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B.C. Unveils Huge Transit Plan

It's full, grade-separated rapid transit and it'll cost less than the Eglinton line. It's be perfect for that route. I'm the first to be skeptical of PPPs, but this one seems to be a success, the injury to Cambie merchants aside.
 
B.C.'s transit vision
Globe editorial
From Monday's Globe and Mail
January 21, 2008 at 8:08 AM EST

No longer can it be said that Canada's premiers lack ambition when it comes to public transit. Last year, leading up to his province's election, Ontario's Dalton McGuinty unveiled MoveOntario 2020, a $17.5-billion plan that promises 902 kilometres of new or improved rapid transit in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. Now, taking into account his province's smaller size, British Columbia's Gordon Campbell has more than matched him. Last week he announced a $14-billion plan to add four new rapid-transit lines in Metro Vancouver, as well as an upgrade to "Rapidbuses" along major routes and the introduction of 1,500 new buses for municipalities across the province.

Like Mr. McGuinty's plan, Mr. Campbell's promises to do wonders in easing congestion and improving air quality. By 2020, the B.C. government suggests, it will double the province's public transit ridership, cutting transportation greenhouse-gas emissions by 4.7 million tonnes over that period. If so, it will help British Columbia meet its goal of reducing its carbon footprint by one third from 2007 levels. But, as in Ontario, all the ambition in the world won't be enough unless other levels of government share it.

Mr. Campbell has not gone as far as Mr. McGuinty in pledging provincial funds. Whereas Ontario is poised to pay two-thirds of its plan's capital costs, the B.C. government would directly pay only about 40 per cent, while spreading more costs to municipalities and to TransLink, the provincial transport authority. But in both provinces, the big question mark is whether hopes of a public transit commitment from the federal government will be rewarded.

Mr. McGuinty is counting on Stephen Harper's government to pick up the final third of MoveOntario's tab. Mr. Campbell is relying on a somewhat smaller share at $3.1-billion. But while Ottawa has shown a willingness to chip in, its commitments remain vague. It has promised approximately $7.9-billion for Ontario under its $33-billion Building Canada Fund, but demands a say in how that money is spent and has thus far refused to commit a specific amount to public transit. And while federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon indicated last week that his government will contribute to Mr. Campbell's plan, he carefully avoided any dollar figures. Instead, he said that British Columbia is "at least allocated $2.7-billion for infrastructure - and transit is one of five national priorities we've identified under the Building Canada Fund."

In fact, as outlined by federal documents, Building Canada is a grab bag of every imaginable infrastructure expenditure, including highways, railways, broadband access, tourism, waste management, culture and amateur sport. But upgraded public transit is not just one of these many "priorities." For urban centres battling congestion and struggling with air quality, it is a necessity. While the federal government has fiddled about with a pointless tax credit for transit users, Mr. McGuinty and Mr. Campbell have demonstrated that they understand real investment is needed. It is time for Mr. Harper to do likewise.
 
Old railway should be commuter route, report says
BRENNAN CLARKE

Special to The Globe and Mail

January 30, 2008

VICTORIA -- A rusted, run-down section of the E&N railway between Langford and Victoria can be turned into a commuter route for as little as $16-million, said a report released yesterday, bolstering political plans for a green transportation corridor on Vancouver Island.

The 33-page report, commissioned by several proponents of the revitalized line, calls for $6-million in rail upgrades, $2-million in station-related work and the purchase of two modern train cars for $6.5-million.

The upgrades would allow the new cars to travel at speeds of up to 80 kilometres an hour and make the 36-kilometre round trip in less than an hour, said the report's author, David Colledge of Colledge Transportation Consulting. The rail service would cost about $2-million a year to operate.

That would be offset by fare revenues ranging from $950,000 to $1.7-million annually, depending on ridership, with a round-trip ticket selling for $4-$5, the report said.

"The idea is to get something going in the short-term at a modest cost," Mr. Colledge said, comparing the proposed service to Ottawa's successful O-Train commuter line.

The report's release comes just two weeks after the B.C. government announced plans to spend $14-billion on transportation infrastructure over the next 12 years.

The massive spending plan includes funding for a "rapid bus" service from Victoria to the Western Communities, but makes no mention of the E&N rail corridor, an omission that angered commuter rail supporters on the Island.

Cowichan Mayor Jack Peake, head of the Island Corridor Foundation, which owns the historic rail line, urged the province to re-think its priorities.

"Had the senior levels of government looked at all the transportation options out there, they would have realized some of that money should have gone to the E&N," Mr. Peake said. "It's unfortunate, but Minister [Kevin] Falcon's focus seems to be pretty much on asphalt and tires."

Langford Councillor Denise Blackwell, whose community has been pushing for the commuter rail link for more than a decade, expressed hope that yesterday's report will spark renewed interest from the Transportation Minister.

"We want the Ministry of Transportation at the table, but so far we haven't been able to do that," Ms. Blackwell said.

"But Minister Falcon has said 'if you bring us a business case, we'll look at what's there.' "

Yesterday in an interview, Mr. Falcon questioned the numbers in the report and said a "rapid bus" service is more feasible and better-suited to Greater Victoria's needs.

"My initial sense is the assumptions of what it would cost are very, very optimistic ... you are talking about a number that will be considerably more than $16-million," Mr. Falcon said of the report.

"You've got to make sure the ridership is there."

Ms. Blackwell said other potential funding sources include developer contributions, municipal casino revenues and the Capital Regional District, which had been planning a multimillion-dollar cycling trail along the historic rail corridor.

Discussions about a possible partnership arrangement with B.C. Transit are also under way, she said.

Funding partners for yesterday's $61,000 report included Langford, Colwood, Victoria, the Island Corridor Foundation and Westhills Development Corporation, the proponent of a 6,000-unit residential development planned for the Langford Lake area.

Ms. Blackwell acknowledged that the commuter rail proposal is being driven in part by the Westhills project, along with the community of Langford's desire to encourage density along the transportation corridor.

==========================================================

This is great news, though I hope it's a real O-Train type of service (~15 minute frequency all day) rather than a peak hour commuter service.
 
The Province has stepped in and done what we thought following the release of the provincial plan - replaced the proposed LRT system for the Evergreen Line with a Skytrain system (as was originally proposed for the line since there's a wye already built at Lougheed Station for the branch to Coquitlam) - this will allow integrated service.

Evergreen Line
On February 1, 2008, the Province and TransLink released the business case for the rapid transit Evergreen Line, and announced advanced light rapid transit (ALRT or SkyTrain-like technology) as the recommended technology. ALRT technology on the Evergreen Line has higher construction costs than LRT, but significantly lower annual operating costs, significantly shorter travel times for commuters, and two and a half times more ridership by 2021.

The business case also made recommendations on routes. The business case determined that the previously adopted Northwest corridor has slight technical advantages over the Southeast route. The Northwest route travels adjacent to the Canadian Pacific rail line through Port Moody. Both routes start at the Millennium Line Lougheed station and terminate near Douglas College in Coquitlam.

The project meets the criteria and is a strong candidate for public private partnership, and the Province will be reviewing this project to determine if there is any reason not to use this model.

The Province and TransLink have asked area Mayors to provide feedback over the next 45 days. This spring, TransLink and the Ministry of Transportation will make a final decision on routing in order to keep on track for a targeted 2014 completion.
Click to expand...

News Release (PDF February 1, 2008)
Backgrounder (PDF February 1, 2008)
Business Case (PDF)
Business Case Executive Summary (PDF)
Map (PDF 2.5 MB)

at this link:

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/evergreen_line/


**********

Note that there are models for P3s that do not involve the private partner operating the line. In this case, if the line is to be best utilized, it would have to be interlined with the M-Line. Having two operators would be odd, since the system would all be controlled by one computer. I suspect that the P3 partner would be responsible for track and guideway design, build, maintenance, repair and "availability" of the guideway to Translink for operation of the Evergreen Line.

This model is used on the Docklands Light Railway in London, UK for the Woolwich extension - in that case:

01/06/2005
DLR Signs Contract For Extension To Woolwich Arsenal

Docklands Light Railway Ltd (DLRL), part of Transport for London (TfL), has today finalised the contract with the appointed concessionaire for the construction of the Extension to Woolwich Arsenal. The project forms part of TfL's five-year investment programme through a 30 year concession contract with Woolwich Arsenal Rail Enterprises (WARE), a consortium formed by AMEC and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

At a capital cost of £180m, the 2.5km extension will run from King George V station in North Woolwich (now being constructed under a separate concession arrangement as part of the London City Airport extension) under the Thames, through two parallel bored tunnels, to Woolwich Arsenal.

....

The concessionaire, WARE, will be responsible for designing, financing, constructing and maintaining the [Woolwich] Extension and DLR will make payments to WARE for every day that the Extension is available for DLR to operate train services. WARE was selected in December 2004 as the preferred bidder following a competition between four consortia.
Click to expand...
 
Here's the map from the news release for reference:

rapidtransitmapjg6.jpg
 
Evergreen Line should be SkyTrain style, Falcon says

IAN BAILEY

February 2, 2008
The Globe and Mail

VANCOUVER -- The B.C. government is calling for the use of SkyTrain-style technology for the long-planned Evergreen Line to the northeast sector of the Metro Vancouver region, the Transportation Minister says.

Kevin Falcon yesterday announced a shift in priorities from a planned light rapid transit system, like a streetcar, to the more sophisticated SkyTrain type that runs on its own route underground, at street level or on elevated pylons.

The automated train through Port Moody and Coquitlam would link up with the rest of the region's SkyTrain system.

While the new 11-kilometre system will cost more to build, it is expected to have lower annual operating costs, shorter travel times and allow more riders.

Building an LRT along a proposed northwest corridor route would cost $1.25-billion, compared with $1.4-billion for the more advanced system.

The Evergreen Line has been in the works since the early 1990s, but the urgency around the project has increased with rapid growth in the region's communities, including Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra. In 2004, the decision was made to proceed with a light rapid transit system.

The province and TransLink, the regional transit authority, are giving area mayors 45 days to provide feedback before final routing decisions this spring.

The line, running from the current Millennium Line's Lougheed Station to Coquitlam, is to be opened in 2014.

But the province is still looking for Ottawa to match its $400-million contribution to the project, and area MP James Moore, speaking on behalf of the federal government, was unable to commit to the funds at this point.

"I am hopeful, going forward, we will have some positive outcomes on this, and finally, the northeast sector will be joined into all the Lower Mainland with SkyTrain technology," he told a news conference.

Later, in an interview, he said the federal government had had the province's latest proposal for only three days and required time to review it. He said there is no timeline for a decision.

But Mr. Moore, also parliamentary secretary for the ministers of Public Works and the Pacific Gateway, said he is a fan of SkyTrain and transit to the region.

"SkyTrain is the existing and known technology," said Mr. Moore, MP for Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam.

"This is SkyTrain and everybody knows what SkyTrain is. It's a known, proven technology and, for Tri-City residents, it will connect us into the existing network so you wouldn't have to go from one train to another train and buy a different fare and get a transfer and have all the hassle."

Pressed on his backup plan if Ottawa does not come up with the necessary money, Mr. Falcon said Victoria would find some way to advance.

"If, God forbid, [there was no federal money] we would figure out how we're going to fix that gap, but I can tell you this: This is a project that is going to get built. The Premier has been very clear about that. It's going to get done."

==========================================================

Great news. No Transfer City for Vancouver.
 
It's worth the investment. I would envision that a skytrain Evergreen line would allow a one-seat ride from Coquitlam to UBC via the Broadway extension. This is anecdotal evidence, but I'm always amazed at the speed and cost (low) that Vancouver builds its skytrain lines. It's almost as if they have become pros at rapid transit construction, while we lag insufferably behind.

