SFU/Burnaby Mtn Gondola | Proposed

[Millennium2002]

Actually, although trolley buses have their uses on hills, building a few new lines in the "suburbs" exclusively for them will raise a lot of flexibility issues.

In addition, it's worth noting that TransLink occasionally opts to cancel trolley bus service on certain steep portions of routes during periods of heavy snowfall for the same reason.

[st7860]

i meant what about electric buses(with batteries) for that route.? i don't mean trolleys since, construction of the overhead will cost a lot.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by st7860

i meant what about electric buses(with batteries) for that route.? i don't mean trolleys since, construction of the overhead will cost a lot.

Interesting idea. Going up the hill eats up a lot of gas - regenerative braking on the way down could go a long way toward recharging the batteries for the next trip up.

Still like the gondola concept better, though.

[GeeCee]

EV busses will still have issues with traction, etc in poor weather.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by GeeCee

EV busses will still have issues with traction, etc in poor weather.

Is this because of excess torque or weight distribution?

EVs of any type are always heavier, I would expect that to be a benefit in the snow.

[st7860]

Of course the gondola is a better idea. However, there's many people against it.

For comparison, EV buses probably wouldn't benefit the other 'super busy' route, the 99, because traffic is so slow on Broadway anyway.

A properly designed EV bus could make it up the mountain a lot faster than diesel buses. There are snow tires available for buses. A good route such as this would encourage more people to live up there. There's already a thousand or so condos, with another 2 thousand on the way. However, its rare that people other than students who never go out, want to live on campus because the transportation to and from other places is too slow.

Although I'd guess that 'skytrain or light rail' to ubc gets built first, because in terms of funding for SFU, they supposedly have a more urgent need than making transportation better- the buildings at SFU need around 500 million of repairs. This was in the news a month ago.

[Klazu]

Here's a snapshot of the Squamish gondola project from last weekend.

[hollywoodnorth]

wow .... thanks great project for sure!

[officedweller]

Nice, thanks!

[theKB]

I am not totally sure why there is any debate over this project. It is relatively cheap and easy to execute with relatively simple construction. Frankly it has the potential for more ancillary benefits as well.

[GeeCee]

There isn't really any debate about it from anyone except for the people living directly underneath it. Translink doesn't have the budget to build it now, however. Maybe after the Evergreen line is done.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by GeeCee

There isn't really any debate about it from anyone except for the people living directly underneath it. Translink doesn't have the budget to build it now, however. Maybe after the Evergreen line is done.

There's little political will to get it done.

Benefits are all medium to long-term and Translink would incur a large capital cost. Sure, over time it pays for itself... and if Translink was a private company, it would definitely consider this an efficiency issue.

There are always people who oppose everything: http://www.katu.com/news/7207751.html

[nname]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

There's little political will to get it done.

Benefits are all medium to long-term and Translink would incur a large capital cost. Sure, over time it pays for itself... and if Translink was a private company, it would definitely consider this an efficiency issue.

It would actually be cheaper for TransLink if it is done like most rapid transit project, where the province and federal government pays 1/3 each for the capital cost.

So assume the capital cost of the gondola is split into 1/3 each, for the next 25 years...:

Cost of bus service:
Capital for bus replacement: $0M (from federal gas found)
Operating cost for buses: $113M (TransLink pays 100%)
Total "actual" cost: $113M

Cost of gondola:
Construction cost: $38M (TransLink pays 1/3 of the capital cost)
Operating cost for gondola: $54M (TransLink pays 100%)
Total "actual" cost: $92M

But of course, the federal and provincial government need to get on board first. They also need to find the $38M to construct the project in the first place, which doesn't seems to be that hard when they can find $199M for fixing the Pattullo bridge...

[Klazu]

Here is a bit wider and better cell phone snapshot from Friday.

[Millennium2002]

Is it just a mono-cable design? Or will there be extra wires added later on?

I ask this because I'm expecting at least two wires per direction given the wind gusts that occasionally appear on the West Coast, and because it'd be more similar to the proposed Burnaby Mountain Gondola, which was envisioned to have three per direction.

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by allan_kuan

Is it just a mono-cable design? Or will there be extra wires added later on?

I ask this because I'm expecting at least two wires per direction given the wind gusts that occasionally appear on the West Coast, and because it'd be more similar to the proposed Burnaby Mountain Gondola, which was envisioned to have three per direction.

mono as per the renders and info at >> http://www.seatoskygondola.com/

[officedweller]

Nice shot - you should send it to the Gondola Project:

http://gondolaproject.com/

[Klazu]

Sea to Sky Gondola seems to be making great progress. I drove by yesterday and they already have all the cabines hanging. Seems that they will be on time to open in May.

They have some nice photos on their Instragram page: http://instagram.com/seatoskygondola

Ticket prices seem to be pretty horrible ($35/adult) and it is a shame that they don't have a similar annual pass system as Capila Suspension Bridge does.

[madog222]

Pricey but not unreasonable, interesting that it's the same as a "friend of an edge card/season ticket holder" summer lift ticket at Whistler. Plus there are a few free alternatives with regards to the view, The Chief and trails out of Lions Bay.
This was never going to be anything other than a tourist trap like the Capilano Suspension Bridge anyways.

[idunno]

They do actually! Check the instagram pictures there - $99 for an adult, and $249 for a family.