Canada Line Discussion | Metro Vancouver | In Service Aug 17 13:00-21:00

[deasine]

I just raised my hand and took the photos -___-" I would have problem fitting through the doors...

[Yellow Fever]

And I can walk between the rain drops without getting wet.

[vanboy2]

Originally Posted by Yellow Fever

You must be a tall fellow...



!

hahaha,I just want to say the same thing about he must be very tall.Deasine ,you must have a lot of patient to do it today.hands up to you.

[mr.x]

images from buzzer:

[EastVanMark]

The Canada Line was fantastic and brings a whole new level of urban feel to Vancouver. Very New Yorkish except newer and cleaner. The line will also no doubt spur an explosion of development in the Cambie corridor which can only go a long way to make Vancouver that much more lively.

[Allen2]

terrible..(the lineups )..I was at Richmond-Brighouse stn and I lined up for 2.5 hrs to get on the train.

I knew I couldn't go anywhere far because I would have to spend the same amount of time catching a train back. Therefore, feeling like the dumbest person in the world, I hop off at Aberdeen stn and made my way back to Richmond centre...


I wonder how many people rode the 99 B line yesterday because they didn't want to catch a train back?

Overall, it was very smooth and quiet and I am looking forward to riding it in the future when it is not so crowded.

[spongeg]

i'm going to go try it our today - i have a cold so if its crowded... maybe i can pass it on

[mr.x]

Day Two brings lighter traffic to Canada Line


By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun
August 18, 2009 12:01 PM

METRO VANCOUVER - Traffic is considerably lighter on the new Canada Line this morning.

TransLink spokesman Drew Snider said he's still waiting for statistics from the morning rush hour but there were far fewer commuters riding the new line between downtown Vancouver and Richmond than on opening day Monday, when 85,000 boardings were recorded.

The drop in passengers is partly because passengers now have to pay the two-zone fare — $3.75 per single trip. Snider said many people are also likely still taking their express buses, including the 98 B-Line between Vancouver and Richmond and those coming from White Rock and Delta.

The 98 B-Line will be cancelled and the other long-haul buses will be rerouted to Bridgeport Station on Sept. 7 as TransLink aims to funnel more people onto the Canada Line.

"We don't expect it to really ramp up until after we get the buses integrated," TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie said.

Some Canada Line passengers are having trouble paying for their fares because of newer technology in the ticket-vending machines.

Snider said the machines do accept debit and credit card transactions, but the upgraded technology requires the credit or debit card to be left in the slot longer.

Passengers must wait until three yellow lights have lit up on the TVM debit slot before taking the card out.

Meanwhile, TransLink is planning to move ahead with a "request for qualifications" this fall for people interested in building turnstiles for the new rapid transit line.

The $100-million project, which would be funded by the provincial and federal governments, are expected to be in place by 2012 along with new Smart Cards.
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

[Franky]

Yesterday the trains were packed. I took the ride from Langara Station to Vancouver City Centre Station. I avoided the line-ups by avoiding the terminal stations. The ride (Marine Drive to Waterfront) is definitely not as scenic as the rest of the Skytrain system but the trains are wide and roomy.

[mr.x]

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18TH (DAY 2) - CANADA LINE RIDERSHIP STATISTICS
- 4:30 am to 9:30 am: 9,000 riders
- as of 2 pm: 33,000 riders
- expected by evening rush hour: 50,000 riders


It looks like the line will have at least 60,000 riders by the time it shuts down at 1 am later tonight.




Day Two brings lighter traffic — and parking issues — to Canada Line

By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun
August 18, 2009 3:32 PM

METRO VANCOUVER - Some Canada Line commuters in Richmond are finding there’s no such thing as a free park.

At least two vehicles were towed from the Richmond Centre parking lot Tuesday afternoon after security staff saw their drivers exiting the lot and heading to the Richmond-Brighouse station, mall spokeswoman Leslie Matheson said.

Another three vehicles were seen coming into the parking lot and turning around after noticing the tow truck, she said.

