available.

“It’s also going to be help us in the process to get an idea of how much more it’s going to take to build out the transportation options,” he said, noting that the proposed designs range from as little as a few hundred thousand to as much as $3 billion. “We really need to sit down and have people consider these options.”

Under the proposed designs for the UBC route, rail rapid transit is the most expensive at $3.2 billion but would have the capacity to carry the most passengers — between 137,000 and 146,000 —in a tunnel from Commercial Drive to UBC in 20 minutes. Adding extra buses along the existing routes to UBC, would be the cheapest to build at $325 million but would take half an hour to cover the route and only attract a daily ridership of 75,000.

By comparison, the Canada Line — the 19.2 km route between Vancouver and the airport in Richmond — cost $2 billion to build, while the 20.3-km Millennium Line cost $1.2 billion.

The UBC planning study comes as TransLink considers options to come up with its $400-million share of the $1.4-billion Evergreen Line linking Burnaby, Coquitlam and Port Moody. The regional mayors’ council on transportation, which has rejected any plans to increase property taxes for transit, is working with the province to consider everything from road tolls to gas taxes, congestion charges and vehicle levies to pay for not only the Evergreen Line but future transit projects.

North Vancouver District Mayor Richard Walton, chairman of the mayors’ council, said it’s important that TransLink continue with the planning for future projects, noting that while the Evergreen Line is first in the queue, the region has other projects waiting in the wings such as the UBC line and the extension in Surrey. At the moment, he added, TransLink is able to sustain its existing levels of service, but it could face a serious crunch if gas prices continue to rise and more people turn to transit.

“Obviously there’s going to be added pressure,” Walton said. “There is some urgency in our trying to find out what these long-term options are.”

The UBC rapid transit expansion has long been on the regional wishlist. In 1999, a proposals for light rapid transit from Commercial to UBC, was seen as having highest capital cost and annual operating cost, while rapid bus had the lowest capital cost and was the cheapest way to attract new transit riders. One of the other proposals also called for SkyTrain as far as Arbutus, which would have a capital and operating cost comparable to rapid bus and would attract the highest number of new riders because the route would combine buses.

TransLink is looking for feedback on the proposed UBC transit line’s alignment, how the road space should be shared and where potential stations should be.

Participants can voice their opinions by attending a workshop, completing an online questionnaire, by attending an April 4 webinar.

The consultation process is part of phase two of TransLink’s University of B.C. Line rapid transit study.

ksinoski@vancouversun.com



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Rapid+tr...#ixzz1IKr7GtiY

[Yellow Fever]

Option 1 - BRT: Bus rapid transit with some street, curb, and lane re-alignments Capital costs: $350-$450 million Operational costs: savings of $1-$2 million per year



Option 2 - LRT1: At-grade light rail with NO direct connection from Arbutus to Science World Capital costs: $1.1 billion Operational costs: savings of $3-$6 million p



Option 3 - LRT2: At-grade light rail with connection from Arbutus to Science World Capital costs: $1.3-$1.4 billion Operational costs: savings of $2-3 million per year.



Option 4 - RRT: Bored tunnel Capital costs: $2.9-$3.2 billion Operational costs: savings of $3-$7 million per year



Option 5 - Combo 1: At-grade light rail along Broadway to Science World + Arbutus to VCC bored tunnel. Capital costs: $2.4 billion Operational costs: savings of $5 million per year



Option 6 - Combo 2: Street bus rapid transit on Broadway + Arbutus to VCC bored tunnel. Capital costs: $1.9 billion Operational costs: $4 million per year more than now



Option 7 - BBA: "Best bus alternative" -- adding more buses on key UBC routes Capital costs: $325 million Operational costs: $18 million more per year

[Hot Rod]

best option: rapid rail bored subway all the way, using VCC!

Could have ground/elevated portions in the UEL area to save costs, and have UBC contribute to this portion (ala YVR-Canada Line). Subway in the University area (at least two stops though: campus terminus and University City), ground/elevated through the UEL, then subway at the UEL entrance into Vancouver City on to near Great Northern Way, then elevated to VCC.

No sense doing option A unless they want to scrap the existing VCC route altogether (which is a mistake imo).

On a completely different topic, I'd also like to see UBC get streetcar service. That UEL/UBC campus is adding density like crazy and turning into quite the city. There needs to be ready rail transit options, in addition to local bus and the subway conduit of the SkyTrain Millennium Line extension.

Get this done!!

