RapidTransit
Active Member
I didn't realize anyone actually ordered the Orion VI with 3 doors. Interesting.
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- Thread starter Kyle Campbell
- Start date
RapidTransit
Active Member
More reasons why Ontario should get back into building buses. i never understood why Orion left. I believe they said they didn't forecast future sales. But if anything, when Orion went under in 2012 or 2013, bus sales went through the roof.
Too bad Ontario didn't appreciate and step in for Orion the way Quebec steps in for Nova.
drum118
Superstar
The Orion VII were the dead nail for the company that end up being bought up in the end. Between TTC and NYC the two largest buyers of the bus ended up getting new bayerites' with an extra 5 year warranty on them as well the bus.
Mississauga got the first batch that took 2 years to be put into service dealing with all the major flaws in then. The city sue the company to recovery 10's of thousands hours fixing the flaws. Flashing around the windows had to be file down to stop the leaks. I found they rode like a tank compared to other buses.
Ontario did not want to be in the bus manufacturer field and why OBI was sold off. Thunder Bay used to build buses at one time. Depending on the Europe Manufacturers who are thinking of setting shop in NA, they may build a plant in Ontario or somewhere in Canada, but the main market is the US for them.
APTA-2048
Senior Member
BYD actually set up an assembly plant in Newmarket a few years ago. Unfortunately, they’ve had very few orders. I think the last buses they built were the TTC’s and more recently shuttle buses for York University.
Kyle Campbell
Senior Member
TransLink is still missing a lifeline that's been thrown to other transit agencies like Ottawa and Montreal
vancouversun.com
B.C. budget leaves TransLink waiting for funding lifeline
No mention of TransLink's funding predicament in B.C.'s budget alarmed transit advocates, the province says something is still in the works.
vancouversun.com
officedweller
Senior Member
Latest StainertheFirst video - this one on the Surrey Langley Extension (February 2025).
Other recent videos:
Broadway Subway (January 2025)
Future plans:
Other recent videos:
Broadway Subway (January 2025)
Future plans:
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Kyle Campbell
Senior Member
I believe that once this extension is complete, the expo line will be by far the longest single metro line in North America.
How do they often do they plan on running the service, especially since it has the branch off to Production Way that might make it hard to make it every other train?
How do they often do they plan on running the service, especially since it has the branch off to Production Way that might make it hard to make it every other train?
nfitz
Superstar
It's not even the longest in Canada. And do branches count?? The Expo line is currently 36 km long - but that includes the the 7 km Production Way-University branch. When the new extension in about 2030 opens on the Surrey branch is 16 km, it will make the longest service 45 km. Which is a bit shorter than the 47 km for the Deux-Montagnes (to Brossard) branch of the REM. For the Expo line if you include branches it's 52 km - but the REM with branches is 67 km.
It will also (barely) shorter than TTC's line 1, which should open not long (LOL!) after the Expo extension, and will clock in at 46 km.
And depends what a "metro" and a "line" is. The RER-like Toronto GO service will be quite extensive. The Oakvile to Oshawa Lakeshore service, which will have the core (and most) very-frequent service, is about 84-km long. Even Oshawa to Union is over 50 km.
Do branches count? The Expo line is currently 36 km long - but that includes the the 7 km Production Way-University branch. The new extension on the Surrey branch is 16 km - making the longest service 45 km.
Meanwhile, in the USA, the Los Angeles Blue (A) LRT line is about 78 km. The Silver metro line in Washington DC is 66-km long. The longest one-seat ride on the complex New York subway is 52 km on the A train - through 3 different boroughs - and that doesn't include the branch. In the San Fransisco area there's 5 different rapid transit lines that are over 55-km long ... some more metro-like than others.
Honourable mention for Chicago, which has two quite long lines - but slightly shorter, both being about 42 km.
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TossYourJacket
Senior Member
The frequency on the entire Production Way branch is only every 12 minutes (at all times). There are some days/times (the busier times of operation) where they run trains every 6 minutes to Braid (two stops before Production Way, with every other train on that branch going to Production Way). But it's never any more frequent than 6 minutes on that branch.
On the other hand, the frequency to King George for peak times is listed as "every 2-5 minutes". So it's already a situation where at peak, they often run more trains into Surrey, with only the less busy times being every other train servicing each of the two branches.
IMO, every 6 -12 minutes on the Production Way branch seems workable even with the new extension. But it's definitely not getting more frequent than that, with any increases in frequency going into Surrey.
Kyle Campbell
Senior Member
36+16 is 52km, not 45km which is what I was thinking of, I thought the 7km was not included in that number but I guess I read it wrong, I thought it was 36 just to King George
But I did totally forget about the LA blue line and silver line when trying to find 50+ km metro lines
Kyle Campbell
Senior Member
What's a typical driving time from Langley into downtown Vancouver? Google maps tells me well over an hour, but I don't know real world if that's accurate. If so I guess the train will be quite popular as it will do it in 65 minutes
officedweller
Senior Member
I think the Production Way trains used to be 1 in 3, but it would be even fewer trains now because of the track project for the new OMC4 forcing single tracking through there. There's not much passenger traffic on that branch - it's a suburb to suburb cross connection (like if Yonge-Sheppard was connected to Downsview). The frequency on the Expo Line prevents them from branching off the Millennium Line and reversing trains on the Expo Line past Columbia.
I don't know what it is during rush hour, but in the off off hours, it's more like 40 minutes via Hwy 1. Surrey Central will eventually be the Lower Mainland's 2nd downtown, so it is also intended to funnel people to Surrey Central.
I don't know what it is during rush hour, but in the off off hours, it's more like 40 minutes via Hwy 1. Surrey Central will eventually be the Lower Mainland's 2nd downtown, so it is also intended to funnel people to Surrey Central.
chrisw
Active Member
Ottawa pledges $1.5 billion over 10 years for Metro Vancouver transit
Funding deal for TransLink is the first metro-region agreement under the new Canada Public Transit Fund.
The funding from 2026 to 2036 is in addition to $663 million announced by Ottawa in January for TransLink infrastructure over the same period.
nfitz
Superstar
I wonder if they'll make similar announcements for the other two very large Canadian cities this weekend before the election starts. Probably too late. Though Vancouver is probably the most critical politically given neither Montreal nor Toronto are on the verge of extensive service cuts.
But potentially very good news for TTC and STM as well; perhaps we can see earlier restoration of the Covid transit cuts.
But potentially very good news for TTC and STM as well; perhaps we can see earlier restoration of the Covid transit cuts.
chrisw
Active Member
Though this funding from the Canada Public Transit Fund is capital funding.