9am transit update for Sept 8
9am transit update for Sept 8
So it seems things are basically calm again… I’m signing off from the road but here is one final update from Drew.
COMMERCIAL-BROADWAY – lineups for the 99B-Line have reappeared … backing up to Booster Juice … still orderly
SKYTRAIN has been running with full loads, but it’s been manageable
PRODUCTION WAY – lineups have been manageable, and with buses “double-heading” to SFU, the exchange is clearing efficiently. There was an instance where about a busload of passengers was left behind even after 2 buses pulled out full together, but with 4-minute gaps between buses, people aren’t waiting an inordinately long time.
CANADA LINE CONNECTIONS – ran smoothly this morning, with Richmond customers getting on at Richmond-Brighouse and occasionally missing one train to be assured of a seat on the next. South of Fraser customers transferring from their buses at Bridgeport might miss the train coming out of Brighouse, but the one from YVR would clear the platform
Well, thanks to a really good connection at Bridgeport, I managed to shave about 10 minutes off my average commute time…which was a pleasant surprise: I didn’t expect to gain time!
I also a pilot from YVR catching the 351 at Bridgeport. Before yesterday, the trip from YVR to White Rock would have involved a minimum of 2 transfers, and a much longer total travel time than via the new route with the transfer at Bridgeport.
Can I also thank you guys for restoring the turnback trains on the Expo Line are an EXCELLENT idea? I tried transferring from the Millennium Line to the Expo Line at Broadway Station a few times over the summer, and it was awful for everyone involved: a huge crush of people, crowds left behind after every train, and sardine can city for the luck ones who made it! It was like riding the Seoul or Tokyo subway in rush hour!
Stefan, they did run turnback trains through the summer but it ran like every 12 or 14 minutes or something, so not every M-Line train coming in met with a turnback train.
Glad the morning commute has been good for you thus far, Stefan :)
Does Canada Line have any extra cars that can be bruought on-line or are they runnig full out during peak times?
Here’s tip for people in Downtown going a long distance on any of the trains. If you’re at Main Street Station for example and want to go to Columbia Station, simply board a train headed for Waterfront and get off at Burrard or Waterfront. Then board a train going outbound. You’re more likely to get a seat and not be packed in like sardines. The time spent doing this (about 8 minutes) is well worth it. I assume folks coming off the suburban buses at Bridgeport could also use this idea.
Also, wouldn’t it make more sense if the Canada Line was branded as two separate lines like the Expo and Millennium lines are now? A YVR line and a Richmond line. Just seems like it would be more consistent.
I find that Canada Line crowd control is overzealous, they are holding people back unnecessarily in long lines just before the platforms. I know it happens quite often at Waterfront, and to my knowledge it happened today at City Centre Station:
“At one Canada Line station, long lineups were not the fault of full trains, but passengers who stopped at the single entrance to the platform instead of spreading out along the platform to allow people to quickly board the train at its various doors.”
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/09/08/bc-richmond-vancouver-canada-line-test-mixed.html#socialcomments
This is slowing the system to a point where it becomes inefficient. More harm than good is being done with this crowd management. Canada Line staff should be allowing people to enter and crowd in the platform, but just ensure that people allow passengers to exit the trains before entering. SkyTrain platforms are always much, much more crowded before staff start holding people back.
The long unnecessary lines also give riders a bad and unrealistic impression of how long they might have to wait in order to get onto the train. That, and it’s also bad for PR.
Gordon: I’m told they’re running 16 of 20 cars on the system right now, so there are 4 extras that can be brought online in the future to increase capacity.
Here’s a question for expansion. Would people prefer longer trains or higher frequency?
With Richmond at 8 minutes per train, I vote for higher frequency with the current 2 car trains before purchasing middle cars.
Don’t know about the Canada Line ;-), but on the other lines if I had a choice I’d really rather have four-car trains running less frequently than frequent two-car trains.
#1: On a short headway, they get backed up much more easily with the slightest delay.
#2: With shorter trains, passengers all cluster together on 1/3 of the platform rather than spreading out. That causes slower loading/unloading and, guess what, more delays (see #1).
Running with all four-car trains, of course, would be the ideal situation, but that’s still to come I presume.