There was one idea that came into my head lately, one that would double as an extension of the Expo Line and a way to increase its capacity.
Essentially...
- The Expo Line would be extended underground from Waterfront Station to a new station under/in the vicinity of Main and Hastings.
- The new terminus station would have a MULTI-TRACK (i.e. 4 tracks) layout or an otherwise redesigned terminus layout for higher capacity
- The purpose of this layout would be to accommodate running trains at an even higher frequency than is currently permitted by the switchback at Waterfront Station - this was specifically mentioned as the primary issue with increasing train frequency in the Expo Line Upgrade Strategy report (i.e. beyond 75-90 seconds).
- Whether there is a further extension down Hastings can be worked out separately.
In the far future, such a project, combined perhaps with any refinements to the ATC system, would allow the Expo Line to accommodate even higher capacities, without an expensive rebuild/extension of all of the station platforms for longer trains. Meanwhile, the new station would create an opportunity to further enhance/revitalize the DTES and improve connections from Hastings corridor transit lines onto Canada Line, SeaBus and the downtown stations.
I came up with this idea after being in Japan yet again earlier this winter, and noticing that many stations built with 4 tracks (or otherwise more than 2 tracks) aren't being done so just so that express trains to pass local ones at those stations: the second set of tracks could a train following closely behind to pull into a station without getting stuck behind a train that has not finished pulling out of the station, or is otherwise occupying the main platform. I noticed this on several of the JR Chuo Line stations in the suburbs (the platform schedule showed the second inbound platform being used like that during AM rush hour), as well as on the Tokaido Shinkansen. This is one way the Shinkansen (bullet train) manages to have high frequency on the Tokaido Line, despite slow acceleration and massive 17-car-long trains.
It's not that we will ever need to do it (the region, after all, is decentralized - if Surrey City Centre really grows as a business centre it might get some of those East Van commuters heading towards there or even towards Langley, rather than downtown, thus decongesting our inbound Expo Line) but it may be one way to increase capacity on the Expo even further.