Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion - Page 975

Xrayal · #**19481** Posted **Jan 14, 2019, 4:14 AM**

Found this on the Translink website yesterday to survey what internal configuration we might consider.
Note worthy:
-200 cars to be ordered
-“Perimeter (sideways) seating” is being considered.
https://www.translink.ca/Plans-and-Projects/Rapid-Transit-Projects/SkyTrain-Fleet-Expansion.aspx

Mac Write · #**19482** Posted **Jan 14, 2019, 6:38 AM**

I am so anti "Perimiter seating due to seniors and disabled people who don't have good balance not feeling safe on perimeter seats. At bare min the cars right in front of elevators, escalators must be front/back facing seats.
Either have (on a 5-car train) cars 2 and 4 as perimeter seating at most or car 3 on the 5 car trains as perimeter seating.

If the seats could swing from front/back facing to perimeter seats by pivoting off of the outside wall mount then it could allow for for flex space and both perimeter and forward/backwords facing seats with extra leg room.

If we had seats that could be changed with 1 minute of work to perimeter seats or standing only space from forward/backwords facing then depending on load they can change things with ease. but I am set on forward/backwords facing seats as well as flex space for bikes and perching pads for those who can't sit (that's a new one for me).

fredinno · #**19483** Posted **Jan 14, 2019, 8:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac Write

I am so anti "Perimiter seating due to seniors and disabled people who don't have good balance not feeling safe on perimeter seats. At bare min the cars right in front of elevators, escalators must be front/back facing seats.
Either have (on a 5-car train) cars 2 and 4 as perimeter seating at most or car 3 on the 5 car trains as perimeter seating.

If the seats could swing from front/back facing to perimeter seats by pivoting off of the outside wall mount then it could allow for for flex space and both perimeter and forward/backwords facing seats with extra leg room.

If we had seats that could be changed with 1 minute of work to perimeter seats or standing only space from forward/backwords facing then depending on load they can change things with ease. but I am set on forward/backwords facing seats as well as flex space for bikes and perching pads for those who can't sit (that's a new one for me).

They probably will eventually go mostly perimeter seating for extra capacity, the Skytrain trains are pretty narrow.

Mac Write · #**19484** Posted **Jan 14, 2019, 9:16 AM**

Lets see how the disability groups react to this. TTC has a combo of both.

Having a single seat being able to swim out (at the ends at min) into a forward/backwords position would be a good compromise as well as folding seats to increase standing room.

A modular seating sitting system that can change with demand would be best. a Train can be re-configured over night as needs change. Have rush hour trains with more perimeter seating but also have forward/backwords facing seats for non rush hour and during rush hour.

Dengler Avenue · #**19485** Posted **Jan 14, 2019, 2:53 PM**

I totally forgot Translink's experimenting with them.

In the Ottawa & Gatineau subforum, we've been talking about the horrific accident for a while now:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=237307

Should Vancouverites be concerned in anyway?

MIPS · #**19486** Posted **Jan 14, 2019, 8:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Should Vancouverites be concerned in anyway?

Only if TransLink starts hiring bus drivers exclusively from Richmond.

In all seriousness we should have nothing to worry about.

Mac Write · #**19487** Posted **Jan 14, 2019, 10:58 PM**

Did anyone attend the waterfront station info session? did you have info boards with rendering etc?

Is the 203 (why 203 that doesn't fit into 4 or 5 car trains) expansion or replacement of the current Mark I trains? Having 5-car trains exclusively on the Expo line when the Mark I's are retired would be a sight to see. Then move all 108 Mark II trains to the Millenium line.

fredinno · #**19488** Posted **Jan 14, 2019, 11:37 PM**

delete

WestCoastEcho · #**19489** Posted **Jan 15, 2019, 3:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I totally forgot Translink's experimenting with them.

In the Ottawa & Gatineau subforum, we've been talking about the horrific accident for a while now:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=237307

Should Vancouverites be concerned in anyway?

Don't think so; for one, there's specific weather concerns in Ottawa that makes it different compared to here, and how Ottawa uses double decker buses will be different from how Translink will use them.

Xerx · #**19490** Posted **Jan 15, 2019, 4:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I totally forgot Translink's experimenting with them.

In the Ottawa & Gatineau subforum, we've been talking about the horrific accident for a while now:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=237307

Should Vancouverites be concerned in anyway?

Is there something specific about Ottawa that causes issues with double deckers? I haven't heard of issues with double deckers in other North American cities with them (and I never heard of any English cities having the same issues that Ottawa has either).

WestCoastEcho · #**19491** Posted **Jan 15, 2019, 4:57 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xerx

Is there something specific about Ottawa that causes issues with double deckers? I haven't heard of issues with double deckers in other North American cities with them (and I never heard of any English cities having the same issues that Ottawa has either).