On opening day Monday, when more than 85,000 people lined up for hours for a free ride on the train, some 30 warning tickets were also handed out.

“Our parking lot is for the exclusive use of our customers while they’re shopping,” she said.

Shopping centres in both Vancouver and Richmond say they will bolster security to ensure Canada Line customers aren’t using their lots for daily parking.

Canada Line officials have said there is no need — or room — for park-and-ride lots as the stations connect with transit and are mostly in high-density urban areas. As a result there is only one park-and-ride facility, at Bridgeport Station, along the 19-kilometre line stretching from Vancouver to Richmond and the airport.

That lot is owned and operated by the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, which owns the adjacent River Rock Casino Resort. Parking spaces will be reserved for 1,200 vehicles during the day and 600 vehicles at night at a cost of $2.

Meanwhile, passengers were still flocking to the Canada Line Tuesday albeit at a slower than pace than on opening day when they didn’t have to pay the $3.75 single trip fare. InTransitBC spokesman Steve Crombie said about 9,000 people had boarded the train by 9:30 this morning and the numbers grew to 33,000 just after 2 p.m.

More than 50,000 boardings are expected to be recorded by the evening rush hour.

Crombie said light-beam technology is used to automatically count the number of people coming into the fare-paid zone. TransLink plans to institute fare-gates or turnstiles, along with smart cards, at the Canada Line stations, but not until 2012.

A “request for qualifications” — to see who is qualified to do the project — is expected this fall. The $100-million project, which would be funded by the provincial and federal governments.

Crombie said the two busiest stations Tuesday were Waterfront and the airport, suggesting people were still checking out the new Vancouver-Richmond line.

Some passengers, however, were having trouble paying for their fares because of new technology in the ticket-vending machines.

TransLink spokesman Drew Snider said the machines accept debit and credit card transactions, but the upgraded technology requires the credit or debit card to be left in the slot longer than on SkyTrain ticket machines.

Passengers must wait until three yellow lights have lit up on the TVM debit slot before taking the card out, he said.

Ridership on the Canada Line isn’t expected to increase until Sept. 7 when the transportation authority will cancel some buses or stop them at Bridgeport or Brighouse stations to funnel more people onto the Canada Line.

At that time, the 98 B-Line between Vancouver and Richmond will be cancelled. Long-haul buses from White Rock and Delta will be rerouted to Bridgeport Station rather than going into Vancouver, while local Richmond buses will be stopped at Richmond-Brighouse.

ksinoski@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

[spongeg]

i did ride it - it was pretty cool - went to the airport had some starbucks - a good number of people were using it to get to the airport with their luggage

and I am guessing 75% of the people who departed teh train went into the airport just to look around as they had no luggage

coming back a good number of people got on with luggage and seemed happy it was running

around rush hour the trains more so richmond bound were pretty full - the stations were steady but no one really ran as they could see on the signs when the next train was coming so they ahppily stood there

[Neda Say]

I love it! Can't wait to be back to try it! However I wouldn't have spent 2.5 hours to ride on it!That would make me mad!

[Huhu]

I rode it today, it was pretty nice, had that "new car" smell lol. Everything was clean and sharp looking. Have to say though, I appreciate the Expo line a little more now; riding underground means there's one less thing to occupy your time during the commute.

Couple of gripes I have:

Lack of signage. Why are there no signs directing people between Granville Station (Expo Line) and Vancouver City Centre Station (Canada Line)? I was at a loss to try and find the way to the Canada line when I got off at Granville Station; as far as the Expo line is concerned, it's like Canada Line doesn't exist. No signs, maps, nothing. The way back was a little better, but I wouldn't blame anyone if they missed the white lettering on white background. Also there is no signage once you get into the Bay. Several people (myself included) just stood around in befuddlement next to the men's clothing section.

Not enough pay machines. Not to mention both the machines at Aberdeen were BROKEN when I tried to use them. Also Vancouver City Centre Station (which abbreviated sounds annoyingly similar to VCC-Clark), only has 3 pay machines, which meant a looong lineup to try and use them.

