Calgary's $8 BILLION Transit Plan - The RouteAhead

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by Maccalus

The SELRT being at grade outside of downtown makes alot of sense from a cost point of view. At Grade doesn't mean it can't be properly segregrated from traffic, there is just no need for it to be elevated or underground outside of downtown as there is plenty of land already set aside for it.

The SELRT would still use the same cars at the other 2 lines, keeping the maintance consistancy from your westjet analogy.

Sorry, I apparently am confusing.

I meant having low-grade train cars. Currently Calgary Transit has High grade cars, requiring a higher platform.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Knalus

I believe I read that the SELRT is planned to be at grade. Any reason for this? Sounds like a silly idea. Westjet made a decision early in it's life to only use one type of plane for it's fleet - it saved on parts, interchangeability of it's planes, each plane could do any of it's routes, ect. Why would Calgary Transit want to limit itself so thoroughly?

Low floor trains is about all manufacturers are building these days - high floor is a thing of the past. Since SE and NC LRT will be completely independent of the NW-S and NE-W lines the City can move toward different vehicles. They can operate at the same speed but require much less infrastructure to build station platforms. The City's current C-train fleet has also evolved substantially - it has stayed thus far only with Seimens for the reasons you stated above, but the old U2s that the system started with are almost nothing like the newest fleet of trains.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by morgin

I'm bumping this and the ongoing transit thread - any mod online want to merge them? This discussion will be better preserved in the ongoing transit thread I think.

I would personally vote against such a merge... down with megathreads!

[goodyear]

Originally Posted by Byrns

Bring us the circle line!

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

If only we had access to the same workers they had in Beijing.....I use the rail line all the time when I'm there and it's crazy efficient. I still can't believe how fast it went up.

A circle/loop is a very effient way to connect the spokes together. It works well in in Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo (I know these are metropolis with way higher density).

Calgary has its circle route #72/73 on CT. I think the route is good and connects to a few different points without going through downtown. The only problem with the circle route (anyone who has try taking this to Chinook, MRU or U of C) is its reliablitly. I remember this bus was seldom on time.

If CT and the city can enhance this line or replace it with a BRT or a tram it would make great headways in connecting the spokes.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Table 5

They better. Or else I'm gonna tell my wife to recommend you ugly drapes.

Too late, she already helped us select them.

In any event the draft outline for RouteAhead has a section on areas of the city that require special consideration for network planning/service - the core of the city being the primary one.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Too late, she already helped us select them.

In any event the draft outline for RouteAhead has a section on areas of the city that require special consideration for network planning/service - the core of the city being the primary one.

Which other areas are considered for special consideration? U of C/Childrens Hospital/Foothills, the airport, any others?

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Knalus

Which other areas are considered for special consideration? U of C/Childrens Hospital/Foothills, the airport, any others?

Yeah, those three are in there - also Canada Olympic Park. There may be others.

[Tinordi]

Are those BRTs true BRT or just high capacity buses like the Vancouver B-line?

[Acey]

BRT buses are just regular buses, based on my observation... just with limited stops.

[ken0042]

Actually in Calgary some BRT lines use everything from shuttle buses to regular buses to the extra long buses that bend in the middle. All depends on the route and the time of day.

[Tinordi]

BRT has an actual definition, not sure exactly what it is not a transit planner. As I understand it, BRT is dedicated separated lane ways for buses often with preferential traffic signal priorities.

It's more of a train on wheels than a bus.

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by SeeBass

So what do you think is the NCLRT going up Centre street or in the valley with stations near nobody?

I read some details last night. Nose Creek valley is considered unfeasible.

It will be either Edmonton Trail or Centre Street. Both of which will be incredibly difficult but it needs to be done at some point. I think they may want to look at some sort of elevated rail or subway for that line, but that is just my opinion.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

BRT has an actual definition, not sure exactly what it is not a transit planner. As I understand it, BRT is dedicated separated lane ways for buses often with preferential traffic signal priorities.

It's more of a train on wheels than a bus.

Definitions vary. Nevertheless, Calgary's "BRT" is frequent service, limited stop, which may have particular travel time advantages such as signal priority or segments of dedicated bus-only lanes.

For completely separated infrastructure for buses, Transit here calls them "busways". "Transitways" are similar in that they are dedicated rights-of-way, but are foreseen to convert to LRT at some point.

The names aren't all that important, it's the level of service and efficiency that's provided that matters to people. By necessity, Calgary will have a mix ranging from LRT, dedicated busways, BRTs, streetcars, aerial trams or gondolas, regular frequent bus services, regular line-haul service, feeder buses, some peak-only bus routes and so on.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

A monorail. What this town needs is a monorail. There's your circle route.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Has anyone thought about buses?

Remove all the ctrain tracks, and just put buses, loads and loads of buses, on those routes.

[TurnedTheCorner]

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Has anyone thought about buses?

Remove all the ctrain tracks, and just put buses, loads and loads of buses, on those routes.

Can't tell if facetious, but I believe frink or YNAT addressed this is another transit thread. Essentially to get the same capacity as a C-train, you'd need so many busses that any street crossings would go off way too frequently for it to work. That, plus you'd need x100 more operators on shift at once, etc.

[Nehkara]

This is a map of Calgary from 1969 laid on top of a map of Calgary from 2010, the pink outline being 1969 and the orange being 2010. 41 years.

Spoiler button for size.

Spoiler!

1969 paper map of Calgary

Spoiler!

I got these from a thread on Beyond.ca

[OffsideSpecialist]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Has anyone thought about buses?

Remove all the ctrain tracks, and just put buses, loads and loads of buses, on those routes.

We have that in Ottawa, it would be a total cluster#### in Calgary because the system isn't grade separated outside of downtown like it is here. Not to mention, when the buses get downtown, they end up lined up from one end of the core to the other because there are so damn many of them. There have been times I have walked across downtown in about a tenth of the time that riding the bus would have taken.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by OffsideSpecialist

We have that in Ottawa, it would be a total cluster#### in Calgary because the system isn't grade separated outside of downtown like it is here. Not to mention, when the buses get downtown, they end up lined up from one end of the core to the other because there are so damn many of them. There have been times I have walked across downtown in about a tenth of the time that riding the bus would have taken.

Ottawa: