3104 replies to this topic

[Bingo]

For this particular service we would only be talking about one car at a time, yes? Has anybody ever suggested having a so-called "train" of connected cars?

 

I think you can blame VHF for that as he always says "the train will never run again".

[VicHockeyFan]

Some of the propane cars came right into Victoria on the CANORA.

Good thing we won't have that stuff on the E&N while the passenger cars are going back and forth.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2mlUV9eAvE

[aastra]

 

I'm sure multi-car would be the plan.

 

Why would we think this? Regio Sprinters are running as individual cars all over the place, are they not? And didn't we wring our hands for years and years wondering if this line could justify even one of those?

[aastra]

 

...he always says "the train will never run again".

 

I wouldn't put too much stock in that.

[aastra]

Train pun. Don't rail against me for it.

[Bingo]

When we were kids down at the beach I could tell when the Canora was going by, by the beautiful rhythm of her steam driven triple expansion engines.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7pugOzJEyY

[Bingo]

The issue with street cars is they tend to run as a train, so the weight of two or more cars needs to be evaluated.

 

I think VHF has the solution we put a flat car every second car.

[Mike K.]

Haha!

[Bingo]

 Before the gas line came to Greater Victoria, the old parts of town used propane (that replaced coal gas earlier) that was delivered a few times a week from the mainland via Nanaimo.

 

Propane tank cars at the rail yard in Nanaimo last summer.

 

[On the Level]

Nashville recently completed a commuter rail system to Lebanon, which is roughly 30,000 people. While Nashville is larger than Victoria, the area the commuter rail was built to serve, Lebanon, is smaller than Langford / Colwood, let alone any other municipality that could benefit, such as Mill Bay or View Royal.

 

Commuter rail decreases traffic gridlock, and uses railroad property that is redundant to a road system. These benefits are all goods enjoyed by the entire community.  

 

Many downtown companies provide parking as part of the companies benefit package. This allows for up to $220 to be used for either a parking pass for one of the parkades, or a transit pass. If it could promoted as a third alternative, you could create a base to start a larger artery into town.

 

Propane tank cars at the rail yard in Nanaimo last summer.

 

 

In January 2010, the Southern Railway of British Columbia new train ferry terminal started operating in the Fraser River on Annacis Island shipping to Nanaimo via the Seaspan train ferry. The new train marine terminal was built at a cost $11 million. It increases the mainland's capacity and speed to load and unload railcar barges from the island.

 

 

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Edited by On the Level, 08 December 2016 - 08:40 PM.

[VicHockeyFan]

Focus Equities considered purchasing the full 200-kilometre corridor in the 1990s, before the Island Corridor Foundation, which now owns the railway line, was created.

“Everybody forgets we were a facilitator of that,” Mariash said.

The company is spending $300,000 to $500,000 to hire consultants to prepare a business case and studies for the project, in what Mariash described as a “charitable” venture.

What the service could look like has not been determined. But the corridor could be used for both train and bus services, if the corridor were widened; the trains could be diesel or electric.

 

 

Oh my, now they might electrify the rail.  Give me an effing break.  That would add another $5M to $15M.

 

Mariash estimates capital costs to get the rail ready for service at up to $10 million, but would likely be in the $6-million to $7-million range. Track rehabilitation will cost about $5 million and another $1 million will cover upgrades to deficient crossings, said municipal consultant Geoff Pearce, who is Langford’s former administrator.

 

 

 

Not nearly enough there for crossing upgrades.  And you will need to add at least $2M for the platforms and ramps, unless they are extremely barebones.

Pearce said the main hurdle will be getting all municipalities to sign on. “There’s a fair bit of interest politically, there’s community support. The trick for us will be finding all the answers to satisfy the elected officials.”

 

 

Municipalities will sign on if there is no cost to them.

Both Young and Screech said the subsidy should come from the province.

Young said he’d like to see the province take jurisdiction for the railway from the non-profit foundation. “The way I’m looking at it now is that the province is responsible for moving people on major corridors, so we need to turn that corridor over to the province, since they have the expertise.”

He said a public subsidy makes sense and could end up costing less than supporting the foundation. He’s thrilled with the idea of a businessman taking charge, as he thinks it will be more efficient, but said he wanted to see a financial case for the project before committing Langford’s support.

