The next GVRD rapid transit line?
 

Hi all, just curious what new transit line/extension you would like to see after the obvious priorities of Canada/Evergreen/Broadway, regardless of the technology. You can vote on either what you think the region needs most, what you know Translink sees as upcoming priorities, or just what your own selfish desires warrant. Most importantly, please discuss why you chose what you chose. Hopefully the voting options are enough to satisfy most.

i voted for "Vancouver - Other"

specifically, 41st ave. apparently after the canada line is built, there will be a b-line on 41st ave. but then again, there already is an express bus there... but anyhow, considering the trend how b-lines are eventually replaced by a rapid transit line, i think it's pretty cool in that one day there may be a subway running along 41st ave from joyce station to ubc! when the millenium line extenstion gets crowded, i think it would be appropiate to consider a line running down 41st.

Aside from streetcars, which aren't really rapid transit, it would probably be Surrey's turn after those three are done. If North Van was willing to accept more growth, I'd pick it for being one of the last regional town centres to be connected to the rapid transit network. The others are Langley and Maple Ridge.

I voted "Vancouver- Other" as the M-Line needs to be extended out westwards all the way to UBC ASAP given that its capacity is already choking (if that counts). Then, the E-Line can be extended from King George Station east to Guildford, then turn south to Fleetwood.

Hastings. From the Racetrack to the new development to the PNE to the Coliseum.

Either that or a DMU along Marine Drive South.

PS. I don't include M-Line West. That's just phase 3 of the M-Line.

I figure it's Surrey/Langley's turn next. That's where the most population growth is located.

The North Shore wopuld be nice, but the population base doesn't justify the expense (unless the Lions Gate Bridge is used).

I voted Abbotsford, even though technically it's not part of the GVRD. Some kind of light-rail needs to be run from Abbotsford to the Skytrain in Surrey, or even to Vancouver, making sure to pass the psychological speed barrier of people in their cars (120km/h at least). It could even go in the middle of Highway 1 for the most part, with stations at large intersections throughout Abbotsford (probably only one, at Mt Lehman), Langley, Surrey.

Ubc Ubc Ubc....

Surrey/Langley.

Service to south fraser is horrible, yet it is probably the fastest growing region in the GVRD. Even the bus system seems stuck in the 1960s wrt routes - at the very least a b-line is needed, but a quantuum leap can be made by using the interurban ROW, implementing surrey's LRT plan for king george/104 and perhaps expanding skytrain, with associated TOD.

I'd like to see Hastings get it to rejuvenate the street and densify.

Langely and surrey majorly, but I'd like to see something go into north van and possibly to horseshoe bay...

to bad we didn't have somethign go through the mountains to whistler eh?

HASTINGS! cuz i live there!

i think surrey/langley via guildford would be good

is it possible to run the skytrain under and along where those cuts are for the big power lines that criss cross surrey? - there is a good east one for a bit - it might at least make for easier construction as not much is in the path

From 22nd st station to Cambie street along marine way to conect Surrey, NE, and New West to Richmond, the Airport and south Vancouver. Eventualy this line could be extended further east under 6th av in New West to Braid station to bi pass the sky bridge which at some point will become congested as the area and surrey grow plus the extension would hit uptown new west which is already dense and has huge growth potential with the hundreds of aging 3-4 story apartment building. This the can also extend along lougheed to Coquitlam center once the NE line is busy enough and south Coquitlam densifies. To the west the line could eventualy continue through marpole and up along Arbutus street to downtown Vancouver once the Canada line becomes busy enough and if the Arbutus corridor densifies as it should and could.

Surrey also defenitly needs a extension preferably from surrey central via Guildford center to the highway where you can create a major park and ride facility and in the future all the way to the Golden ears bridge and to Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows. And another extension south towards Newton to create a major bus hub and eventualy extend to White Rock and Langley.

