Calgary Public Transit - Discussion

[Jimmy Stang]

Does anyone "in the know" have any new & exciting info about the Tuscany LRT extension?

The station itself is coming along nicely by the looks of it, and the official opening date remains "Fall 2014". Electrical is ongoing. It appears that there is a lot of work to be done on the parking lots and landscaping, but that's best saved for summer anyway.

Is there a chance that this will be done early? I realize that there is a lengthy testing phase (Crowfoot seemed to last forever after everything looked done), so I'm not holding my breath. But, selfishly, this will be very handy for me! It will also be nice to have Crowchild fully open with all lanes for the first time in over a decade.

[Madman]

New buses are here and they look good.

http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=294829

[Tyler]

Really like the City crest on 'em!

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Does anyone "in the know" have any new & exciting info about the Tuscany LRT extension?

The station itself is coming along nicely by the looks of it, and the official opening date remains "Fall 2014". Electrical is ongoing. It appears that there is a lot of work to be done on the parking lots and landscaping, but that's best saved for summer anyway.

Is there a chance that this will be done early? I realize that there is a lengthy testing phase (Crowfoot seemed to last forever after everything looked done), so I'm not holding my breath. But, selfishly, this will be very handy for me! It will also be nice to have Crowchild fully open with all lanes for the first time in over a decade.

I wouldn't expect it to be open early. Saddletowne station was done and ready to go at around 14 months before it opened.

[diskonect]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

I wouldn't expect it to be open early. Saddletowne station was done and ready to go at around 14 months before it opened.

From someone that lived in Saddletown for a whole year before the Station was opened, it was extremely frustrated. I was a 10 minute walk from the actual Station itself.. but had to take a 20 minute bus ride to McKnight Westwinds (literally PASSING the Saddletown Station).

Although the station itself was complete.. the tracks between McKnight and Saddletown were not laid.. nor was the station even complete between the two.

Structurally, the stations themselves are the easiest things to create.. the bulk of the work seems to be laying the track..

Still, I ended up moving away from Saddletown before the station was even opened up.. in my mind it was a great motivator to move to that area.. but boy was I wrong.

[Calgary14]

What was with the 25 min delay on the trains downtown this afternoon?

[FurnaceFace]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

What was with the 25 min delay on the trains downtown this afternoon?

The signs at the station said there was a mechanical breakdown at sunny side and trains were all running on the crowfoot track.

[Rathji]

Don't think it has been discussed recently, but what's the status on the whole GPS thing in trains and buses?

Am I nuts for thinking that it was going to happen sometime in 2013?

[Tyler]

I'm told end of 2014, if not sooner (hopefully summer)

[frinkprof]

Yes, end of 2014.

I also forgot to mention before that the new website and app is expected to launch in Q4 of 2014.

Lots of changes in late 2014/early 2015 with the website, app, realtime bus information, beginning of 4 car train service.

[frinkprof]

Transit advocate wants ‘one voice’ to fast-track new Green Line route in Calgary

By Bryan Weismiller Metro


For years, southeast suburbanite Doug Hayden has banged the drum for LRT service in his transit-starved quadrant of the city.


But Hayden’s calls for a new rail line have been mixed in the clatter of other special interest groups across the city: Other transit advocates, community leaders and business groups.


With his dream rolling ever closer to reality, the McKenzie Towne resident is now looking to create a more unified voice to speeding up mass transit projects.


[...]


In order to do that, Hayden and pal Jeff Binks are hosting the inaugural meeting of the LRTontheGreen group next week.


[...]



The proposed transit route — known as the Green Line — would run from Harvest Hills to the South Health Campus. Exact timelines to complete the 40-kilometre line remain unclear, with many details left to hash out.


[...]