I also think the station platforms are too short (I know it has been discussed here already). At least the trains are bigger though, but it makes for cramped boarding as more people try to squeeze through fewer doors.

All in all though, I think it's a good system. It's really convenient to be able to get to Richmond efficiently on transit without having to pray about traffic or heat. When I got on after the morning rush, the train was quite empty. Only a few seniors and family's doing sightseeing. On the way back just before the afternoon rush was slightly better (more people). At about 5:30PM the trains were fuller, standing room only, but still didn't compare to the Expo line train I took home.

Also, I can't wait for a new smart card system to be put in place. It's ridiculous that I have to pay $3.75 for a short 10-15 min ride to Metrotown, but I only pay $2.50 for 4 Expo line stations, 7 Canada Line stations, and 2 bus transfers.

[mr.x]

^ lol, both machines are Aberdeen are already broken? I wonder what's wrong with these new tvm models.

Yea, they definitely need more machines at most stations. I saw 12 people line up to use the two tvm's at Yaletown the other day.

There are no signs directing people to the Canada Line from Granville Station because it's not an official transfer point. Waterfront is the official transfer point.

I certainly agree with you with the platform lengths and trains. The smaller platforms also don't allow that many people to queue for a train. And with regards to the doors, I've always thought they should have had made 4-doors on every car....ideally, for that, they would be using exterior sliding doors rather than pocket doors to save room for windows.

[Allen2]

Originally Posted by mr.X

Meanwhile, TransLink is planning to move ahead with a "request for qualifications" this fall for people interested in building turnstiles for the new rapid transit line.

The $100-million project, which would be funded by the provincial and federal governments, are expected to be in place by 2012 along with new Smart Cards.

....great news! I hope it can start next year

[Huhu]

Originally Posted by mr.x

^ lol, both machines are Aberdeen are already broken? I wonder what's wrong with these new tvm models.

Yea, they definitely need more machines at most stations. I saw 12 people line up to use the two tvm's at Yaletown the other day.

Yeah they were busted. There was skytrain staff trying to fix them (I think) and a crowd gathered around waiting for them. In the end, after a few minutes most people just headed up the platform when they heard the train coming.

Originally Posted by mr.x

There are no signs directing people to the Canada Line from Granville Station because it's not an official transfer point. Waterfront is the official transfer point.

I certainly agree with you with the platform lengths and trains. The smaller platforms also don't allow that many people to queue for a train. And with regards to the doors, I've always thought they should have had made 4-doors on every car....ideally, for that, they would be using exterior sliding doors rather than pocket doors to save room for windows.

The platforms are quite tiny, I was really surprised. They will get overcrowded easily and should have been at least twice as long.

Oh well, what's done is done I guess.

[mr.x]

^ well, there's always the future 10-metre platform extension for platforms that aren't already 50-metres. After, we could throw in a billion or two to extend the platforms beyond 50-metres...sigh.

[Yellow Fever]

[dleung]

I rode the trains today for the first time. The fluorescent lights make the train look very cold and sterile. Preferred the warm circular pot lights in the M-line. There's also a lot of leg room, so much so that the person in the window seat can get up and leave without affecting the person in the aisle seat. The stations are small, simple, but look pretty high-quality, especially the elevated ones; and are very well staffed. Some guy must have accidentally pushed the distress button because one of the attendants went around the train asking if anything is wrong.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by dleung

I rode the trains today for the first time. The fluorescent lights make the train look very cold and sterile. Preferred the warm circular pot lights in the M-line. There's also a lot of leg room, so much so that the person in the window seat can get up and leave without affecting the person in the aisle seat. The stations are small, simple, but look pretty high-quality, especially the elevated ones; and are very well staffed. Some guy must have accidentally pushed the distress button because one of the attendants went around the train asking if anything is wrong.

They aren't as bad in person compared to the photos. The issue is that the tubes themselves are quite blue. The new SkyTrain has potlights in addition to white tube lights, which still looks bright.

Lots of leg room = enough room to put luggage in front of your legs. I actually saw a West Jet flight attendant do that... and he isn't small at all.