It's kind of ironic that Toronto's transit vision ended the day we inaugurated an ICTS line, just as Vancouver's started.
 
Translink news release:

February 26, 2008
Federal Budget to support Metro Vancouver transit expansion

Today’s federal budget is “fantastic news†for Metro Vancouver’s transit system, says TransLink Chair Dale Parker. Among the highlights in the budget tabled in the House of Commons by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is the announcement that the federal government will make its current gas tax revenue sharing program permanent.

“This year, TransLink is on line to receive $49.1 million and, under the old program, we could purchase $49.1 million in new buses, SkyTrain Cars or SeaBuses. As an ongoing stream of revenue, even at this year’s rate, today’s budget means that TransLink could finance half a billion dollars in improvements,†says Parker.
The federal budget indicates that funding will grow in the coming years, but details have yet to be released. Under the current revenue sharing program TransLink’s share of federal gas tax revenue would have grown to $122.8 million per year by 2010, but the program was due to expire by 2015.

Parker says that having the federal gas tax as a permanent stream of revenue will allow TransLink to develop long term plans for transit improvements in the region, which in turn will help Metro Vancouver create long term plans for its growth and development.

“The federal funding will be for capital, which means TransLink will need to come up with the complementary funding to cover the additional operating costs,†Parker says. “TransLink has increased the funding for transit operations by 93 per cent over the last seven years, adding $54 million more this year alone.â€

The federal budget has also included funding for the Evergreen Rapid Transit Line. Finance Minister Flaherty announced that Ottawa would dedicate $500 million for public transit infrastructure and named the Evergreen Line as one of the projects to be funded. The share of the funding allocated to the rapid transit link to Coquitlam has not been confirmed.

“We need to recognize the effort that James Moore (Member of Parliament, Port Moody – Coquitlam - Port Coquitlam) and Premier Campbell have made to make the Evergreen Line a priority for federal funding. Today’s budget announcement is a signal that we are closer to a ‘go’ for this important piece of Metro Vancouver’s rapid transit network. TransLink is poised to move forward once we have the results of the current ublic consultation,†Parker says.
Click to expand...
 
Not full funding - just $67M over 2 years so far.

Fed gas tax pledge aids TransLink
By Jeff Nagel - BC Local News - February 26, 2008

TransLink is suddenly on more stable long-term financial footing after the federal government pledged its practise of sharing federal gas tax revenue will become permanent policy.

The commitment was included in the Conservative government's budget handed down Tuesday and TransLink board chair Dale Parker called it "fantastic news."

TransLink will get $49 million from Ottawa this year – a share of federal fuel tax collected from this region – and the transfers are expected to grow to $123 million by 2010.

But the program was to expire in 2015 and until now federal officials had made no guarantee it would be extended.

TransLink had long lobbied for a permanent share of the gas tax, the lack of which had been an ongoing cloud over the authority's outlook.

With the uncertainty lifted, Parker said the ongoing stream of gas tax revenue can now be used to back borrowing for large-scale transit expansions.

"Even at this year's rate, today's budget means that TransLink could finance half a billion dollars in improvements," Parker said.

The tax handover is expected to continue to escalate in the years ahead beyond 2010.

The Evergreen Line extending the SkyTrain network to Coquitlam will also get a share of $500 million the Conservatives earmarked for public transit infrastructure in Tuesday's budget.

TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie said the federal contribution is expected to be $67 million over two years, but added more may be possible.

The provincial government hopes Ottawa will eventually commit $400 million to the rapid transit line, matching $400 million pledges from Victoria and TransLink.

The cost of the project has grown to an estimated $1.4 billion in recent weeks, leaving a significant amount unfunded even with a full federal share.

Parker said the federal pledge "is a signal that we are closer to a 'go'" for the Evergreen Line.

"TransLink is poised to move forward once we have the results of the current public consultation."
Click to expand...
 
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