OK - transit and train fans out there. I finally rode Link Light Rail today from end to end - Tukwila to Westlake Station in downtown Seattle. It's pretty cool. Much of it is elevated, but the Rainier Valley and SODO sections are at grade, and there are two tunnel sections: downtown, and Beacon Hill. We went to the Mariners game today. Unfortunately, they lost, but it was a great day to be at a ball game.
Tukwila International Blvd Station: sits very high on its platform
art at Tukwila Station
escalators from ticketing level up to train platform
Link Light Rail train at Tukwila Station
Station map inside train
passing alongside SR599 in Tukwila - bridge spans Green River
Remember when that project started off as a Monorail, but unlikeLyle Langley's Monorail that he built in Springfield, the extension of the Seattle Monorail didn't get off the ground.
Very nice. Want to ride it when I get to Seattle. Looks well thought out (even though unlike ours, Link had a rather bad start on the first day). There's supposed to be an extension to SeaTac completed soon.
Hopefully those in charge won't make the mistake we've done up here. Build a line then wait 10 years for the next one. Build that and wait another 10 years. Best thing is to keep building the entire planned route. Finish one part, move onto the next one literally the next day. Keeps your costs down considerably.
Starbucks building. Has to be the former Rainer Brewery with the big red "R" facing north. I used it as a landmark while tooling along I-5 (car, my truckasaurus, and each of the three motorcycles I had).
Rainer was as famous to Seattle back then as was J. P. Patches.
Uses the Bus Tunnel that was completed not long after ALRT (Skytrain) was finished here.
I will be providing a video ride aboard the new Canada Line. I shot video from the train, stations and outside route alignments, so am editing it into a bit of a movie.
Wonder how many riders they've been getting? Remember when that project started off as a Monorail, but unlikeLyle Langley's Monorail that he built in Springfield, the extension of the Seattle Monorail didn't get off the ground.
They should eventually connect the Seattle lines to the Canada Line in Richmond
Starbucks building. Has to be the former Rainer Brewery with the big red "R" facing north. I used it as a landmark while tooling along I-5 (car, my truckasaurus, and each of the three motorcycles I had).
Actually, it's not. The current Starbucks Center is the former Sears Distribution Building on 1st Avenue South, and it has been dramatically renovated since Starbucks took it over back in the 90's, most especially since the Nisqually Quake in 2001. I was on the 9th floor in that building when the earthquake hit - an event I will never forget. The old Rainier Brewery, adjacent to I-5, is actually a much smaller building than the Starbucks Center. Tully's took it over, but they are not roasting there any more, so I'm not sure what's going to happen to that building now. Personally, I would love to see the old Rainier "R" return to the building. It was a signature element recognized by everyone.
Last Edit: Aug 31, 2009 19:19:48 GMT -8 by Kahloke
Very nice. Want to ride it when I get to Seattle. Looks well thought out (even though unlike ours, Link had a rather bad start on the first day). There's supposed to be an extension to SeaTac completed soon.
Hopefully those in charge won't make the mistake we've done up here. Build a line then wait 10 years for the next one. Build that and wait another 10 years. Best thing is to keep building the entire planned route. Finish one part, move onto the next one literally the next day. Keeps your costs down considerably.
Starbucks building. Has to be the former Rainer Brewery with the big red "R" facing north. I used it as a landmark while tooling along I-5 (car, my truckasaurus, and each of the three motorcycles I had).
Rainer was as famous to Seattle back then as was J. P. Patches.
Uses the Bus Tunnel that was completed not long after ALRT (Skytrain) was finished here.
I will be providing a video ride aboard the new Canada Line. I shot video from the train, stations and outside route alignments, so am editing it into a bit of a movie.
Wonder how many riders they've been getting? Remember when that project started off as a Monorail, but unlikeLyle Langley's Monorail that he built in Springfield, the extension of the Seattle Monorail didn't get off the ground.
They should eventually connect the Seattle lines to the Canada Line in Richmond
Technically they do. it's called the Amtrak Cascades.
Board at Pacific Central (old CN Station). Arrive at King Street Station in Seattle.
If you're thinking of a real rapid transit connection, where would the money come from (it would be interesting, the trains would have to stop at the border). But it would make going to Bellis Fair alot easier, and going to Seattle to take in a Seahawks or Mariners Game.
The U.S. is a financial basket case, and Canada isn't all that well off either. B.C. is a financial disaster waiting to happen. Don't know about our state neighbourinos to the south.