OC Transpo uses the double deckers as express buses in inner urban conditions, while other agencies use the double deckers as a suburban / commuter bus.

Metro-One · #**19492** Posted **Jan 15, 2019, 5:15 AM**

Pretty sure that both Victoria and Kelowna have been using double deckers for quite some time.

WestCoastEcho · #**19493** Posted **Jan 15, 2019, 5:57 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Pretty sure that both Victoria and Kelowna have been using double deckers for quite some time.

I'm pretty sure Victoria uses double deckers for the express buses running from Swartz Bay to Downtown Victoria, and to UVic and Camosun College. They are seen as alternative to articulated buses, which were considered to be too unwieldy in Downtown Victoria roads.

Kelowna has gotten rid of their double decker buses, AFAIK, but they also used them for similar routes.

Acajack · #**19494** Posted **Jan 15, 2019, 4:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WestCoastEcho

OC Transpo uses the double deckers as express buses in inner urban conditions, while other agencies use the double deckers as a suburban / commuter bus.

That's not quite accurate, I'd say.

OC Transpo uses double deckers on a wide range of routes where there is lots of ridership. This includes on inner city streets where the buses stop at every block and speeds are relatively low. But it also uses them a lot on transitway (BRT) and highway routes that go long distances to and from the suburbs, and these involve fairly high speeds: maybe as fast as 80-90 kmh sometimes.

In most places in the world, my sense is that double deckers are generally used for the first type of service I alluded to: urban streets and roads with frequent stops and fairly low speeds.

Kisai · #**19495** Posted **Jan 16, 2019, 1:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WestCoastEcho

I'm pretty sure Victoria uses double deckers for the express buses running from Swartz Bay to Downtown Victoria, and to UVic and Camosun College. They are seen as alternative to articulated buses, which were considered to be too unwieldy in Downtown Victoria roads.

Kelowna has gotten rid of their double decker buses, AFAIK, but they also used them for similar routes.

Victoria uses them for the West Shore (eg Sooke to Downtown #61), This one operates at highway speeds. So does the Swartz Bay to Downtown route.

There's nothing wrong with the doubledeck busses, the issue with Ottawa is that they allowed someone to drive the bus carelessly, or that the driver was distracted, or a historically bad driver (news articles say two prior accidents.)

If you watch "Canada's Worst Driver" at any time, there are many people who just should not be driving, be it they drive like a maniac, have too much anxiety to drive, or have so little situational awareness that they write off vehicles every few months.

Nearly every incident involving doubledeck buses in Canada involve the ones operated by OCTranspo, so the problem lies there. There have been incidents in New York for the same reason.

Like I wouldn't put it past the investigators to discover that a combination of the driver's poor driving skill and poor maintenance played a role.

VancouverOfTheFuture · #**19496** Posted **Jan 16, 2019, 2:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kisai

Like I wouldn't put it past the investigators to discover that a combination of the driver's poor driving skill and poor maintenance played a role.

or Transport Canada not doing what the TSB recommended in 2013 to improve bus safety

jollyburger · #**19497** Posted **Jan 16, 2019, 3:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xrayal

Found this on the Translink website yesterday to survey what internal configuration we might consider.
Note worthy:
-200 cars to be ordered
-“Perimeter (sideways) seating” is being considered.
https://www.translink.ca/Plans-and-Projects/Rapid-Transit-Projects/SkyTrain-Fleet-Expansion.aspx

They were doing some outreach event at Waterfront Station with boards about these proposed changes.

Sheba · #**19498** Posted **Jan 16, 2019, 6:13 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollyburger

They were doing some outreach event at Waterfront Station with boards about these proposed changes.

It's the first of four events.

Mac Write · #**19499** Posted **Jan 16, 2019, 8:05 AM**

I can't get to the events but would really like to speak to someone on the phone, as I have allot of questions and concerns.

Waders · #**19500** Posted **Jan 17, 2019, 6:36 AM**

Some points mentioned by Michelle Babiuk, a Project Manager with TransLink, in a news article about the RFP for the 203 new skytrain cars.

Quote:

Babiuk noted the public transit authority heard passengers like the larger windows on the Mark III trains, and it is interested in looking into onboard LCD screens given that the feature is becoming more widespread in the industry.
...
But these capacity increases will not necessarily be a result of new Bombardier products, as for the first time TransLink is actively seeking highly competitive bids from around the world.

To date, all three generations of the Mark series of train cars, using highly-specialized linear induction motor (LIM) technology, have been designed and built by Bombardier. But this technology is certainly not proprietary.

“There are other manufacturers that produce LIM trains. I think we will be looking during our RFP for them to demonstrate what their experience is exactly with LIM,” added Babiuk.

Source

Anyone know what other companies also produce LIM trains? May be this is just a tactic to try to get a lower bid from Bombardier?