Screech said he also wanted to see a definitive proposal, but is enthusiastic about the prospect of getting a service running.

Initial meetings with Mariash, B.C. Transit and other mayors have been positive, he said.

The group is hoping to meet Transportation Minister Todd Stone in the new year.

 

- See more at: http://www.timescolo...h.mprXUtdm.dpuf

[VicHockeyFan]

What the service could look like has not been determined. But the corridor could be used for both train and bus services, if the corridor were widened; the trains could be diesel or electric.

 

 

These guys are this far away?  I've got news for you.  You can not drive a bus down a trail and then use the crossing arms and lights.  That requires an entire re-write of provincial traffic regulations and laws.  It would take 5 years to do.

[Mike K.]

The province just wants everyone to go away and focus on something else.

 

They're building an $85-million interchange outside of Metro Vancouver, and to them that's a major piece of investment outside of a region that is the economic engine of the province.

 

They're not interested in playing with trains in Victoria any more than they are with solving the Malahat problem. We're just not big enough nor are we growing fast enough nor do we have a critically important industry that the province relies on. We have a downtown core staffed mostly by government workers which can be exported into any jurisdiction and accomplish the same output.

 

The sooner we accept this the sooner we can focus on other issues.

[Bingo]

These guys are this far away?  I've got news for you.  You can not drive a bus down a trail and then use the crossing arms and lights.  

That requires an entire re-write of provincial traffic regulations and laws.  It would take 5 years to do.

 

You might find it hard to believe but I agree with you on this. "You can not drive a bus down a trail and then use the crossing arms and lights" as you say.

The corridor is not wide enough to have a bus lane as well as train tracks and the E&N Trail, as this is "johnny-come-lately thinking".

[VicHockeyFan]

Even though some details have yet to be ironed out, Mariash feels confident he's come up with a proven business case.

 

The cost to run the service would be about $3 million to $4 million a year, with half of that recaptured through ridership. Tickets would cost between $2 to $4 one way, attracting about 1,000 people per day (to start) on the 15 kilometers of track that would have one or two stops in between Langford and Vic West. Scheduling would be every half hour to an hour, depending on the demand.

 

http://www.goldstrea.../405706536.html

 

Every half to one hour?  Why would I wait for that?  The #50 bus goes in at 9-minute intervals starting at 6:50am, then goes to every 6 minutes from 7:08 until 8:00am.  And it goes right into downtown, saves me a 2km walk.  From 5:45am to 8:30am I have 19 departures to choose from

[spanky123]

The province just wants everyone to go away and focus on something else.

 

They're building an $85-million interchange outside of Metro Vancouver, and to them that's a major piece of investment outside of a region that is the economic engine of the province.

 

They're not interested in playing with trains in Victoria any more than they are with solving the Malahat problem. We're just not big enough nor are we growing fast enough nor do we have a critically important industry that the province relies on. We have a downtown core staffed mostly by government workers which can be exported into any jurisdiction and accomplish the same output.

 

The sooner we accept this the sooner we can focus on other issues.

 

And our Mayor spends her time lobbing pot shots at the Province and our citizens generally don't vote Liberal.

[dasmo]

That's cheap! You would choose it because it's not the bus... And it will take 20 minutes less time. With a nice walk into town at the end....

[VicHockeyFan]

That's cheap! You would choose it because it's not the bus... And it will take 20 minutes less time. With a nice walk into town at the end....

 

Even at the height of the AM rush, it will not beat the bus to the legislature.  Most people do not want to walk, if given the choice.

[dasmo]

It doesn't need to serve most people. I'll race you when it's built. $100 says I beat you to the steps with an 8:20 AM start.

[VicHockeyFan]

It doesn't need to serve most people. I'll race you when it's built. $100 says I beat you to the steps with an 8:20 AM start.

 

It does not need to serve most people, but it needs to get people out of cars.  Not just replace the 19 buses I talked about.  And you are simply not going to get 1,000 out of their cars.  It's impossible.

 

On the bet, sure.  But let's leave it at 8:20, no matter what.  If you are lucky, your train might leave at 8:20am.  But more than likely you have to wait at the stop for from 5 minutes to 55 minutes until your train even departs.  I might have a hell of a head start.