[ssiguy2]

U have never supported RT rail to UBC. I've always thought Alma is as far as it need go for now. There are too many other more important priorities with Hastings being the obvious one. The Hastings Waterfront to Kootenay Loop is far far busier and congested a route than West 10th.
Prioritiy one must be the Evergreen and even if they don't have the money for UBC they must find it to expand the MLine to the Canada Line.

[ssiguy2]

BTW.....
I was on the Canada Line today from Bridgeport to downtown and what a pathetic little thing it is. The ride, speed, and comfort were first class but the stations are awful. No up escalators and incredibly small.
Both going there and back on a Sunday no less and people were standing. It runs every 3 minutes and the damn thing is already at capacity. Even when they get down to 90 seconds and 50 metre trains it will be hopelessly over capacity. I;m really starting to wonder if it was worth the money and agravation.
Any line that has only been open 18 months and is already standing room only on a Sunday even with 3 minute service is a boondoggle.
I know that the itsybitsy stations can be "expanded" to 50 metres but does that mean there is some kind of metro car only only 20 metres long? Also, is there an ability to truly lengthen the station to 75 metres or so so that it could hanfle a still small 4 metro car trains?

[ssiguy2]

^ I meant to say......is there such a thing as a metro car only 10 metres long, not 20.

[AMRivlin]

Shocked this thread isn't alight with mention of the City and Translink pushing on moving forward with VCC-Arbutus via bored tunnel and later on connecting UBC.

http://www.vancouversun.com/Vancouve...762/story.html

2.8b for both phases, probably will come out higher.

[AMRivlin]

Originally Posted by ssiguy2

Also, is there an ability to truly lengthen the station to 75 metres or so so that it could hanfle a still small 4 metro car trains?

As read on wikipedia:

The Canada line has a max crush capacity of 15,000 per hour per direction

The fleet consists of 20 fully automated 2-car articulated trains, for a total of 40 cars. The capacity of the trains is estimated at 334 people per car (comfortably), or 400 people at crush load. The trains have a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) in normal operation, or 90 km/h in catch-up mode. Each married pair of gangway-connected cars is 41 metres long and 3 metres wide

[Yellow Fever]

Originally Posted by AMRivlin

Shocked this thread isn't alight with mention of the City and Translink pushing on moving forward with VCC-Arbutus via bored tunnel and later on connecting UBC.

http://www.vancouversun.com/Vancouve...762/story.html

2.8b for both phases, probably will come out higher.

Thanks for the link! The bored method is superior because it won't cause as much trouble to the local business and traffic as the dig and cover. But of course it'd also cost twice as much as the D&C. As the article stated that its a vision and it probably wont go ahead if there is not enough funding.

[AMRivlin]

Originally Posted by Yellow Fever

Thanks for the link! The bored method is superior because it won't cause as much trouble to the local business and traffic as the dig and cover. But of course it'd also cost twice as much as the D&C. As the article stated that its a vision and it probably wont go ahead if there is not enough funding.

So in 1999 VCC-UBC was estimated to be 700m
In 2004 VCC-Grandville was estimated to be 600m (400m coming from province)
http://web.archive.org/web/200610191...045102nn6.html
Now a 2021 VCC-Arbutus line will cost over 1.5B.

Seems like it would have been best to do it all in 1999. Don't get me wrong, I am all for it, just wish I'd have been around to use it.

[Mr.A]

NW98 has a survey today and 2/3 are against a tunnel. That shows that Vancouver is still a "village" and not a world city in my opinion!.

[ssiguy2]

I still stand by my objection to anything west of Alma for now.

The BLine is quite qiock thru the Alma to UBC stretch and is not very heavily populated or developed compared to the Alma to Main section. Surrey definately some relief as does Hastings which is FAR, FAR more congested than Alma to UBC and carries far more buses.

They should contineu to Millenium via Grandview and then head north roughly at the Fraser are to get to Main/Broadway. The tunneled section to Alma must be bored as the area is just too conjested and built up for cut-n-cover. Also cut-n-cover would be very dangerous right up against the busiest hospital in the province, it's asking for trouble.

UBC eventually but after Alma no way as there are simply bigger priorities and more congested corridors right now.

[AMRivlin]

I understand what you are saying about not going past alma, due to few stop lights and less density/traffic.

But I think UBC and stakeholders will demand it come all the way if they are to put in 200-400m.

The airport authority invested 300m in 2008 for their airport line, highly doubtful they invest anything if the line doesn't arrive at their door.

I do think this line is way over due (original plans were drawn up in 1999, and again in 2004)

[Huhu]

If we kill the line at Alma, we will have to put in some sort of massive transfer loop in at that location, otherwise it will turn into another sh!tshow.