Actually, this or a dedicated high speed train corridor are actively being discussed as part of a rail infrastructure improvement program under consideration by the federal government. The plans include about 500 miles of improved rail service south from Vancouver, through Seattle on to Portland and beyond. Might still be a pipe dream, but it is on the board for consideration.
Yeh, well given the geography of the alignment of the BNSF line from Vancouver to Seattle, it will be a very long time for that to happen. I wouldn't be sitting on the dark wood bench seat on the station platform waiting for that train to arrive any time soon.
The cost would be prohibitive to say the least. You'd see a fast rail service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas before you'd see anything that would resemble a start to fast rail around the Pacific Northwest.
A better idea would be place a third Tiago like train on the ascades service from Seattle to Vancouver and another train from Portland OR to Seatle. You'd have the time benift without the huge expense of upgrading rail and alignments to meet a fast rail speed. Plus there isn't the population density to justify the huge expense, as there is in many places from Boston to Washington DC and from Chicago to Newark.
It's less challenging from Seattle south to Portland Oregon as the terrain isn't as hilly and there are many flatland sections particularly south of Olympia.
That fast rail idea from Vancouver to Seattle is on the board for consideration, but above it is a small card that says "Pipe Dreams".
But then again a "consideration" does not mean its reality.
No, actually this is being seriously discussed. The mayor of Vancouver was just in either Portland or Seattle to discuss this plan with the mayors of both of those cities and there has been an application to the federal government to tap into the high speed rail fund to get this off the ground...here are the news reports:
I made the statement "pipe dream" mostly because, at this time, I don't think the project has enough planning or additional funding readied to pass the merit test to receive the funding from the high speed rail fund, but as I noted above, the plan is being seriously discussed.
Actually, this or a dedicated high speed train corridor are actively being discussed as part of a rail infrastructure improvement program under consideration by the federal government. The plans include about 500 miles of improved rail service south from Vancouver, through Seattle on to Portland and beyond. Might still be a pipe dream, but it is on the board for consideration.
If it ever comes about, such a rail corridor will be about a hundred years, or so, behind schedule at the very least. This is certainly not a new idea by any means, either. Back in the days when the old BC Electric interurban was operating out in the Fraser Valley, there was serious consideration given to building a short rail link across the border at the Huntingdon-Sumas crossing and connecting the BCE with the Seattle-Tacoma interurban line which would have provided direct, electrified passenger rail access between downtown Vancouver and Seattle.
It wouldn't have been high speed obviously, but for the first half of the 20th century, it would have been far more effective than we may think, looking back on it now. Just imagine if such a rail link had been put into service and had somehow managed to survive and be kept up to date with modern transportation technologies. Not only would Vancouver be a couple hour train ride from Seattle, but every major community on the south side of the Fraser would be, as well, because the same rail line connected all the population centers from Richmond to Chilliwack.
Last Edit: Sept 3, 2009 13:30:40 GMT -8 by Mill Bay
Post by Political Whack-a-mole on Sept 3, 2009 21:42:57 GMT -8
BC in NJ, the memorandum of understanding was between Vancouver's mayor and Portland's mayor. There was never anything between Greg Nickels that I was aware of.
The DOT has made long range plans for 110 mph service and with Obama's stimulus perhaps build a 30 mile long high speed track for 150 mph service down in the Seattle-Portland corridor. If Washington State is granted all of the requested Track I funding, we'll be receiving an upgrade from 79 mph maximum to 90 mph. This should include new signalling, continuous welded rail, and track work on slow order zones. These should help reduce the travel time between Vancouver, BC and the entire corridor.
Here are the improvements the DOT is wanting federal dollars for. The Blaine project is almost complete which will definitely help.
No, actually this is being seriously discussed. The mayor of Vancouver was just in either Portland or Seattle to discuss this plan with the mayors of both of those cities and there has been an application to the federal government to tap into the high speed rail fund to get this off the ground...here are the news reports:
I made the statement "pipe dream" mostly because, at this time, I don't think the project has enough planning or additional funding readied to pass the merit test to receive the funding from the high speed rail fund, but as I noted above, the plan is being seriously discussed.
There is no "high speed rail fund" in Canada.