In a fantasy world I would have a maglev line from downtown Van to Chiliwack with stations in Downtown, Metrotown, Surrey center, Langley, Abotsford airport, FWU Abotsford and Chiliwack and a peak hour station at Broadway and Comercial. Then I would build out transit from these points and densify them like crazy.

Excluding M-Line's western extension, I'd say Hastings, it's very active along Hastings and it used to have a street car AFIK? Plus it'll help improve the DES. IMO it's the most logical next extension. With the burbs though, I highly doubt it'll be the next, and it may be unlikley that it's ever built.

I don't see a point to rewarding the outerlying communities for their rapid development of low density single family home developments with instantly giving them transit. They may eventually get it, but if we give it to them in the next 15 years it'll probably keep pushing development farther into the valley and it'll take a long time for those areas to densify to a point where they can make transit pay for itself. It's not like we're talking about geographically constrained municipalities here. Burnaby has densified along the Skytrain routes, but it doesn't have a lot of other places to grow. Surrey and Langley have plenty of space, and until they put some sort of policies in place to try to limit any growth to already urbanized areas, I think it's a waste to give them transit, cause they probably wont use it!

We should build up, not out!

"...after the obvious priorities of Canada/Evergreen/Broadway". I believe that excludes the M-Line extension you mention here.

As for a Surrey E-Line extension, I think building it to Newton would make more sense, so that it can closely serve both the eastward (Cloverdale, Newton) and southward (White Rock) communities.

I think they should cancel the Evergreen line in its current form.

As far as NEW lines I voted Hastings. I think its tied with North Shore but they should NEVER build a SkyTrain tio North Shore unless it is part of a new tunnel. Too damn expensive by itself.

The Hastings ext should go from Waterfront all the way to Willington and then head south to Lougheed/Brentwood all the way south to Metrotown.
There is an old rail line from Hastings to Brentwood so the ROW is already there.
By extending it further south it would also help that area, especially around BCIT.
The area of Hastings to Kootenay Loop is also quite populated and has great massive development from Main to Nanaimo as much is old industrial and connects with Commercial Drive and it also could serve the Ports.
Also the Commercial Drive station could be a great spot for WCE new station instead of having just one station in the whole city.......Waterfront.

Streetcar
 

Following the Millennium line extension, which should go all the way to UBC from day one, the next major transit project should be to get the City of Vancouver's downtown streetcar system up and running.

All of this is already planned.
Phase 0 - Modern streetcar infrastructure built from Granville Island to Mainstreet-Science World Skytrain station. This is happening as part of the Southeast False Creek athlete's village build out.
Phase 1 - Extend from Mainstreet-Science World Skytrain to Waterfront Station.
Phase 2 - Extend from Waterfront stn to Stanley Park
Phase 2.5 - Spurline from Mainstreet-Science World into Yaletown along Pacific Blvd.

All of this is on the books, Phases 0 - 2 have already been approved by Council, pending funding and agreement from Translink, which is dragging its heels.

Phase 3 should be to extend the streetcar line up along the Arbutus Corridor, down along the CPR right of way along marine drive, connecting the East Fraserlands development in the process, and terminating at New Westminster Quay.

This would provide a critical east-west link along the Fraser River and connect the Canada Line to the Expo-Millennium line without the need to basically go downtown to Broadway to cross over.

As far as building up the regional mass transport network this would fill a gaping whole. Also, because there is so little population density along Marine Drive, save for the 10K people that the East Fraser Lands development will have upon build out in a decade, the route connecting the Canada Line to the Expo/Millennium Line would be quite quick, think B-Line without traffic.

Also, compared to the other mode of mass transit, the street car network would be cheap. As far as cost-benefit ratios go and neighbourhood friendliness to mass transit infrastructure, the streetcar cannot be beat.

http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engs...ges/Phase0.gif
Image c/o City of Vancouver http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engs...tcar/index.htm

Keremeos

Is a streetcar mostly like a bus?