Background

• The first meeting of the grassroots group — dubbed LRTontheGreen — is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. March 4 at the Thorncliffe Greenview Community Association.
• City council has allotted $520 million of provincial tax room for a bus-only transitway that would later be able to be converted into a CTrain.
• Plopping a full LRT on that Green Line route would cost $5 billion, according to current cost projections.

http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/955...te-in-calgary/

[SebC]

Some transit news:

4th Street and Nose Creek have been eliminated from consideration for the North Central alighnment - Edmonton Trail and Centre Street are still options. There's also some interesting stuff about potentially running the train on the bottom level of the Centre Street bridge... first I've heard of that.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/03/12...th-central-lrt

Also, walk score has given us a 43/100 for our transit ranking, good for 9th out of the 10 Canadian cities they looked at. (Thanks, suburbs!)

http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/968...nadian-cities/

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by SebC

Some transit news:

4th Street and Nose Creek have been eliminated from consideration for the North Central alighnment - Edmonton Trail and Centre Street are still options. There's also some interesting stuff about potentially running the train on the bottom level of the Centre Street bridge... first I've heard of that.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/03/12...th-central-lrt

There was also an article on the Herald -- however, it talked about the train running on top of the centre street bridge as opposed to under it (although it's unknown whether it could even support the weight). I have a hard time seeing it -- traffic is already backed up with 3 lanes in/out of the core during peak times; they want to reduce that to 1?

The other option would be tunneling under the river with the train emerging after you hit 16 ave north. One concern with that option is obviously the increased cost -- not only for the tunnel but for an underground station in Crescent Heights (according to the article -- I wouldn't even bother putting a station before 16 ave IMO).

[SebC]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

There was also an article on the Herald -- however, it talked about the train running on top of the centre street bridge as opposed to under it (although it's unknown whether it could even support the weight). I have a hard time seeing it -- traffic is already backed up with 3 lanes in/out of the core during peak times; they want to reduce that to 1?

The other option would be tunneling under the river with the train emerging after you hit 16 ave north. One concern with that option is obviously the increased cost -- not only for the tunnel but for an underground station in Crescent Heights (according to the article -- I wouldn't even bother putting a station before 16 ave IMO).

7th/8th Ave is a pretty important spot for a station... you want to reduce spacing when there are hills involved.

Personally, I'm hoping for a Centre Street with a tunnel and stations at 8th and 16th... but I'm also well aware that this is the most expensive option.

[Maccalus]

Originally Posted by SebC

Personally, I'm hoping for a Centre Street with a tunnel and stations at 8th and 16th... but I'm also well aware that this is the most expensive option.

I am hoping for this as well. Hopefully we can build this right the first time instead of cheaping out and having to deal with an inferior product this time around. We aren't a small city anymore and can't afford to think like one anymore.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by SebC

4th Street and Nose Creek have been eliminated from consideration for the North Central alighnment - Edmonton Trail and Centre Street are still options.

What a huge waste of time even considering them. It doesn't take a room full of eggheads and a multi-year study to see how running the line up Deerfoot was just a stupid (and frankly lazy) idea.

While Edmonton Trail wouldn't be bad second choice (it would personally benefit me the most), I still think if the city wants to do it right, you HAVE to go up Centre St. You'd be hitting so many residential neighborhoods and retail/office hubs along the way. Then south of the river, you could have a subway station at Eau Claire and continue down into the Mission or something.

Yes, it will be expensive, but if you think long term for this city, Calgary just has to find a way. The focus should really be on finding a way to pay for it.

[RW99]

Why cant it have it's own bridge above the Bow, then go into the hillside? Isn't that cheaper than going under?

[Wormius]

Centre St sounds pretty ambitious.

Wouldn't Edmonton Tr. be a better choice? Given that its close proximity to Centre St anyway, and could be routed into the Zoo Station.

Is the grade of Centre St and Edmonton Tr. Going to be problematic at all?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Centre St sounds pretty ambitious.

Wouldn't Edmonton Tr. be a better choice? Given that its close proximity to Centre St anyway, and could be routed into the Zoo Station.

Is the grade of Centre St and Edmonton Tr. Going to be problematic at all?

Edmonton Trail is the easiest choice but Centre St is the better and yes, more ambitious one.

[Table 5]

Is ambition a bad thing?

There's only one right answer to the route. It's just a matter of how to make it happen.