Paul, please look at my location; at no time was I referring to a Canadian High Speed Rail Fund. There IS, however, an American High Speed Rail Fund, and this is what is to be tapped into in order to achieve the projects listed in Political_Idiocracy's link above (Thanks for that, I knew they had only applied to get funding for some of the improvements, but not which specific ones). To date approximately 9 billion USD have been set aside for various high speed rail corridors in the US. Here's the map: media.npr.org/documents/2009/feb/hsr_corridors.pdf
The talk was between Vancouver's Mayor and Portland Oregon's mayor, but that in itself isn't worth much politically. The issue once again is cost, and rail alignments for the 30 mile section from the border to the train station here in Vancouver would have to be addressed (for 8 miles of that, it is heavily used by both CN and BNSF). The federal government here just looks at viable projects on a regional scale. They have just released money to enhance VIA Rail service along the high speed line from Toronto to Montreal.
It's not being seriously discussed at this time (It was, and for the most part was mostly written off as a pipe dream here in Vancouver - a "nice to have when the money is there to do it", but not essential) and from what I have been able to determine, there's no policy from the feeral Ministry of Transport to undertake such a project.
In fact, there's been nothing on the topic locally for months.
Post by Northern Exploration on Sept 4, 2009 10:48:38 GMT -8
The money released by the feds for the Toronto to Montreal portion of the corridor are to alieviate current bottlenecks speeding up the travel time by 15 to 30 minutes and provide more ontime service. It is a baby step towards HSR but not an indication of the go ahead for the line. Currently in this route, as with most of the VIA Rail network, freight takes the priority. So it isn't unusual for a VIA Train to pull onto a siding or to slow considerably to due to a freight train. Not surprizing given that it is CP and CN who own the rails. If you want to see power, look at the railway act and see the powers that the railways have that were needed to built the rail infrastructure coast to coast. They are federally regulated and much of those powers are still in place.
The corridor is very busy as you can imagine. On the lines immediately behind my brothers house can have a freight train every ten minutes on one of the 3 lines that cross there. Massive amounts of car carriers are parked in various locations and on not often used spurr lines so volumes is a little bit lower right now. Driving in the country recently, I was shocked to see vast numbers of them as far as the eye could see, parked on a weed grown spur line.
The car sets used are quite nice and are called Renaissance sets (ring a bell?). They are painted a different colour scheme (all tones of green) and the sets are European designed and step above the standard LRC sets. The LRC's are pretty good themselves. www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail/our-fleet/renaissance-coach-car
The only time we see the older cars is for the Canadian or other premium services. One train full of sleeper cars and bedrooms, and dining cars, leaves Toronto before midnight and pulls over onto a siding for everyone to sleep. Then at breakfast the train begins to move again pulling into Montreal at 7am. Everyone has rested, had a nice breakfast, for an amount less than a hotel in Montreal, and competitive with air travel. It has proven to be quite popular and friends who have used it find it so relaxing compared to hustling and bustling at the airports.
Queen of Prince Rupert at Bear Cove - Thankyou for your years of service
For those who live in Vancouver, you already know about the Canada Line. Well does anyone remember the 98 B-Line? Richmond-YVR-Downtown BRT?
Yesterday was the last day of the 98. Ever. And I was there. I stayed out until literally 3 am on the last ever trip of the 98.
Rest in peace, Richmond B-Line.
I DO!
I rode that line twice this year.
My first ride was on May 15 after arriving Vancouver from Seattle that morning by train. I took SkyTrain, the 98 and 424 to CYVR on my way up to Campbell River and Port Hardy, where I attended the Open Ship aboard the new MV NORTHERN EXPEDITION.
My last ride was on August 11. Did the same trip from Seattle in the morning. Spent a bit of the afternoon in North Vancouver. Took SkyTrain, the 98 and 424 again to CYVR. This trip took me aboard the NE on the fifteen hour cruise to Prince Rupert. I then took the TAKU to Ketchikan and Alaska Airlines back to Seattle.
That 98 was a crowded line when I took it. It was interesting to hear the SkyTrain door closing chime in those buses.
It is neat that TL put the SkyTrain chime on those buses! Most all of the articulated vehicles have them, notwithstanding the D60's.
The door chimes are only used when the bus is being operated on a route that allows all-door boarding. On these routes, the driver opens and closes the doors manually (no need to press on the bar to open them). One of the Richmond drivers told me that in preparation for the 98B to begin allowing all door boarding, all of the buses had to have their door mechanisms modified. This is why if you rode on bus #R8074 on the 98B one day, you would hear the door chimes (driver operating the doors manually). If R8074 was used on route #620 the next day, there would be no chimes as all door boarding is not allowed and passengers would have to press the bar for the doors to open.
BTW can anyone tell me if the 97 B-Line allows all door boarding?
The door chimes are only used when the bus is being operated on a route that allows all-door boarding. On these routes, the driver opens and closes the doors manually (no need to press on the bar to open them). One of the Richmond drivers told me that in preparation for the 98B to begin allowing all door boarding, all of the buses had to have their door mechanisms modified. This is why if you rode on bus #R8074 on the 98B one day, you would hear the door chimes (driver operating the doors manually). If R8074 was used on route #620 the next day, there would be no chimes as all door boarding is not allowed and passengers would have to press the bar for the doors to open.
Not entirely true. The chimes can be turned on and off, but drivers don't necessarily turn them off for routes without all-door-boarding. For example, the chimes were in effect on the #20 late last week when I rode it... can't remember the coach number, but it was an E60LFR.
Post by ferryfanyvr on Sept 7, 2009 22:45:33 GMT -8
I have also been on an articulated trolley on the #20 route and heard the chimes. I asked the driver about it and he explained it was because he was opening and closing the doors himself instead of using the automatic system. So in a nutshell......driver operating the doors himself -door chimes-...driver "arming" the doors so that they open when the bar is pressed and close a few seconds after the last passenger has exited -no door chimes-.
The #20 driver said the articulated trolleys had their doors set up that way in case all-door bording is introduced on a trolley route (most likely the #3) in the future. But because some passengers board via the rear doors anyway (especially at Commercial Drive Station) even though they're not supposed to, some drivers override the automatic system in the interest of passenger safety.
It is neat that TL put the SkyTrain chime on those buses! Most all of the articulated vehicles have them, notwithstanding the D60's.
The door chimes are only used when the bus is being operated on a route that allows all-door boarding. On these routes, the driver opens and closes the doors manually (no need to press on the bar to open them). One of the Richmond drivers told me that in preparation for the 98B to begin allowing all door boarding, all of the buses had to have their door mechanisms modified. This is why if you rode on bus #R8074 on the 98B one day, you would hear the door chimes (driver operating the doors manually). If R8074 was used on route #620 the next day, there would be no chimes as all door boarding is not allowed and passengers would have to press the bar for the doors to open.
BTW can anyone tell me if the 97 B-Line allows all door boarding?
All door boarding, which is actually technically three door boarding (as forty footers can't do it) is on all SFU/UBC routes (at University stops), and the 99. As you observed though, it's common practice on many routes, though - notably the 3 and 20.
His collection is getting to be enormous. And I know he's got a backlog of photos still waiting to be uploaded.
Every once in a while I take a look through the collection at some photos taken back when we were both bus chasing teenagers with cameras (you know, the kind that take film).
Then I see the date stamp and realize some of those trips were over ten years ago, like in these two great photos:
I got to have a little transit fun today, with a ride on the new Portland Light-Rail Green Line that began service just before noon today. I wasn't in line for the first train -- I had to fit this in around a full day worth of work-related stuff. But I rode in the first official hour of service, and a great time was had by all.
Yeah, this is the 4th or 5th line on the MAX system, depending on how you count them. Yeah, I have already rode on one of the new trainsets that began use on other routes a few months ago. But I still get excited about riding something new for the first time, and today was one of those days.
Portland has actually got to the point where adding a new rail line is just something that happens, as opposed to being the "new" light rail or the "new" streetcar. Seattle should have been doing this all along, and Tri-Met is running a much more efficient system than Metro/Sound Transit/ a bunch of suburban systems ever will.
But that being said, despite the familiarity of the system, despite the fact that half the route parallels existing routes, and despite the first day standing-room crowds -- the "little-kid-excited" feeling I got just hearing the PA voice lady saying "This is a westbound Green Line train to Clackamas Town Center" for the first time gave me real goose bumps. Hearing the name of each new station announced as we approached each station for the first time was a wonderful moment for me. Laugh. You will. Hello, I'm Bryan, and I'm addicted to riding transit. But I love it. So there.
His collection is getting to be enormous. And I know he's got a backlog of photos still waiting to be uploaded.
Every once in a while I take a look through the collection at some photos taken back when we were both bus chasing teenagers with cameras (you know, the kind that take film).
Then I see the date stamp and realize some of those trips were over ten years ago, like in these two great photos:
Sheesh, seems like just yesterday we were chasing the last of the 1400s around the Eastside. Ten years ago. I'm getting old.
Oh - I still remember that 1437 ran nice but must have had a broken engine mount because it was shaking itself to death at idle. Ten years ago.
Thanks for the links!
I remember riding those MAN/AMG 1400s daily. They were excellent and fun buses to ride, as well as the MAN T&B 2000s, 3000s, and 4000s.
I first started riding the 1400s in the 1980s. I rode them on Hwy 99 from Shoreline to my first jobs in Lynnwood. This was Route 306 to Everett. This was changed to 406 when KCM would use the "400" route series on all trips between King and Snohomish counties and the "300" series serving the northern King County. Today's Route 306 operates between Seattle and the Kenmore loop.
This picture brings me back memories of my early 1980s commutes.
Notice how she's signed up as. The Via is SPECIAL as this coach is in an historical vehicle outing.
The 1400's were nice and noisy inside the foredeck. The engine, transmission, and drives were under the foredeck. The aftdeck was quieter and the aft wheels were attached to steering mechanisms as they turned the aft end away from curbs when the bus was turning. These, as well as the 2000s and 4000s, had a nice tight turning radius. Indeed, these 1400s rattled when idled. The greatest noise from their engine came on startup from a bus stop, after a red light, and climbing great hills. I've seen a few small frys cover their ears a few times. Freeway rides on these were fun. It really felt good riding these 1400s.
I really miss these 1400s, as well as all the nice MAN buses we had here.
Post by northwesterner on Sept 12, 2009 19:25:16 GMT -8
The 1400s were by far the most interesting of the large fleet of MAN coaches down here.
They were pre-wheelchair lift, with a curving entrance staircase divided by banister for true dual stream loading. They had noisy air doors that hissed loudly every time they were actuated. By the end, it seemed each coach had its own unique rattles, blower noises, and other oddities.
The 1400s were highway geared, which meant they were slower than snot off the line and in city operation, but on suburban freeway service, they could really fly. Indeed, they were governed out at 75mph, while all other coaches Metro bought until the 1996 Gillig order topped out at 57mph.
They didn't last long in inner city route service, relegated to the suburbs quickly after the 1982 order of larger engined, lower geared, 2000-series MAN artics with w/c lifts. Relegated to freeway trippers, they had a longer lifespan than the more urban 2000-series coaches. Both fleets were replaced at the same time with the 2300-series New Flyer D60 coaches.
I enjoyed the 1400s a lot, and spent many afternoons my freshman year of high school (Spring 1999) chasing them all over Redmond, Bellevue, and Eastgate. I also remember having a day off from school, getting up early, commuting over to Bellevue, and riding one on the old route 340 (once Metro's longest route) from Bellevue Transit Center to Sea-Tac Airport on a morning tripper. Those coaches hadn't operated the 340 in years, and it was a treat to ride one on that route the final shakeup they operated. They sure struggled climbing the Klickitat Drive hill from Southcenter to SeaTac.
The 1400s had pretty much operated the same same trips and routes year after year. They were supposed to have all been replaced and off the road by the start of the February 1999 shakeup. Metro printed timetables showing all trips and w/c accessible. Well, there was a delivery delay with the D60s, and only a handful had been delivered by Feb 1999. Metro issued a rider alert saying to check the online timetables of certain (listed) routes for w/c accessibility. I went through all the listed routes, and cut and pasted all the 1400 trips, and spent that spring chasing them through the system, on some routes they hadn't run on for ages including that lone 340 trip, the 242, 276, 272, and 268.
I miss all the MAN coaches a lot (except the 4000s, which were such nasty, rough riding, filthy rattle trips by the end the Breda conversions were an upgrade). I miss the unique engine noises, great ride, and big windows. They were one of the best products on the US market (trust me, I'd rather have a 1986 MAN Americana than a 1986 Gillig Phantom or Orion I) at the time. I wish MAN would try the US Market again, because they still build Europe's best buses.
Not much of a bus fan, and the service I'm about to mention isn't even run by "Transit"
On the BC Day long weekend, my hometown of Ladysmith, unveiled their own bus service. It is entirely funded by the people of the town, sponsors, and donations. The fare for riding the bus is free, however they still accept donations. To add to the unique service, they use a Trolley type bus. It's pretty neat seeing this bus cruise the streets of town. This was a service that could have been used years ago. When I was younger, my ways of getting around town was by bike. Those who are familiar with the town, would know that every street has some sort of hill on it, and they're usually either gradual inclines, to the well known 19% grade on Symonds Hill. So I trained myself to ride up and down the hills at ease. Now kids who grow up here will get to ride a bus into town instead. I've yet to ride the bus myself, and I intend to try it out one of these days too. It's just too bad they're not running earlier in the day so I could take it to work.
Anyways, here's the website that shows what the trolley looks like, and shows the route it takes, etc.
